tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post7918574280472860330..comments2024-03-28T02:46:03.227-04:00Comments on The Historical Society: Staying PositiveRandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16755286304057000048noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-55060270573641947342013-05-22T05:28:06.808-04:002013-05-22T05:28:06.808-04:00This is a great topic and one near and dear to my ...This is a great topic and one near and dear to my heart, so I also hope it leads to further discussion. I'm one of those Ph.D.s working outside the academy, and I've honestly not ever really considered trying to move into it. I work in public history for a federal agency and got my Ph.D. while working full time. Having a doctorate makes me much more marketable for career opportunities inside my own agency, which I love and don't intend to leave. Of course, we have our own unique challenges. (Sequestration, anyone? Perhaps with a side of "I pay taxes, so I pay your salary"? Uh, I pay taxes, too. Does that mean I'm self-employed?) For my academic fix, I teach as an adjunct, but I'm really happy with my career and don't feel I'm misusing or wasting my Ph.D. by working outside the academy.Todd Arringtonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-83642832425180320732013-05-21T20:09:38.283-04:002013-05-21T20:09:38.283-04:00Craig and Dan,
Did you see this?
http://www.ins...Craig and Dan, <br /><br />Did you see this?<br /><br />http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/college-ready-writing/one-500#.UZrNlUyZvrU.twitter<br /><br />I think you're both absolutely right. I guess it seems so obvious to me I've never really articulated it effectively where it matters. It has never occurred to me that taking a PhD-- or any degree-- outside the academy is a step downward. To the contrary, it seems to me we desperately need to salt the world outside the academy with the skills of professional historians-- critical thinking, research, careful reading. <br /><br />Let's keep brainstorming on how to press this angle. It's exactly what I hope THS can do.hcrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07334093881332383848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-90918112394418854322013-05-21T15:42:38.099-04:002013-05-21T15:42:38.099-04:00I'd be happy to share my experiences and hear ...I'd be happy to share my experiences and hear about others, if a virtual or physical conference emerges along these lines. I'm increasingly sure that I'm going to be working outside the academy, and also that I'm happy to have the academic skillset and perspective I've gained in the PhD program. <br /><br />One thing I think ought to be admitted, though, when we talk about all these departments continuing to produce PhDs, is the similarity to commercial real estate developers. They don't care if the three-year old shopping center across town is empty -- or is emptied by the new one they're putting up. It's all about eating the other guy's lunch. And sometimes, it's about institutional pride, and a possibly unrealistic perspective on the position of one's own institution in the academic food chain. For example, I remain unconvinced whether the university I'm ABD at really ought to be granting PhDs at all, given their placement record. dan allossohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10733670017382794923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-69883071608196373742013-05-20T11:31:06.741-04:002013-05-20T11:31:06.741-04:00Thanks for the kind words all! Happy to contribute...Thanks for the kind words all! Happy to contribute and help generate a discussion.<br /><br />I think the conference/series of articles you propose Randall is long overdue. I would add an additional element that I think the conversation should consciously avoid terms like "beyond the ivory tower" or any other language that situates non-tenure-track employment as an "alternative". The discipline needs to get to grips with the fact that tenure-track isn't just the only route their PhDs can take, it isn't even the one they're most likely to take.<br /><br />If the Society gets something like that going, I'm definitely available to help!Craig Gallagherhttp://www.twitter.com/Gallacticos87noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-58417660660805049852013-05-20T02:45:13.689-04:002013-05-20T02:45:13.689-04:00Such a conference or series would also be encourag...Such a conference or series would also be encouraging, I think, to undergraduates in history, to help them see what's out there. <br /><br />This is a nice articulation of the benefits of a graduate degree beyond a job in academia!Gabriel Loiaconohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04455286892298838585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-47980796035402915302013-05-17T14:08:24.638-04:002013-05-17T14:08:24.638-04:00Thanks for this Craig. And Randall, that is a bril...Thanks for this Craig. And Randall, that is a brilliant idea. Let's go for it! hcrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07334093881332383848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-74645829988313010102013-05-17T09:53:03.176-04:002013-05-17T09:53:03.176-04:00Craig: Thanks for your post.
I certainly agree ...Craig: Thanks for your post. <br /><br />I certainly agree with you about the constant barrage of bad news about the market. (The latest confession from a jaded academic, who spent much time fretting and going on the market, is here: http://chronicle.com/article/My-Academic-Metamorphosis/139123/)<br /><br />I would like to see a conference or a series of articles on what to do with PhD geared to historians and history grad students. I think it would be a big hit.Randallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16755286304057000048noreply@blogger.com