Your Career: Where to begin on an industry job search

How to frame your higher-ed background to apply for nonacademic positions. ADVERTISEMENT [Your Career Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. How to frame your higher-ed background to apply for nonacademic jobs For Ph.D.s and graduate students on the academic job market, winter is the season to get started on that industry job search. Even if a faculty career is your first choice, it’s a good idea to also apply for full-time jobs in companies, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, or the like. Cultivating other professional possibilities, beyond the tenure track, can give you a sense of openness, perhaps even a bit of optimism, about your future. But perhaps you haven’t thought much about industry careers. Or if you have, you may not be ready to share those career goals and fears publicly. Journaling or free-writing is a low-stakes way of reflecting on your graduate-school experience thus far, and what lies ahead. Here are some questions to get you started: - What are your general hopes and fears about your professional future? The looming end of your doctoral training is both exciting and anxiety-inducing, and sometimes it helps to get those thoughts down on paper. - What have you loved about graduate school? Don’t limit yourself to the content of your work (though that may be part of it). You might say, “being around other people who care about X as much as I do,” or “being back on a college campus,” or “my students.” - What have you disliked about it? Be honest! No one else will see this, and it’s important to articulate what is not working for you. - Imagine yourself in five years. Where do you want to be (literally and figuratively)? What are the important elements of your imagined life? Again, consider not only your work but also the rest of your life. Do you have geographic limitations? Do you have ambitions in your personal life? How will those affect your professional goals? Continue reading: “[How to Jump-Start Your Industry Job Search]( by Jennifer S. Furlong and Stacy M. Hartman Share your suggestions for the newsletter with Denise Magner, an editor at The Chronicle, at denise.magner@chronicle.com. If you’d like to opt out, you can log in to our website and [manage your newsletter preferences here](. ADVERTISEMENT SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. To read this newsletter as soon as it sends, [sign up]( to receive it in your email inbox. LATEST CAREER ADVICE, OPINION, AND NEWS ADVICE [The Disposable, Indispensable Faculty Member]( By Rebecca Schuman [STORY IMAGE]( If teaching is so easy, why do so many tenured professors take such great pains to avoid it? ADVERTISEMENT DATA [Which Colleges Spent the Most Money on Research?]( By Audrey Williams June [STORY IMAGE]( Twenty-nine institutions spent more than $1 billion on research and development in the 2022 fiscal year, according to new federal data. ADVICE [Dos and Don’ts of a Visiting Professorship]( By Dana S. Dunn and Jane S. Halonen [STORY IMAGE]( Advice for job candidates on how to thrive in this full-time yet temporary faculty position. 'A NEW SORT OF PROXY WAR' [How Harvard Tried to Save Its President]( By Emma Pettit [STORY IMAGE]( When the university learned of alleged plagiarism by Claudine Gay, it scrambled to stop the scandal before it began. THE REVIEW | FORUM [What to Do About Burnout in Student Affairs]( By Ian Wilhelm [STORY IMAGE]( Those in the field are often better at helping others than they are themselves. THE REVIEW | OPINION [Reviving Critical Community on Campus]( By Paul Brest [STORY IMAGE]( How to make campus culture welcoming, but still argumentative. LEADERSHIP [The Long Shadow of Ivy League Disputes Has Engulfed the Rest of Higher Ed, Too]( By Eric Kelderman [STORY IMAGE]( Private-college presidents at a conference last week said they’d been asked about Harvard’s responses to the Israel-Hamas war and other political topics in recent months. FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [The Unionized Campus - The Chronicle Store]( [The Unionized Campus]( The number of graduate-student unions has increased more than four-fold since 2019. [Order your copy]( to learn what’s at stake as union membership grows, and explore effective strategies for colleges to build relationships with new and existing unions. What we’re reading Here’s more on career issues and trends from around the web. See something we should include? [Let me know](mailto:denise.magner@chronicle.com?subject=Your Career feedback). - In The Wall Street Journal, [a look]( “who’s getting raises in 2024" amid a “cooling job market and easing inflation.” - [Advice]( in the Harvard Business Review on what to do if your supervisor changes jobs: “If your boss is leaving, should you follow?” - In Roxane Gay’s latest [Work Friend column]( in The New York Times, she offers advice on what to do about a colleague who works out, on camera, on the treadmill during online staff meetings. MORE CAREER RESOURCES [Loughborough U. Vice Chancellor Speaks on AI]( [STORY IMAGE]( UPCOMING: January 23, 2024 | 2 p.m. ET. With AI technology on the rise, how can universities harness its advantages and navigate potential drawbacks? Join us to discuss how different types of AI are used in teaching and learning. With Support From Loughborough University. [Register here.]( PAY UPDATE [How Much Has Faculty Pay Changed Over Time?]( By Brian O’Leary [STORY IMAGE]( See the latest federal data on compensation for all ranks of the profession at thousands of American colleges. DATA [State Support for Public Colleges, 2002-21]( By Brian O’Leary and Nick Perez [STORY IMAGE]( Explore how state and federal support has declined as a share of overall revenue — putting a greater burden on students — at more than 1,500 public colleges and universities between 2002 and 2021. LOOKING AHEAD [5 Data Points to Watch in 2024]( By Audrey Williams June [STORY IMAGE]( Some of the biggest higher-ed issues from 2023 will continue to cast a shadow. JOB OPPORTUNITIES [Search other jobs.]( CAREER RESOURCES [Career Resources]( [Read the January collection]( to improve your campus interview experience this season. You'll unlock strategies on preparing for campus interviews, tips for navigating the process as an introvert, and more! NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2024 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037