Thread by @LaurenHaumesser

Re #aha22 jobs panel. I'm a #twitterstorian working outside of academia- a path I forged w/o help from my alma mater. There's a dearth of helpful advice for ppl being forced out of/choosing to leave academia. Here's what worked for me, what didn't, & what I wish I'd done sooner🧵

Caveats: I'm a cis straight white woman from a middle-class family. My background meant that if absolutely everything fell through, I could've moved back in with my parents (but like I was 29 so omg no thank u)

I started my PhD sure that I wanted to be a prof & would move anywhere to do it. I was told to try the market for 3yrs & if you're open abt location, something will work out. I applied when I was ABD & when I was a postdoc @DolleyPapers, for a total of 20ish jobs over 2 cycles.

But during the last couple of years in my PhD, a few things became clear:

(1) The job market was a flaming dumpster heap 🗑️🔥
(2) Having spent my life in SF, Boston, Paris, Saigon, & Sydney, I realized I was NOT going to be happy living in a small town
(3) I wanted to like make money? Just to ya know pay the rent and save a bit and get a dog

(4) I didn't want to move every year. (I also didn't want to ask a partner to move every year for v low-paying adjunct jobs.)
(5) My work is on 19thc gender/politics. Then Trump was elected 😬 I had some expertise and I wanted to DO something about it.

All of these factors made me disinclined to sacrifice myself & my financial future on the altar of the academic job market.

I also knew I didn't have the stamina to teach hs & I wasn't interested in museum work (both of which are their own fields of trained professionals!)

Here are the things that did NOT help me on my search:
🔴The career office @UVA
🔴My profs (mostly career academics, so they didn't know what else was out there-- this even though I had the best advisor in the entire world, literally a genius and so efficient and kind)

Here's how I found my job:
1⃣ I thought abt what I cared abt related to but beyond my diss

Studying history attuned me to how politicians wield gender/race to make arguments/seize power. Then Trump was elected. It felt like an important time for gender & politics.

2⃣ I thought about what I liked about being a historian.

I reallllly liked research and writing and constructing arguments. Really really liked it.

3⃣ I thought about what I didn't like about being a historian.

I wanted (1) my work to be read more widely, (2) for it to have an effect on modern politics, and (3) to have each project take like 1 year, not 6. Also, (4) I wanted to help women ♀️

4⃣ I combined these things and started looking at job ads.

I started with googling "uhhh... something public facing supporting women?" and narrowed it down to "research at a think tank, advocacy group, or feminist organization, domestic or international."

5⃣ In the meantime--and I can confidently say this was the 🚨MOST IMPORTANT THING I DID🚨--I started networking. This took two forms.

Networking part 1: informational interviews

Qs: What do you do? What's your day-to-day like? What do you dis/like about your job? How did you get your job/what advice would you give to someone who is looking? What skills (soft & hard) are r'qd? Can you connect me w/anyone else?

The last question is crucial. If you can get just ONE contact in an industry, you can build a tree of interviews.

These won't turn into a job. But they will help you figure out what appeals to you. And you may find out about open jobs or contract work that's not posted online.

Networking part 2: LinkedIn. Srlsy.

It's not about who you're connected to. It's about who *they're* connected to. Add everyone. Be shameless. (Add me!)

When you apply to a job or want to learn more about an org, you'll have s/one to contact, or s/one who can arrange an intro.

6⃣ Convert your CV to a resume

This resume might be slightly different for every job. But roughly, mine went "Qualifications" (short blurb about me), "Education," "Research and Project Management Experience," "Political and Non-Profit Experience," and then "Selected Pubs./Talks"

7⃣ APPLY TO EVERYTHING

Seriously. I tried to apply to a job every weekday. Send those resumes and cover letters off into the abyss. Don't expect to hear back.

I got no offers for about 5-6 months, then got 4+ interviews/offers in a couple of weeks.

Just 👏 keep 👏 applying 👏

8⃣ Negotiate that salary, baby! 🤑

I used @AAUW's own salary negotiation tools to get a 20k+ bump in salary. Literally recommend it to *everyone* to help you build the confidence and language to communicate your worth.

aauw.org/resources/prog…

HERE IS WHAT I WISH I HAD DONE:
1⃣ I wish I had looked at job ads + acquired skills in these other fields *while I was in grad school*

You, cher/e historian, have so many skills: research, writing, analysis, critical thinking, crushing your enemies w/ the force of your arguments

Your future employer desperately needs these skills. They will find that out once you're in the job.

But you may not have the 1 "hard" skill they're looking for. Read the job ads & acquire those skills now, while you still have access to software licenses & undergrad courses.

2⃣ I wish I had done everything I'd outlined above but SOONER.

One, as @megankatenelson has pointed out, it would've taken some pressure off of the academic job search. But also, it would've helped me see what I was leaping toward-- a cool career as a feminist researcher in DC.

FWIW: leaving doesn't mean you can't finish your book. I worked early mornings + weekends to revise my mss with @UNC_Press, which is coming out this fall! (*Obviously* this is care obligation-dependent, something I understand from first-hand experience.)

Okay final caveat of *this was all just my experience, everyone is in different, hard, and valid circumstances* and also that I am *happy* to talk to anyone who has questions about leaving the academy!!