I analyzed 20+ years of NSF survey data.

Since 2015, academia has been the "alternative" career path for PhDs.

But it was the breakdown by field that really shocked me.

Do these graphs match your PhD experience? 1/ Engineering PhDs have always chosen non-academic careers > academic careers.

2/

Yesterday, 20 tenured professors told me why they left academia for industry.

Here's what they said:

1. "I was on the tenure track and it broke me. I lost my identity and confidence." 2. "I was trying to tell my partner about a new grant I had been awarded, and I got bored midway through my "grandma" version. Coupled with diminishing emotional return on other accomplishments, I just had to make the decision of whether I could do it for another 15 years."

Ever read a job ad and think, "what does this mean??"

It's because you don't understand business jargon.

Here are five common terms, translated for academics: 1. "𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀" = 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸

Stakeholders in academia are PIs, funding agencies, or your university. You communicate with stakeholders when you give any kind of research or project update (report).

I've seen many resumes from academics that are way too dense. No wonder PhDs have a reputation for being long-winded!

Remember: a resume is NOT a CV. You likely have a bunch of information on your resume that you can delete right now.

Here are the top things you can delete: 1/ 1. Lists of your publications (& presentations)

I know we worked so hard on these, but few outside of academia care about your individual publications. Have a bullet point that says "published X papers", add a link to Google Scholar, & save that precious resume space. 2/

One year ago today, I wrote a tweet that I never thought I would write.

I was giving up on my academic dream. And I had no idea what I was going to do next.

I was terrified. 1/ By all metrics, I was a rising star in my field. I had published 15 first-author papers and won two dissertation awards, including one from @APA. I was in the third year of a prestigious @NIH post-doctoral fellowship.

If anyone could have "made it" in academia, it was me. 2/

Many PhDs have told me how worried they are about transitioning out of academia, especially given all the layoffs in big tech.

"What if I got a job, only to be laid off?"

Here's the thing: if I were laid off from Meta today, I wouldn't regret leaving academia for one second. 1/ First, I will say this again, big tech is not the only #altac career path.

I think the size of my account has given some people the wrong impression about alt-ac careers. I am truly sorry about this!

Layoffs at a few big tech companies don't speak for the entire job market. 2/

When I was a PhD student, professors told me what having an industry job was *really* like.

Everything they told me was wrong.

Let's start telling the truth about what it's like to work outside of academia. 1/ There are many myths about industry careers, often perpetuated by (tenured) professors who have never actually held a non-academic job.

These myths are so common, I bet you've heard them too. Here's what I was told (vs. my actual experience working in UXR): 2/

Shame on the @NSF. They just decided to remove a question on sexual orientation from their 2023 workplace surveys.

As a queer scientist, I'm extremely disappointed, but not surprised. 1/

nature.com/articles/d4158… The NSF annual STEM workforce surveys are crucial. They not only shape national policy, but they also determine which groups count as being "underrepresented" for diversity fellowships and funding.

These surveys have never included a sexual orientation question. 2/

So, you've heard about informational interviews, & you know that you *should* do them, but do you really know how to conduct one properly?

Over the past year, I've given 100+ informational interviews. Here's my best advice (& a list of questions I *wish* PhDs would ask me): 1/ Informational interviews are SHORT meetings (< 30 min) between you & someone who has a career that interests you.

This isn't a job interview. It's an information gathering mission. You need to come to the meeting with a list of specific questions that you'd like answered. 2/

You need a solid resume to get a job outside of academia. But I’ve seen SO many resumes from academics that don’t understand the assignment.

This thread is an extension of my popular resume advice from August 2022.

https://twitter.com/ashleyruba/status/1561715669997076480?s=20&t=2Wgi6-qFGhUtSq_9i2najQ

1/ A resume is NOT a CV. They are completely different documents.

A CV is a list of every amazing thing you've ever done.

A resume is an invitation. You only need to write enough so that the hiring manager wants to pick up the phone and talk to you. So what should you write? 2/

Over the past year, many PhDs have told me about their job search struggles.

"No one will hire me because I have a PhD."

Honestly, that's true. Your PhD won't get you a job. What will get you a job? Your transferrable skills. 1/ In academia, we pride ourselves on our credentials & subject matter expertise. "I have a PhD from UW." "I'm an expert in emotion perception." "I've published 15 first-author papers."

This is why our CVs are SO long. We want to list every single amazing thing we've ever done. 2/

Recently, I told a new friend that I used to have longer hair. They wanted to see a picture, so I pulled out my drivers license from 2020.

They were shocked: “that’s not the same person.”

They’re right. I’m not the same person. Leaving academia has changed me substantially. 1/ In 2020, I was a first-year post-doc. That year, I won 2 dissertation awards & published 7 first-author papers - working was the only way I knew how to deal with the stress of the pandemic.

But it still felt like it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t productive enough. I wasn’t enough. 2/

Considering a move out of academia, but don't know where to start?

Before you dig into my recommended resources (at the end of this thread), the first, hardest, & most important step is believing that it's okay to pursue an #altac career.

Truly. I promise that it's okay. 1/ It's so easy to feel like you're a failure. And it's easy for some academics to judge a career choice that they have never made & don't understand.

Believe me. I've been called a "sell-out", "soulless", & "anti-academic". I lack "passion." I "couldn't handle" academia. 2/

Maybe it's time for a reintroduction 🤗

Last December, I decided to leave my prestigious post-doc fellowship & successful academic research program in order to pursue a UX career.

It's been one year since I made that choice. My only regret is not leaving academia sooner. 1/ When I decided to leave academia, I was deeply unhappy. But I was also terrified that I wouldn't like any other career.

I had conducted research on infant emotion perception for 10+ years. How could I possibly conduct research on anything else? It was my *passion*. 2/

I work in a cross-functional design pod with designers, engineers, & managers. I am currently the only UX researcher in my pod.

Often, my pod-mates will say "you're the researcher - how do you think we should do this?"

At no point in academia did I have this much power. 1/ In academia, where everyone is a researcher, there is so much arguing about the best way to do things. I constantly debated with advisors, reviewers, & labmates about how to conduct my research.

This is how projects ended up taking 5+ years to finish... 2/

Last October, when I was applying to TT faculty jobs, my anxiety was unbearable.

I had 15 first-author pubs, two diss awards, & a prestigious post-doc fellowship. I had devoted hours upon hours to diversity-related service roles.

But I didn't know if that was enough. 1/ I felt like I had done everything I possibly could, but I still wondered...

Would the search committees like my research?
Or would they think it was boring?
Would they see that I worked hard?
Or would they question my commitment to academia?
Would this all be for nothing?

2/

How do I decide whether to "stay" or "leave" academia? I'm asked this all the time.

I always encourage folx to explore #altac careers, but each decision is quite personal.

Here are five questions to consider if you're trying to answer this same question: 1/

#AltAcChats 1. How much $ do I need (or want) to make?

This can be a touchy subject, but you will make considerably more $ outside of academia. Do you have student loans or family members to support? Do you want to buy a house or travel? A higher salary will help you do these things. 2/

PhD students: if you want to pursue a TT faculty position, I highly recommend sitting on a hiring committee in your dept. Check out how the hiring process works!

I sat on a hiring committee as a 4th year phd, & what I saw made me reconsider my entire career trajectory. 1/ The sheer number of applicants will shock you. We had 120 people (a low #) applying for one position. We could only choose three for on-site interviews.

And if you still have any delusions that TT hiring is merit-based, sitting on a hiring committee will fix that real quick. 2/

When I was deciding whether to change careers, what helped me most was finding my core values.

What values are most important in your life? Are you making decisions based on these values?

Here’s how you can determine your core values & make any big life decision:

1/ First, brainstorm your values. You can even rank order them.

If you don’t know where to start, look at a list. Think about which ones resonate with you.

What makes you feel happiest & most fulfilled? If people said, “you’re such a X person”, would that be validating?

2/

When I started looking at non-academic job ads, I often thought "what does this even mean??" It's easy to believe you're unqualified for a job when you don't understand industry jargon.

So here are my top five must-know terms, translated for academics: 1/ #AltAcChats 1. "Communicate with key stakeholders" = talk to people with an interest in your work

Stakeholders in academia are PIs, funding agencies, or your university. You communicate with stakeholders when you give any kind of research or project update (presentation, report, etc).

2/

I don’t want to disappoint, so here’s my “intense and completely unhinged retaliatory tweet.”

If you like your academic job, you can stay in academia. That’s okay. You can mute/block me too 💛

With that said, I feel pretty sad that this is how some people perceive me... 1/ It hurts when people call me “anti-academic.” I spent a decade of my life in academia. I dreamed of being a professor.

I sacrificed so much. I worked so hard. Just look at my CV. I did everything I could.

But academia isn’t a meritocracy. It wasn’t enough. 2/

https://twitter.com/ashleyruba/status/1525123656258560003