So What Are You Going to Do with That?: Finding Careers Outside Academia

by Maggie Debelius and Susan Basalla

Book Overview

Graduate schools churn out tens of thousands of Ph.D.'s and M.A.'s every year. Half of all college courses are taught by adjunct faculty. The chances of an academic landing a tenure-track job seem only to shrink as student loan and credit card debts grow. What's a frustrated would-be scholar to do? Can he really leave academia? Can a non-academic job really be rewarding--and will anyone want to hire a grad-school refugee?

With "So What Are...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226038823
• ISBN13: 9780226038827
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Worth it even if you're staying in academia

My husband and I discovered this book about 2/3s of the way through our PhD programs. To call it a revelation would be an understatement. Despite the fact my husband's still a professor (for the time being), we recommend this book to everyone we know who's nearing the job search part of their graduate program, in addition to disillusioned colleagues both in and out of academia. We found different parts of the book useful at different points in our job searches. Initially, we used it as a way to affirm our ambivalence about academia and the tenure process. The second read was more like reading a self-help book for the motivation, impetus and reassurance to go ahead and look for non-academic jobs. Later, we used the book to assess how our skills were transferable to a non-academic setting, and then for developing resumes, cover letters and job search strategies. Although it has many valuable aspects, what distinguished the book from other good job search/career resources were the sections on thinking about how our skills were transferable from academics and on how to market ourselves in non-academic jobs. And this is why we recommend it to people who are continuing in academia as well: to know that the decision to be an academic is a choice. So many people seem to go with the flow, feeling pressured by colleagues, advisors and their own expectations to continue in academia while all the while feeling ambivalent or unhappy about the whole process. However, to realize that you DO have skills, and that what you've done in grad school (no matter how arcane) is transferable to other settings, and that your decision to continue in academia is a choice and not simply doing what's expected of you, is highly liberating. While I credit Basalla and Debelius for giving me the clarity and confidence to leave academics, and for giving me the skills to be successful in my search (like turning a c.v. into a resume, interviewing well, and writing a solid cover letter), this job search aspect of the book is secondary. If you need a book on writing resumes or how to interview well, I would advise you to buy one focused on those aspects of job hunting. That's not the primary strength of the book. However, if you're in grad school or done, and you've ever felt ambivalent about the process or environment of academia, this is a fabulous book. So What Are You Going To Do With That? is excellent for enabling people to realize that they're not the only ones who wonder whether academia is the right path, to develop confidence to make the change to a post-academic career, and to think clearly about their skills and moreover, their options.

Perfect for MA types

I read the reviews and realized that I purchased the book to help graduate students that I was mentoring. The book is absolutely perfect for MA students and for some PhD types who are contemplating what to do outside of academia. It's an easy read and better than most other career minded books that are geared more so for business students. I've had good responses from students who I've either loaned my copy to or who have purchased the book themselves.

Help for Floundering Ph.D.'s in the Real World!

A friend of mine suggested this book when she saw how discouraged I was about not landing a job again in academia (after being out for several years) and I am so glad she did! This book showed me how to focus on all the skills I have obtained over the years and how to make them truly marketable in my resume. The section on reconstructing your curriculum vita into a resume was especially helpful. Debelius and Basalla seem to have a grasp on how painful this process really is and they try to help you through it with both humor and motherly coddling. Removing all those years of research and dissertation work in order to scale down your C.V. into a small, readable document is no easy task for any Ph.D. However, the results of my new resume were quite successful and I found a new job path within only a few months! Strangely enough, the job turned out to be in academia anyway... just not teaching in the classroom as I had done before. I highly recommend this book! If you are a discouraged Ph.D. (and I know I was not alone out there), it will help remind you of your true worth and inspire you to see all the career paths that are truly open to you if you will only keep an open mind. Onward and upward!

Beneficial for M.A.'s too

Although much of this book is geared toward the phd student reconsidering career options, it is also valuable to the M.A. student for several reasons. First, it warns of the dangers of falling into a phd track simply because you're a good student and not sure what else to do. As I finish my masters degree, I found myself thinking of doctoral programs not out of specific interest, but to avoid an immediate job search. Second, it caters to some of the fears all good students/academics have...about the mundane nature of 9 to 5 jobs, and many fascinating career options for academics. Third, it's a very quick read and entertaining also. I highly recommend this book for masters students contemplating their future and job search, or deciding whether or not a doctoral program is for them.

Finally, someone is willing to tell the truth!

It's so refreshing for someone whose been there to speak the truth to what we graduate students have known for a long time. Mainly, that the job market is bleak, and that there are other places we can go to be challengened and fulfilled in our careers. I love the way Susan and Maggie use their own experiences and the experiences of hundreds of other "survivors" to create a rich pool of information for others to draw on. Our professors can't seem to face that there are other options in life besides the academy. The work the folks they interviewed went on to do, I found very inspiring. If you know anyone thinking about graduate school or struggling to finish, you must get them this book.