After all, thats what your PhD has trained you for, right? Projects may offer short-term relief or long-term social change through sustainable practices. At a commercial bank, you may have more opportunities to work with clients and use your verbal and written communication skills. While the average salary for a CEO ranges upwards of $100,000, you are only as successful as your company. No matter how much preparation you do, you need to know what areas to target. As a PhD, you can learn anything. Other options are volunteering as a mentor, tutoring, or working in an after-school program. You likely received a stipend, scholarship or other form of funding for your PhD program. No matter how much preparation you do, you need to know what areas to target. I watched as many early career researchers at my university failed to get grant funding, while the aging tenured professors were not retiring, despite being well past the retirement age. In this eBook for PhDs, you will get access to proven resume templates, learn how to structure your bullet points, and discover which keywords industry employers want to see most on PhD resumes. Now is the time for you to leave academia. Job areas include program evaluation, fundraising research, market research, or public opinion research. Here is a list of five job families in which Social Sciences PhDs have found fulfilling work. how you collaborated with other researchers and institutions; how you followed ethical research practices; how you gathered, analyzed, and presented your qualitative and/or quantitative data. There are multiple career options for social science PhDs outside the ivory tower. Use key words in the industry descriptions below to help you find positions in your field of interest. I started to think about alternative careers outside of academia. You might find out that you could happily fit in. If youre interested in this type of work, build a portfolio of writing for general audiences. I was told that industry jobs were unreliable, that industry groups only wanted STEM PhDs, and that there were no jobs in industry for social science PhDs. What job did I want? Most international development organizations are nonprofits and classified as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and offer opportunities both at an organizations headquarters and in the eld. In fact, when I finally sat down to apply for jobs, I blindly searched for open positions using standard terms: Researcher, Scientist, Biologist, and so on. While college counselors often have degrees in counseling, it is not mandatory. Areas of international development can include: A theoretical foundation in policy development and analysis provides excellent career preparation, but isnt always necessary. That said, salaries at nonprofits tend to be lower than in the private sector. However, the lack of job prospects within academia means that this doesnt happen. Common topics to write about include foreign policy, security, microeconomic policy and social policy. Unlike academic presses, educational publishers are for-prot companies. PhDs who enjoy the writing aspect of their degrees may also enjoy becoming professional writers. For example, your specialized knowledge of a language or culture may be valuable to the Department of State. Government positions are a good fit for PhDs who have a desire to serve their country or community and who want to leave the private sector behind. Strong written communication skills are essential. Newspapers, magazines, and online publications also hire PhDs to write in their areas of expertise. Consultants may conduct detailed industry analyses, benchmark comparable organizations, or devise strategic initiatives. However, there are endless industry opportunities available to social science PhDs outside of academia. Social Sciences PhDs who have ventured in the field of advocacy work as: Social Sciences PhDs working in organizational management oversee the operations of businesses, organizations, and institutions. NOTE: Most federal government jobs are limited to US citizens. These positions may require skills in quantitative research, qualitative research, or both. Private educational consultants help parents navigate the secondary school and higher education systems. I also realized that social science PhDs have transferable skills that are unique from other job candidates. These companies often seek candidates with the kinds of skills acquired in quantitative social science fields, like advanced quantitative research and programming skills, and mastery of statistics, stochastic calculus, and experience working with large data sets. Your PhD, in other words, was a job. Consultancy positions offer vast opportunities for career advancement, from entry level positions, all the way to CEO positions. A portfolio of advanced programs that provide specific career training so you can get hired into top PhD jobs. Today, the number of part-time university faculty has increased to more than 50%. However, PhDs can continue to do research outside of academia. As in investment banking, commercial banks tend to have strong training programs. Universities are hiring more part-time faculty and the length of postdoc assignments is increasing because there are not enough academic tenure-track positions to support PhDs. Unfortunately, not all professional associations have made proactive efforts to find solutions to the shortage of tenure-track positions in their respective fields. Here is a list of the top 10 industry positions for social science PhDs. As a freelancer, you can choose what type of job you want, who you work for, where you work, and when you work. Many social science PhDs aim to stay within academia. As a consultant, you will engage in stimulating projects and work with highly motivated colleagues. PhDs who enjoy writing and editing may be well-suited to transitioning into a publishing position. Many academic and non-academic publishing companies look for professional editors and writers with a PhD. While your PhD qualies you to teach a particular subject, teaching younger students requires a dierent curriculum and working style. Why consider consulting as a PhD? You need to think about those years as work experience. You will learn a lot about your values and desires in the process. There are endless industry opportunities available to social science PhDs. These projects may create a niche market or address a social need. Many teachers enjoy the chance to interact with students and the opportunity to develop a curriculum. Nonprots are funded by foundations, government grants, membership dues, and service fees. Think Tanks often perform research and advocacy on matters of government policy. Consulting rms can have a specic industry focus, such as education, or serve a variety of industries. And, of course, salaries are high. Advising and support roles are available in student and academic affairs offices. While you may think that professional writers are just people who write books, there are writing positions available across a wide range of areas. Additionally, industry researchers are often rewarded, not penalized, for showing initiative and acting as leaders. Another option within the nance industry is commercial banking. Some conduct impartial research and closely resemble academia. There are ample opportunities in qualitative and quantitative research across many agencies, where the skills and knowledge you gained in graduate school will be valued and put to good use. Work weeks often exceed 50-60 hours and projects may be due at 9am the day after theyre assigned. This belief is simply not true. The academic system leads PhD students to believe that the only thing that comes after a PhD is an academic postdoc, which then leads to a tenure-track university position. Look at your professional associations website to see whether they have published a list of job searching resources tailored to your field of study. Approach your informational interviews like a field study. Some educational consultants advise students or parents on high school and college applications. During your graduate training, you refined a set of transferable skills that apply to jobs out of academia. You have plenty of experience in industry: the higher education industry. Consultants tend to have reasonable work hours and a good salary, depending on the level of experience and size of the company. Independent work can be very appealing to recent PhDs accustomed to setting their own schedules in graduate school. This stress slowly became too much for me to deal with. For these reasons, independent work is an excellent way to ease into hunting for a job outside academia. Every week, we at Cheeky Scientist scour the Internet for the best articles on topics that help in the search for the Best of Transition: PhD Job Search in the industry. But, funding kept getting more competitive. Many internships are unpaid or low-paid, so it can be helpful to do one over the summer while you are in school or during a semester when youre not teaching. These were people who specialized in very niche areas of science. She is also committed to mentoring students across all demographics, helping them reach their full potential. My goal was to get out of academia and into industry and as quickly as possible. Would these perceived opinions mean that funding to social science research would get cut first? This industry is ideal for PhDs who want to get away from the hierarchical structure associated with academia. Its worth spending some time looking at an array of roles and industries before you begin to apply for jobs. You may enjoy a variety of assignments and have more control over your work, and you may have a more flexible schedule and the ability to work remotely. A large proportion of TFA corps members come from graduate school or another job before joining. You may be familiar with positions in curation and research, but cultural and historical organizations often have departments in outreach, education, and program development that run educational programs and build community relationships. Regardless of your field of expertise, government positions offer a variety of options for social science PhDs. Unlike public schools, they do not require a teaching certication. You may be well-suited to this type of position if you enjoy teaching and working directly with students and faculty. As a social scientist, you have valuable skills that can be applied in a variety of industries. Many PhDs seek out nonprofits as their rst step after graduate school because the culture of these organizations can be particularly PhD-friendly and they often need staff with the skills you have gained in your PhD program for positions in: Nonprofits also attract people who are passionate about particular social and civic issues. You could also use skills gained from your PhD as a Central Intelligence Agency analyst or a researcher for the Government Accountability Office. It can also be rewarding on a personal level to see students improve in their knowledge and understanding. High school teaching may not seem as enticing or lucrative as some teaching positions in academia. If you enjoy working with undergraduates, consider. Independent and freelance work is increasingly common across many industries. These positions require strong interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to help others navigate the complex systems of university resources. For more information on this career option, reach out to alumni working in roles such as: The list provided here is by no means exhaustive. Another path is higher education consulting, which is a small but growing industry. Marketing and public relations promote institutions to the public, and development raises money through grants from foundations and individual donors to help fund the institution. As in academia, you may have little geographic exibility. Entrepreneurs work in business, social enterprise, and on solo projects. Having a government job comes with predictable paths of promotion, flexibility, and excellent benefits, such as health care and good retirement plans. A consultant is someone who provides expert advice. What can you learn about a companys culture? There are plenty of fulfilling career paths within Research and Development (R&D) that keep you close to the innovation. Learn about the top 20 industry careers for PhDs (regardless of your academic background). Our flagship program with 8,000+ PhDs will help you get hired into the best career for your unique situation and background. Commercial banking is also more geographically exible and usually has more regular hours. For one, you will be responsible for managing your business and guring out (and paying for) benefits and taxes on your own. Consulting is a rewarding yet demanding eld. For instance. Within government, there are multiple job options, ranging from diplomats and scientists, to consultants and politicians, making this an area with options suited to all PhDs. Where did I see myself in 5 to 10 years? So, I made the decision to transition into industry. These quantitative and qualitative research skills make social science PhDs great candidates to transition into the financial industry. By working with talented scholars and editing the latest research papers, you will have endless opportunity to expand your knowledge. Research positions are available in think tank organizations, publishing, government agencies, banking, education, and many other industries. Please find below a selection of some of the most common career paths for humanities and social science PhDs. If you still attend academic conferences, propose or organize a panel discussion on job searching for Social Sciences PhDs. Second, independent work does not provide the security of a steady source of income. Nonprot organizations cover a wide range of organizations, including health, educational, religious, arts, and charitable organizations, as well as advocacy groups, professional societies, and research institutes. But the reality is, your skills are needed in every area of industry. You can approach your search in a couple of dierent ways. One particular consulting area that would be well-suited for social science PhDs is educational consulting. Higher education offers many rewarding employment options outside of faculty positions that use the skills you have developed in your humanities or social science PhD program. Many colleges and universities have multiple offices dedicated to fundraising and connecting with alumni. Are you a fan of public policy or feel passionate about helping underserved and vulnerable populations? All industry areas are extremely eager to hire PhDs, who they know already have the invaluable research skills needed for the job. This might include attending information sessions, networking with industry professionals, or researching companies. In this eBook, you will gain insight into the most popular, highest-paying jobs for PhDs all of which will allow you to do meaningful work AND get paid well for it. There are also many positions outside the classroom in secondary education. For example, if you had to apply for and obtain approval to conduct research with human subjects from your universitys Institutional Review Board, list all of the steps and elements involved. There is no other position with this type of flexibility. Dont underestimate the depth of your strengths and transferable skills, which are highly valued in many industries. Experience with adolescents is important for entering this eld. As a seasoned scholar of human behavior, you may be well positioned to enter into a human services career. Corporations, governments, and nonprot organizations all hire consultants. Plus, high school teachers enjoy an especially long vacation time, compared to other industry positions. The best source of information about open positions will be a universitys human resources page. The writing process is similar across different disciplines and your academic writing skills are transferable to a professional writing position in all areas. If you want free insights on resumes, LinkedIn, interviewing, careers and more, just enter your details below. Academic publishing companies print and distribute scholarship in journal, book, or thesis form. Think tanks and research centers often hire PhDs for their research, analytical, and writing skills. Depending on the role, you may be asked to travel with senior leadership and represent the university in visits to foundations and potential donors. Second, open-access is changing publication models, especially in the sciences. You can gain industry skills, and explore various areas of interest. As one Cheeky Scientist member recently shared: , Like many PhDs, you may think that Research and Development is the only department in industry that hires PhDs. National Association for Community Mediation, National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD), International Association of Facilitators (IAF), International Ombudsman Association (IOA). As a PhD, you have skills that you could put to work in a variety of roles, including editorial, management, marketing, sales, and production. Companies that publish trade books, consumer magazines, and many online outlets typically target a more general readership and are usuallybut not alwaysfor-prot companies. These include textbooks, indexes, abstracts, and study guides. Our consultants vote on a top article for each category and a top overall article for the week if its a recent article that can help readers find and acquire PhD jobs, then we want to include it in this weekly digest., PhDs in the sciences and humanities are not qualified to work in finance or business. As your own boss, you set the rules, but you also need to be confident in your ability to generate new ideas and sell them successfully. Even full-time faculty members can find themselves on a non-tenure-track. Lastly, you will likely not get benets like paid holidays or vacation, a retirement plan, or insurance. Another such program is Teach for America. You may want to choose private schools as a rst step in a teaching career. 19211 Panama City Beach Pkwy #1047 Panama City Beach FL 32413-8712, * By opting in you agree to receiving emails and other messages from us about transitioning into industry. Many projects involve solving problems that reflect the unique culture, politics, geography, and economy of a region. The humanities have been particularly affected by this pressure. If you belong to one of these groups, contact the association leadership and request that they provide support for PhDs seeking employment outside of academia. At a nonprofit, you can make a positive impact on behalf of the organizations mission, and that is very rewarding. The industry is centered in New York, but there are some opportunities elsewhere. Gaining experience and making connections outside your department will help position you for these opportunities once you graduate. A nonprofit is also well-suited to PhDs who wish to apply their skills and expertise to working alongside a team of people all reaching towards achieving the same larger goal. For example, you could look for jobs teaching in a summer program run by private schools or you might contact schools for substitute or part-time openings. In addition, working in higher education administration will allow you to use your knowledge about higher education in your career, which many who work in this field find rewarding. You can learn to write an excellent resume and cover letter. These positions offer comfortable salaries, good work/life balance, as well as strong health insurance and benefits. In no uncertain terms, I was told that moving to industry meant I was selling out. According to PayScale, the median salary for industry scientists is $77,000 and can be as high as $120,000. These companies publish materials for secondary schools, colleges and universities, and training programs. The finance sector offers a broad range of specializations including, but not limited to, insurance, actuary jobs, and investment banking. You may be familiar with some examples. Do not be strung along by the academic system and work as an underpaid postdoc for upwards of 10 years, only to be denied the academic position you wanted. Internships are the entry point to book publishing, which is an apprenticeship industry. These organizations value the subject knowledge and experience that you bring as a PhD, such as research, writing, analysis, and presentation skills. Research funding was drying up and tenure-track academic positions were scarce. These sectors are seeking highly, I was defending my PhD in 6 months, and I still had no idea what I wanted to do. See full terms & conditions and privacy policy links below. I was especially worried, because social science is often perceived as a soft science. Which group of individuals or communities did you study in your graduate research? There are also a number of organizations that help career-changers become certied quickly. A successful entrepreneurship can be a very lucrative career option for social science PhDs. They are a great t for PhDs in many elds, like history, musicology, literature and cultural studies, and art history and oer a range of opportunities. With over 200,000 monthly readers from 150 countries and 15,000 individual subscribing PhD members from 60 countries, we are a global authority on getting PhDs hired into top industry careers. Like many PhDs, you might imagine yourself in a research position where you are developing and performing experiments, analyzing data, presenting the data to your research team, and so on. If your graduate research or life experience had an international focus and you have a flair for conflict resolution, diplomacy and mediation careers may be a good fit for you. That said, you will likely be well-trained and work with smart, motivated colleagues. More than 100 agencies and bureaus oversee their own hiring and recruitment, and each has its own mission. I am CEO of Cheeky Scientist, the world's largest career training platform for PhDs. It seemed like there was no way to progress or succeed in academia. Common forms of employment at think tanks include analysts who assist the research process by collecting and analyzing data. Many social science PhDs are required to work with large data sets while earning their degrees. You may meet some interesting people in the process. Academic publishing will continue to adapt to this shift in the coming years. You may even be able to transition into a full-time job at a company where you are working as a temp or contractor. According to PhD Career Guide, financial positions offer great opportunities for career progression, which can lead to large salaries of up to $300,000. Common roles for social science PhDs include: Roles in investment banking are often very demanding and fast-paced. Also, you will work with people who share your passion for culture. For social science PhDs who want to have more flexibility surrounding their work situation, freelance positions can be a good industry opportunity. Gemma has a PhD in Social Sciences specializing in sleep and circadian rhythms with a background in genetics and immunology. It was literally a survival of the fittest situation. By meeting other PhDs who are considering alternative careers or who have already made the transition, you will come to appreciate the value of your Social Sciences PhD. There are nonprofit organizations across a number of different areas including healthcare, charities, advocacy groups, and research institutes. As reported by Nature, of the more than 40,000 US postdocs, nearly 4,000 had been in their postdoc position for more than 6 years. This work environment makes a freelancer position particularly well-suited to PhDs who have families and want to spend more time at home. Each of these roles uses the skills you have built during your PhD in different ways. Communications and public affairs offices produce internal and external newsletters and magazines with information about the university, their projects, students and alumni. 2022 Cheeky Scientist LLC. You can also explore writing positions, freelancing, high school teaching, and academic and non-academic publishing. Working in a think tank or research center provides an opportunity to advocate for important issues that might be neglected in government or public policy. A useful way to nd these and other positions is to do a keyword search on the USA Jobs site. Use your strong research and writing skills in an institutional research department. These websites will help you learn more about opportunities in the nonprot world: Financial services companies include banks, hedge funds, and trading companies. And, in the US, the nonprofit sector is the third largest among all industries. Financial positions offer high salaries and high levels of job satisfaction, even at entry levels. Many entrepreneurs start their rst ventures as students. But, if you dont know what types of jobs are out there, you wont be able to successfully transition into industry. This advice can be in areas of management, marketing, human resources, finance, education, and information technologies. Begin networking and doing informational interviews during graduate school if you are interested in staying at Columbia in an administrative position. There are also various opportunities to work as an educational consultant. Charter schools are another good option. With over 1.7 million jobs and over 400 occupational specialties, the federal government is one of the largest employers in the United States. The transferable skills you gained during your PhD mean that you could work for a publishing company in any discipline. Beyond that, I hadnt thoroughly considered my options. But, if you dont know what types of jobs are out there, you wont be able to successfully transition into industry. In entrepreneurship, its up to you, as the CEO, to make your company profitable. These include working for nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurship, working for government or the financial industry, or doing professional research. PhDs have excellent transferable skills that are highly sought after in all areas of industry, including entrepreneurship. As a social scientist, you appreciate the time and effort it takes to understand a new culture or society. Newspapers, academic journals, media outlets, and grant-writing organizations are always on the lookout for professional writers. If you are an obsessive organizer or planner and enjoy personnel training or supervision, a career in this job family might be worth investigating. Our Training Platforms Individual Subscription, Resources for Graduate Schools and Postdoc Offices, 5 Jobs for History PhDs That Have Nothing to Do with History. As a doctoral student, you have tremendous strengths and transferable skills to offer employers. Cheeky Scientist is the world's largest job-search training platform for PhDs. Given the large amount of reading, writing, and editing required in the social sciences, a position at a publishing house is a great option for social science PhDs. Government (local, national, international) and global businesses need professionals who demonstrate cultural competency as well as mediation skills. She is passionate about educating the public about the importance of sleep and the effects of sleep loss and disruption on general health and wellbeing to increase quality of life and work productivity. Cultural and historical organizations include museums, libraries, and performing arts centers. How do the professionals that you encounter speak about their jobs? Business leaders are interested in your methodology and thinking process, so this is a very practical exercise. As a social science PhD, you are able to write on a vast array of topics, not just those related to your research field. According to PayScale, median salaries for nonprofits range from $50,000 to $63,000. For once, my future as a social science PhD looked bright. As a science PhD, thats what I was qualified for, right? Examine each facet of your graduate school experience, from working as a teaching assistant to publishing papers in journals. First, university budget cuts and increased journal costs are putting pressure on publishers. Most PhDs dont initially think of nonprofits as an attractive career option. The three sites below are the three largest job aggregating websites, which means they use web crawlers to pull open positions from other sites across the internet. This may be because the term, nonprofit suggests that you wouldnt be getting paid. You may work with undergraduates on their writing or study skills, or help advanced degree students to improve their teaching skills. While this page is a good place to start your exploration, it only scratches the surface of the resources available to you. I spoke to my advisor about my concerns for my future in academia and my desire to leave. All Rights Reserved. Publishing provides an opportunity to stay involved with scholarship. Salaries in development tend to be competitive, and there are good opportunities for advancement. She is currently transitioning from academia into industry. You might also consider the eld of educational publishing. Many institutions including non-profit organizations and universities need philanthropists with grant-writing and public speaking experience. Think about how each job responsibility can be broken down into smaller tasks. Our two consultants independently search for the most informative articles in the categories of networking, CVs/resumes, interviews, transferable skills, academic blues, industry positions, and business acumen. Many PhDs often mistakenly think that to do research, they need to remain in academia.