PhD in Progress Podcast

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Fear of Becoming “Nonacademic”

April 11th, 2014

Nikhil brought up a good point while we were producing our first episode and has reflected it in his biography. When we are asked who we are, we tend to say “I’m a graduate student that studies _______ and hopes to pursue a career in _______. Currently, I’m working on _________ and have found that ________.” See the problem? [more…] We instantly limit ourselves to our education and professional goals.

This is not only a problem for early career academics but it seems to come more natural to them, especially if they have been in school from age 5 through 30. Their whole lives have been spent being a student.

Were you ever asked “Who are you?” when you were in middle school? I’m sure I did not spend much time trying to explain that I was “an eighth-grader who excelled in math and science”. Of course I’d mention school at some level, but at that stage I would have talked about how much I enjoyed my hobbies, why my family was awesome, which books I loved, and what my favorite strategy in Starcraft was.

The big change with us professional students is just that: we have chosen to be professional students. No longer have we only followed the path that we were legally obligated to. Instead we have so much invested in our current situation and often it greatly influences our personal lives. Graduate school, much like any job or field, controls our schedules, duties, and schedules, in the way we socialize and present ourselves.

That said, going into a “nonacademic” after we leave our graduate programs can be a very scary thought exactly because “academic” described a large portion of our lives before that point. Suddenly (if you do not end up in Research and Development) you will feel the need to justify your PhD. Some may think you failed being an academic when in reality you made a choice to go for an alternative. You took charge of your needs and interests and aspirations, so do not feel that you failed yourself.

At the same time, if you DO remain in academia, that’s great! At risk of this podcast and blog appearing anti-academic, we want to help others to identify and pursue the types of careers that utilize their strengths and talents. Do not let others dictate what you do with your life.

Is there merit to this? Are you worried about potentially losing this part of your identity?

PhD 001: An Introduction to the PhD (in Progress) Podcast

April 8th, 2014

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In this episode, Jason, Nikhil, and Abigail introduce themselves and their goals for PhDinProgress.com. We kept this episode light but expect great interviews, discussions, and resource highlights to come. Thanks for listening to our first episode! 

We’d love your feedback and suggestions. Let this show reflect the questions and ideas you have to improving your graduate education.

Leave comments below, e-mail us at feedback@PhDinProgress.com
Or follow us on Twitter: @PhDPodcast

UPDATE: iTunes feed is here!

[more…]

“The Nonacademic Careers of STEM Ph.D. Holders”

April 7th, 2014

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The American Institutes for Research recently published a brief authored by Lori Turk-Bicakci, Andrea Berger, and Clarisse Haxton examining the tendency of STEM PhDs to obtain nonacademic careers although they originally had the intent of remaining in academia. The report breaks down the different fields of work, from basic research to project management, between race and sex. Independent of the factors leading to 61% of STEM PhD holders to enter nonacademic careers, this majority alone indicates room for better training in PhD programs in preparation for nonacademic jobs.

“The primary research questions are as follows:

1. How do nonacademic career choices and work activities differ by gender and race/ethnicity?
2. How does the proportion of nonacademic STEM PhD holders working outside of STEM fields differ by gender
and race/ethnicity?

Key findings include the following:

  • Approximately half of Black, Hispanic, and White female STEM PhD holders and Black and Hispanic male STEM PhD holders were in nonacademic careers, whereas two thirds of Asian female STEM PhD holders and almost three fourths of Asian male STEM PhD holders were in nonacademic careers. About three fifths of White male STEM PhD holders were in nonacademic careers.
  • Among those in nonacademic careers, the largest proportion worked in private, for-profit organizations or government; however, Black, Hispanic, and White female STEM PhD holders were more likely to work in government and less likely to work in private, for-profit organizations compared with Asian females and males of all racial/ethnic groups.
  • Approximately half of STEM PhD holders in nonacademic careers worked on research and development (R&D) as their primary activity, but Black, Hispanic, and White female STEM PhD holders were less likely to work on R&D compared with other groups.
  • Approximately one fifth of STEM PhD holders in nonacademic careers did not work in a STEM field; however, Black, Hispanic, and White female STEM PhD holders were more likely to work outside of STEM compared with other groups.”

Read the whole article on the American Institutes for Research site.
Let us know what you think .[more…]