First Person

On the Verge of a Break With Academe

Article tools

Printer friendly	E-mail article	Subscribe	Order reprints
	Discuss any Chronicle article in our forums
Latest Headlines Moving Up Mind the Gap How your cover letter can keep your presidential candidacy alive, or kill it. P&T Confidential Facebooking Your Way Out of Tenure How can you minimize the possibility that your blog or Facebook page might hurt your career? On Course Nudging Higher Education A professor looks for small changes he can make to move students toward making smarter choices. Career News No Jacket Required A scholar's study of her own students suggests that while a professor's clothing might affect initial impressions, it doesn't make a difference in the long run. Resource Salaries: Faculty | Administrative Presidential pay: Private | Public Financial resources: Salary and cost-of-living calculators Career resources: Academic | Nonacademic Library: Previous articles by topic | by date | by column Career Talk, Ms. Mentor, and more... Landing your first job On the tenure track Mid-career and on Administrative careers Nonacademic careers for Ph.D.'s Talk about your career Blogs

By Donald Trent

It's Friday night and we're at our favorite local bar. Our usual group of biomedical engineers is here, although we are fewer in number these days. Recently some of our close friends have reached the Academic Promised Land and defended their dissertations. Many others we started with took advantage of the booming economy in the mid-'90s and left after completing their master's degrees. Those who are here tonight are among the few who started together and decided to stay for the long haul.

There have been good days and bad days over the past six years, but mostly there have just been a lot of long days.

Despite the sobering effect of dot.coms turning into dot.bombs overnight, it can still be a formidable challenge to finish the doctoral degree when the grass seems so much greener (both in money and location) on the other side. So, what's kept us here? A combination of things -- the earnest quest for discovering new knowledge in our fields, the pursuit of a topic that captured our imagination and interest, the desire to complete something we started many years ago, the need to prove to ourselves that we can accomplish this challenge, and perhaps also the quiet reluctance to give up the comfortable lifestyle we've become all too familiar with as graduate students.

As my fellow engineers and I share our recent successes and setbacks, the topic of graduation and future plans is always there, waiting quietly and ready to pounce into the conversation at any moment. The question I'm most often asked -- by my parents and relatives, close friends, and even new acquaintances -- is, "So when are you going to graduate?" What the inquisitor really means is: "I can't believe you're still in school. When are you going to get out and find a job?"

The first few times, the question didn't faze me at all. But repeatedly posed, the question acts as a stinging reminder of my protracted stay in graduate school. Now I've come full circle and decided not to let it get me down. I'm comfortable with the question and simply reply, "I'm about a year away." (Note: One grad-school year rarely equals one calendar year, but I really plan to graduate within a year. Really.)

The deeper question that my friends and I discuss is, "So what do you want to do afterwards?" And, honestly, I don't know.

People are often shocked when I say this because they expect me to have a definitive answer. That's not to say that I'm completely clueless. I just haven't decided on a specific career path. I'm still in the middle of some soul-searching.

As I've progressed toward the Ph.D., my career vision has broadened. When I first applied to graduate schools, I had the goal of becoming a professor at a major research university, deftly balancing my role as an educator with my role as a scientist performing cutting-edge research. Although it seems almost comical now, this vision was based on my lone teaching experience as a counselor at a YMCA summer science camp, and a few summer internships in research labs during college.

I suppose most dreams are formed from simple experiences like mine. Six years later, my professorial ambition has been tempered by new knowledge of the various pressures and multifaceted roles that are thrust upon a young assistant professor.

Having attended major research universities for both my undergraduate and graduate years, I have seen excellent young professors denied tenure for political or monetary reasons. It seems that the ability to generate a certain amount of research dollars is the primary standard by which engineering professors are evaluated. I've had the experience of being involved with a major grant proposal, and it was one of the toughest periods of my graduate career. I pulled countless late nights and all-nighters in the first month before the proposal deadline. My life outside the lab during that period consisted of eating and taking brief naps before returning to work.

I once attended an informal discussion with several new faculty members in engineering. They shared how they had little or no time for hobbies, exercise, or even their families. I'm not sure I'm ready to make those personal sacrifices, nor am I so confident in my ability to bring in enough research money to win tenure at a major research university.

Then there's the fact that I've been in school almost my entire life. I went straight to grad school after college and have never had a real job or been away from school for more than a summer internship. The long road to tenure and incessant grant-application writing can be a hefty price for the flexible schedule and intellectual freedom that comes with an academic career.

Instead of focusing on large research universities, I am steering my academic job search toward smaller teaching colleges where I can focus on working with students. I recently had a great experience teaching an evening course at the local community college, and it rekindled my joy for teaching. I especially enjoyed the challenge of being responsible for the entire course, working closely with students, and being actively involved in the learning process.

Although aspects of an academic career are very appealing, I also have this nagging feeling in my gut that I need to explore possibilities beyond the ivory tower. Contributing to the design of a medical product that will help diagnose and treat patients is very appealing. At the same time, I realize that a corporate environment means a greater focus on deadlines and contributing to the company's bottom line. For better or for worse, I could learn a great deal from an experience in industry. It would also be refreshing to have my evenings and weekends free from the guilty thought of "I should be in the lab right now."

In addition to the traditional career paths for engineering Ph.D.'s, I'm also considering a career in consulting. At the risk of being labeled a sellout for a six-figure salary, the challenge of short-term projects, problem solving, and group work seems exciting. Admittedly, I know the least about this area, and I will have to do my homework before diving into it. It would be a stark change in lifestyle, and I confess to having many qualms about abandoning my technical training.

As I prepare to embark on my first real job search, there are still several factors to consider. I'm looking for a job that is challenging, involves working with people and improving people's lives, and allows me to grow and acquire new skills. I also know I want to teach at some point, either full time or in an adjunct position.

Each of the career paths I've mentioned has a different hiring cycle, and I'll need to coordinate the interview process and avoid being rushed into a premature decision. Furthermore, I hope I can avoid the temptation of starting a job before finishing the Ph.D. I've seen many people do this, and almost all have failed to finish their degrees. It's not impossible, but it's extremely difficult. Lastly, I know there will be compromises and trade-offs, and although I plan to focus on the three areas of teaching, industrial research and development, and consulting, I am keeping my options open. There may be an exciting career out there that I haven't even considered yet.

As I begin the final year of graduate school, I am reminded of the words of a lab alumnus who said, "You really have to work hard your last year of grad school, otherwise it won't be your last year!" On that note, it's time for me to visit the career center and head back to the lab.