Loyola University Chicago

If you're like most graduate students, you are probably curious, and maybe even a little anxious, about what will happen to you when you finish your degree. You may have heard rumors about the academic job market and search process, especially if you are a doctoral student, but very little about what kinds of work you might be prepared for, or find rewarding, outside the academy. If you are a master's student, you may have questions about how to best market yourself and make the most of your degree. This page is designed to give you some resources about exploring the non-academic job market and your career options.

We recommend that you look at all of your options, and that you begin exploring early, so that you have the time you need to make decisions that will work best for you. You may also choose to diversify your training while you are in school, or seek experiences targeted toward different kinds of jobs. For example, if you are very interested in teaching, you might want to acquire a variety of teaching experiences and certifications while you are in school. If you are interested in leadership positions, you might want to find organizational experience, student government activities, or administrative work in your program. If you are hoping for a research or writing oriented position, you might want to focus on presentations and publications which build strong oral and written communication skills.

But isn't becoming a professor the whole point of graduate school?

Students enter graduate programs for lots of different reasons. Some people come to school not knowing what they would like to do. Some—often terminal master's degree students—are seeking credentials for entry into a particular field. Others are acquiring further training in the middle of their careers or as a path to advancement. Actually, lots of graduate students don't become professors. You may have heard a version of this story which emphasizes the negative: the job market is really tough, and lots of people fail. Most estimates say that about 40 to 50 percent of doctoral students do not finish the programs that they start. Of those who do, about half find tenure track jobs in their fields.

It is a good idea to keep these numbers in mind, and make a backup plan; planning everything around being a professor may not be the wisest choice in the current market. But there is another, better way of looking at the situation: people with graduate training and degrees go on to all different kinds of work, and, on the whole, they find it interesting, rewarding, and remunerative. Both people who are professors and people who aren't turn out, in the long run, to be pretty happy with their situations. Researchers are only beginning to collect long-term data about what happens to people after their finish their graduate degrees, but the results we have are encouraging: where there are differences, people who work outside the academy tend to make a little (but not a lot) more money, and be a little (but not a lot) more satisfied with their work than people who go on to be faculty members.

The truth is, a lot of what happens to people after school doesn't have to do with the quality of their research, the amount of their teaching experience, the prestige of their degree, or their abilities or intelligence. Many people have concerns about family, partners, children, money, health, and flexibility in choosing a place to live, and these factors affect their eventual job situations.

The first step in deciding what you would like to do, then, is figuring out what you would like to do. This means sitting down and thinking about your abilities, values, and priorities, and discussing them with the other important people in your life. This can be stressful, but it can also be surprising, fun, and confidence-boosting. Some people who have been through this process, or helped others to go through it, have written about their experiences here and here. Their stories may help you, even if you make different decisions than the people in these accounts did. Separating your needs and wants from the expectations of others is the first step. A non-academic path is not a failure; much important work and service is undertaken outside the academy, and putting aside others' wishes to do what you want can be an act of great courage and integrity. And if you do decide to work toward becoming a faculty member, you'll be that much happier and successful if you know that you chose your path knowing all your options.

Well, it's good to have options, but how can I find out what they are?

There are lots of things that you can do, both to find out what kind of jobs are out there, and to find out what kinds of things you do best and might like most. There are all kinds of books and resources which describes the jobs available, provide ways to think about your skills and values, and even specifically discuss the move from academic to non-academic careers. Here's a short list to get you started, but there are lots more:

• All graduate students: So What Are You Going to Do With That?: A Guide for M.A.'s and Ph.D's Seeking Careers Outside the Academy by Susan Basalla and Maggie Debelius
• Students in the bench sciences: Guide to Non-Traditional Careers in Science: A Resource Guide for Pursuing a Non-Traditional Path by Karen Y Kreeger and Alternative Careers in Science: Leaving the Ivory Tower (Scientific Survival Skills) by Cynthia Robbins-Roth (Editor)
• Students in humanities disciplines: You will find many career options in the series of articles published in the Chronicle of Higher Education as part of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation's "Humanities at Work" Project archived here.

You should also visit Loyola's Career Development Center. This office provides a wide variety of self-assessment activities, seminars for graduate students seeking career advice, workshops on the non-academic job search offered in conjunction with the Graduate School, a library of job search and career planning books and websites, and one-on-one career counseling.

At the Career Development Center Website, you will find descriptions of various self-assessment activities and exercises. Some of these can be completed online. Once you have completed the self-assessments, you will be able to discuss the results in a Career and Self-Assessment Workshop (C-SAW) for graduate students, so check your e-mail for announcements about these. You will need to register for the workshops in advance. You are also welcome to make an appointment with a career advisor to discuss your results.

Appointments with a career advisor can be used to discuss any career-related topic, including exploration of industries and jobs, resume assistance, self-assessment reviews, networking, and salary negotiations. You can schedule an appointment by calling 773.508.7716 or use their walk-in hours during the academic year.

All of these services are available to graduate and professional students, and to Loyola University Chicago alumni. They are not reserved for undergraduate students. If you are thinking of a non-academic career, or just want to explore your options, you are welcome to use this office to help you.

Career counselors will keep your visit and your conversations confidential.

Now I've identified some career possibilities, but I don't know how to get started. Should I just apply for jobs?

You can, if there are jobs you want to apply for. But there are a lot of other things you can do to find out more about industries or areas that interest you, and even to try things out without making a big, full-time commitment. You might consider informational interviewing, career fairs and networking events, volunteering, or an internship.

Informational interviews are a way to gather information about and make contacts in an industry or career area. These interviews are not job interviews, but rather a means of finding out about a career or job from someone with experience in the field. They have their own etiquette, and you can find out more about them here.

Another way to explore your options and get some information is to attend a career fair, recruitment session, or networking event. Employers are just as eager to find out about and meet potential employees are you are to meet potential employers. Check the Career Development Center events page for updates.

If you want to get a little more involved in an organization or career, and get some work experience for your resume in the process, you might try volunteering or working as an intern. Volunteering is an excellent, low-risk way to gain first-hand experience of a job or organization. Working as an intern is more of a commitment, but still a good way to get experience or a way into a new field.

To get started volunteering, you might investigate the resources available at the Office of Mission and Ministry, especially the Community Service Opportunities Booklet (PDF) for local placements. You can contact this office even after you graduate to find out about service opportunities.

In Chicago, you can also contact the not-for-profit organization Chicago Cares, which matches organizations with volunteers and organizes large-scale volunteer efforts. You can sign up there, or search by issue area.

Interested in volunteering outside Chicago, or even outside the U.S.? Try idealist.org, a networking, information, and job placement site for the not-for-profit and non-governmental organization communities. The site lists over 11,000 volunteer opportunities and more than 13,000 volunteers, and allows you to search by geographical location and issue area. This site is also an excellent resource for job and internship seekers. If you are interested in international opportunities, you might want to do some research about non-governmental organizations in countries and issue areas that interest you. Detailed information about finding and doing internships can be found at the Career Development Center internships page.

I know I want to look for a job, but am not sure how to get started.

First, you'll need to find out about open positions in your field(s) of interest. Most industries and careers have their own job lists and databases. The contacts you've made and information you've gathered using the strategies above should help. This page is also a good place to start looking. You should also register yourself for the RamblerLink database. RamblerLink is how the Career Development Center keeps in touch with Loyola students and alumni, and is where all career events, full-time jobs, part-time jobs and internships are posted.

You'll also need to prepare application materials, like a resume and cover letter. While you will want to tailor these materials for each position you apply for, you can create a general template. For some help assessing and describing how the skills you've acquired in graduate school are relevant to employers, read this article from the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Graduate students in particular sometimes need guidance about writing a resume, which differs from a curriculum vitae. For a quick introduction to resumes and cover letters, consult this writing guide (PDF). For some strategies on interviewing, click here. You can also schedule a mock interview with career services staff, so you have a chance to practice your skills.

What you've said makes sense to me, but I'm finding the transition difficult. This is a really big change.

Yes, it is. Getting information for the practical aspects of a job search or career change is important, but it's only part of the process. Leaving graduate school, which can take so many years, is an adjustment. Many, perhaps even most, students find the transition from their graduate training to their job (or new role within a job) stressful. If you are leaving the academy, or otherwise drastically changing your career plans, the change can also involve issues of identity. All of these reactions are normal, and it is okay to take some time and space to work through them. You might even consider finding a book or a counselor to help with the adjustment.

Thanks to all the students who participated in focus groups about the job search!