Resources
Click Here for Book Review Abstract: This practical guide prepares graduate students of color for their first job in academia and offers strategies for succeeding in the early years of a tenure-track position. Through the voices of faculty who have experienced the rigors of the job search and a career in academia, Beginning a Career in Academia offers advice for graduate students of color on how to transition from graduate school to an academic position. This inclusive volume shares perspectives that vary based on gender, racial, ethnic, generational, and disciplinary backgrounds, giving readers an opportunity to reflect on successful strategies for career readiness and for dealing with marginalization. The authors provide recommendations and tips to enhance the job search, identify campus fit, prepare for the interview and negotiation process, address dynamics of of racial and gender politics, find work-life balance, and demystify the promotion and tenure process. This must-read provides candid advice and mentorship for any graduate students of color embarking on a carreer in academe. (From the Publisher)
Journal Issue. Full text is available online.
Surveys recent research in the preparation of future faculty, citing the nearly exclusive emphasis by graduate programs on preparation for positions in research universities, of which there are very few, at the expense of preparing students for the realities of the jobs that will likely begin their careers. Individual faculty choose what to emphasize to their advisees. Centralized standards for teaching education are rare. Also assess the results of directed programs on preparation for future positions.
An Auburn Studies report on a study of 24 “top supplier” doctoral programs in theology and religion—those that send the most graduates to teach in seminaries and divinity schools. The report raises questions about the practices of programs and the employment prospects of graduates.
Podcast. 2014 podcast episode. You're dismayed by the job market in higher ed, and have heard of "alt-ac" (alternative academic) careers, but don't know how to begin exploring the possibilities. Sanders offers a practical set of steps toward discerning and researching the possibilities off the beaten, tenure-track, teaching path.
Podcast. In this 2013 podcast, the GradHacker podcasters are joined by three guests who discuss the prospect of #altac (alternative academic) careers for today's graduate students preparing to enter the workforce. (The hosts first discuss recent posts relating to grad-student concerns, including "Training grad students for a new scholarly landscape.")
Podcast. Zoe Alderton leads a group of academics with experience of all levels of academic publishing in a discussion which aims to demystify the process.
Podcast. Topics covered: The importance of publication, and the relative merits of different publications; getting teaching experience; services to the discipline and the community; conferences and networking; what to put in your CV; how to keep up-to-date with your field
Podcast. First half of podcast looks at belief identities between the sacred and secular. Second half focuses on how to build an academic career, win research funding, and get articles published.
We used to worry that an online presence would be perceived in academia as unprofessional. Increasingly, it's not "whether" to have an online profile, but how to manage one's online footprint professionally. The piece offers many annotated links with a variety of perspectives, advice, and how-to's. Comments also lend their own views.