Discovering your Niche in the World

The Academic world is a tricky place to delve into on your first venture in the career world and it is almost a set track once you are on it, with little hope of leaving.  Most professors I have had in the past have never experienced any other job, but have simply chiseled out their own sector of the academic world.  Once many of them have become comfortable enough in their field, they discover that there is no point in venturing out of this type of circle.  However, for many students entering the Grad school world, this future picture does not seem terribly exciting, albeit “safe”.  It is therefore important to determine what you want to use your new Masters or PhD for if not for the academic world.

Depending on your specific field of interest, there are a multitude of routes you can take in establishing yourself as an expert in your own realm.  However, it is important that you do the proper research before diving into a six year commitment after which you are still unsure what to do with your advanced degree and student loan debt.  Therefore, once you decide that you want to pursue something like an art history PhD in order to work in an art museum, or a psychology PhD to become a psychologist, you will begin to excite yourself with that prospect.  However, if you want to simply obtain a PhD in English with no real hopes or plans for the future then you might end up teaching in the university where you get your degree.  While this may work for many students who can see themselves within the academic circle for years to come, many students are ready to leave school by the end of college, even more so by the end of a six year degree.

Many liberal arts degrees can be applicable for a myriad of jobs around the business world, and an advanced degree makes you that much more attractive as a candidate for a job.  However, it is important that you not neglect your resume during your years in college, and be sure to take an internship which can help you determine what you want to delve into as well as give you ample experience in the career world.  Applying to jobs with an advanced degree but without proper work experience leaves you with no other option than teaching, which is what you were originally trying to avoid.  However, if you simply want to try your hand at teaching for a year and maybe work on some grant work in order to further any research you started on your thesis, this is an opportunity that will not occur in any other industry.  But be careful of limiting yourself to one career for the rest of your life: the academic world is unlike any other world within another type of business and it is difficult to expand your horizons after a few years of teaching.  The professors I have known have simply started teaching immediately after receiving their PhD and have not ventured out because they found they really loved it.  This can prove to be the case for you too: perhaps you will love teaching and love the academic environment.  However, if you see yourself caught in the same mundane semesters time and again, it is time to venture away from academia and see what the rest of the world holds for you and your degree.

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