Thread by @Hallmark2032

Great question, @AudreyDParedes! We often allude to these "alt-ac" pathways without being concrete as to what those might look like and how students might prepare for/get connected to those pathways.

So, here's a THREAD on #HigherEd alt-ac stuff..

Pls feel free to contribute!

https://twitter.com/AudreyDParedes/status/1384572970580922368

First, I want to plug the work that has already been done in this area, especially by @AERADivJGradNet. Last March 11th, the Grad Reps had a Twitter chat on alt-ac careers. Hopefully, this advanced search link will allow you to read those tweets:
twitter.com/search?f=live&…

Also, this year at #AERA21, @AERADivJGradNet had a panel on alt-ac careers. So if you attended the conference, you can find a recording of that on the AERA conference website (whenever they post the recordings).

Second, as @ChrisBennettEdu kindly shared, @BethSchueler put together this list of organizations in the Ed Policy realm, which often have job postings for a variety of positions.

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

With those resources out of the way, I'll start delving into some careers I've learned about as someone who was recently on the market.

Again, if you work / have worked in alt-ac, please feel free to contribute your experiences! What does/did your daily work look like?

Student and Academic Affairs
- Variety of careers that include managing (or launching new) student-focused centers on college campuses, or joining existing units on college campuses.. think: Campus Rec Centers, Tutoring Services, Res Life, etc.
- More student-focused positions

Institutional and Administrative Affairs
- Variety of careers that include working in administrative offices on college campuses.. may include negotiating policy, persuading donors, grant writing for colleges/universities, etc.
- More focused on helping institutions function

Institutional Research
- Positions that focus on assessing student and institutional outcomes, ranging from big picture (i.e., assessing WHOLE institution) to smaller offices (i.e., the impact of XX program on participants).
- These can be either contract (2-3 year) or long-term.

State Policy
- Positions can be research (i.e., running analysis on policies, writing reports), advocacy (i.e., meeting with reps), or functional (i.e., applying for grants).
- Notable organizations include SHEEO, or individual state offices (i.e., New Jersey Dept. of Ed.).

Federal Policy
- Positions can be research (i.e., running analysis on policies, writing reports) advocacy (i.e., networking nationally), or functional (i.e., applying for grants).
- Notable organizations include EdTrust, American Council on Education, etc.

Grant Organizations
- While many organizations want people who can apply for grants, others are the organizations that give those grants out.
- Organizations can be BIG (see: Spencer Foundation, Gates Foundation, etc.) or smaller (see: Sloan Foundation).

I'll post more later, but I just wanted to contribute some thoughts.

Something to ask yourself:

What do you enjoy about the PhD?

Do you like conducting research/analyses (see: institutional research)?

Do you like working with students (see: student affairs)?

etc.

Education-Adjacent Organizations
- Not all positions are only in education-dedicated organizations. Sometimes, positions are tangential. For instance, I've recently been consulting with the Scholars Strategy Network, which do some really cool initiatives with faculty nationwide!

Skill-Focused Positions
- Also, remember that just because you are in Higher Education, for example, you have skills that transcend that knowledge! For instance, I know Heartful Editor was recently hiring post-docs who could help proofread and edit manuscripts and dissertations.

Also ask yourself what your ongoing research looks like and how that might inform your trajectory...

Do you study best practices in teaching? Perhaps you could train faculty in curriculum design.

Do you study sexism on campus? Try Title IX Coordinator.

etc.