Should I Get a PhD?


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What am I Interested in that I Might Have Overlooked?

This 60-question Interest Profiler might generate some unexpected insights

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60 Question Interest Profiler (US Dept of Labor)
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Melissa Anders (Toronto)

Lots of useful worksheets in this Planning Guide

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Assessments & examples (UC Irvine - 34pp)

What are Some Examples of
​Cool Non-Academic Jobs?

A sample of 353 ABD jobs in the US

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From LinkedIn

Two views of non-academic career path options

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Mel Bruce (Southern Cross - Australia)
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Arunodoy Sur (Florida Atlantic)

Advice and Examples

Resources and Networks

Two Useful Guides
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12 Success Stories (Vrije Universiteit - Amsterdam)
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Humanities Advice APA (34pp)

Great Advice on Cover Letters and Vitas (Resumes)

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Writing a non-academic cover letter (Illinois)
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Writing a non-academic vita or resume (Edinburgh)

Emphasize these in your letter and vita

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Isaiah Hankel (Iowa)
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Klodjan Stafa (EPFL, Switzerland)

Still Interested in an Academic Career?

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Sean Heuston (The Citadel)

Some Inter-web Resources

  • Beyond the Professorate: Useful free webinars and advice from panels of successful people.
  • Versatile PhD: This is a ABD PhD support group to find a job outside academia. 
  • PhD Career Guide: Here's lots of career options to pursue that aren't in academics. 
  • Imagine PhD:  Helps Humanities and Social Science PhDs examine their  interests and skills and then plan  their next steps.
  • MyIDP - On-line assessment tool to help with STEM PhDs find the best fit. 
  • Cheeky Scientist: Helps a person explore industry opportunities and provides monthly updates.

A slide deck of additional options

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Sociology (Berkeley - Slides)

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