Alternative Options and "Back-Up Plans" for Philosophy PhD Students Facing a Very Bad Job Market

In the earlier thread on the job market, a couple of commenters asked for a separate discussion of options that PhD students might consider as they confront a job market that may be unusually austere.   I am opening comments here for questions and discussion.  A couple of readers did e-mail to ask about law school and the job market for new lawyers.  Students trained in philosophy tend to do well in law school, since the main analytical skill that is central to most law classes--dissecting arguments and responding to them, thinking about hypothetical cases, etc.--are ones that philosophy hones particulary well.  There are, it should be emphasized, big differences as well.  Most importantly, arguments from authority are not fallacious, but central to legal argument.  And thus the boundaries of any argument are set by the authorities at hand:  the legislative materials, the prior cases, and so on.  In addition, of course, many of the issues are fairly banal by comparison to what we might argue about in philosophy, though some areas of law (criminal law, torts) are a rich repository of problems familiar to those who work in normative ethics.

There has been a significant contraction in the job market for new lawyers, but nothing like what we have seen on the academic job market, and the effect of the contraction is extremely pedigree-sensitive (law being much more pedigree-sensitive than philosophy).  The vast majority of graduates of the very top law schools (Yale, Harvard, Chicago, Stanford, Columbia most clearly) still have good opportunities.  So do most of the graduates of NYU, Michigan, Virginia, Berkeley, Northwestern, Cornell, Texas, Duke, Vanderbilt and so on.  I will say that it pays currently to go to a smaller law school than a larger one (ceteris paribus of course) given the contraction in hiring, for a simple reason:   the leading law firms are still hiring students fresh out of law school, but they are hiring fewer of them; at the same time, they all like to have at least one or two grads from the leading law schools, to keep the connections fresh, to benefit from word of mouth, and so on.  So if Skadden Arps (a leading and very large law firm) is now hiring, say, 100 new attorneys, instead of 200, but still wants to have at least 1 or 2 grads from each top school, and there are 200 students (mor or less) in each class at Yale and Chicago and Stanford, and 450 at NYU and 550 at Harvard, and every other major firm is acting similarly, well, you can do the math.

I am happy to answer other questions about law school in the comments.  And please do not take the thread as confined to law school as an alternative.  Please cast the net widely, and feel free to post advice and ideas as well as questions.  (I will permit anonymous posts as the norm here, since I understand that current PhD students do not wish to advertise their concerns about having to leave the profession.  I will still moderate for content and relevance.)

Comments

[Anon. Grad Student]

I am glad to see this thread started, as I was the original anonymous graduate student to request this thread start.

I would love to go to law school after I finish my PhD in philosophy, and I am looking into this. But I worry a lot about the contraction of the law market. We have a very good law school where I am doing my PhD in philosophy, and I went and talked to the admissions representatives last year, along with sitting in on a few classes to see what law school was like, and both the admissions rep and many law students were terrified of the bad law market. As such, I would be interested in hearing more what others think about whether law school is a good back up for philosophy PhDs and the future of the legal market.

Besides law school, the other back-up I am thinking about is nursing school. Right now, the medical field has huge job growth, and the nursing field is growing really fast for the foreseeable future. In fact, studies predict there to be huge nursing shortages in America in coming years, so it seems like this field is almost recession-proof in terms of job growth. Also, another thing that attracks me to nursing is that you can enter into it really fast to change careers. For instance, many schools have accelerated second-degree BSN in nursing programs for people who have a non-nursing BA, and these programs can be completed in 15-20 months. Starting salary for a nurse is not bad, since its around 50-60k right now. Moreover, when you get your BSN in nursing, you have many options to advance. For example, you can work and go to school part-time to get a masters or PhD to become something such as a nurse practitioner, where you can make over 100k a year.

Though I think I would enjoy law school and being a lawyer more than nursing, with the tremendous job growth in the medical field and for nurses in particular, along with the accelerated programs to enter this field, and the many opportunities for advancing in the field once you get something such as a nursing BSN, I am slightly leaning towards nursing as my back-up at the moment.

[Anon]

A few of my friends have gone into consultancy. Two tips:
1. Apply to a few, i.e. don't only apply to McKinsey.
2. Study a LOT for the interviews. By this I mean you should practice case studies (live, i.e. with a friend as interviewer) for a couple of months at least. Get the study guides and work through them, don't just read them. And practice your mental arithmetic every day.

[Stephen Krogh]

My backup plan has always been high school teaching. Indeed, I was a high school teacher before I started my graduate studies. For graduate students with advanced language skills--in my case Latin and Greek to a lesser extent--there are schools the country over practically tripping over themselves for language teachers. Of course, if one wishes to teach French, or Spanish, or any such language, then he will likely have to have a speaking proficiency of the sort he may not have received in graduate school. Of course, Latin and Greek readers need not worry about this. Beyond languages, though, I would think many schools, mostly private, would be happy to have a PhD teaching in their history courses, or English courses, or even sciences courses. In religious schools, one could teach in a theology course. For my part, with only a BA in philosophy I taught introductory science, Algebra and English II. And, maybe the fittest among us could squeeze out a gym class or two!

[Anon. Grad Student]

Here is a link that some students may find useful: www.leavingacademia.com
The website is run out of Toronto, and so some of the information is Canada-centric. The moderator of the blog seems to have slowed down recently, but there is some interesting information. I should warn that it gives what I perceive as a somewhat jaded account of life as a graduate student.

[Anon]

I would recommend taking a look at this website:

http://versatilephd.com/

It is run by a person who used to moderate a very popular discussion board (hosted by Duke) for PhD's who left or are considering leaving academia.

[Graham Smith]

Why not Computer Science and I.T.-related work, for those formal-logically inclined? While a second degree in Computer Science would probably better position a candidate to obtain work of a more theoretical and/or lucrative nature, as a one-time engineer I knew people without CS degrees, or any degrees at all, who managed to find work in I.T. Of course, without the degree you may have to start out on the lower rungs of I.T. work. But even that is not totally uninteresting work.

[Shawn]

This deviates slightly from a strict philosophy Ph.D. but with the STS Ph.D. at, for instance, Virginia Tech, they have a "Politics and Policy Studies of Science and Technology Studies Track." I suppose this could lead to think tank work or other such possibilities. The federal government tends to hire pretty steadily, even in a down economy.

[Zach S]

I received my undergraduate degree this past May in philosophy, but I focussed heavily on philosophical logic (I took multiple directed studies on the subject, in addition to taking every higher level class on logic my college had to offer). I was able to get a fairly high-paying job with full benefits in Information Technology working with Document Imaging, where the ability to condense complex procedures into logical workflows is 90% of the job. My philosophical background played a major role in getting the job. This should apply to PhD recipients as well; IT has pretty incredible potential for those with philosophical training in logic, if you're willing to take a chance and specialize.

[Anon Grad Student]

Prof. Leiter, First of all, thanks so much for this helpful post. I am a 4th-year Philosophy PhD student at a top-15 program in North America. I have always been interested in going to law school because I think it would be great to teach as a legal academic and as a philosopher (a J.D. would also be nice to have as a backup plan). The biggest hurdle for me is the tremendous amount of debt I would incur as a result of going to law school. Are there any law schools you know of that will reimburse students or significantly help them if they plan to go into legal academia? Does University of Chicago by any chance have a program like this? I believe Penn has such a program (I don't happen to go there) but I think you need to be in their joint Philosophy PhD JD program to get the reimbursement.

BL REPLY: Most law schools offer "merit" aid to candidates with the strongest academic credentials, meaning undergraduate GPA, LSAT, and post-graduate education, such as a PhD. (Yale and Harvard offer the least.) Sometimes this aid is offered with the thought that the candidate is a good bet for an academic career, but I'm not aware of any law school that offers this funding specifically for those interested in academia (maybe NYU? I'm not sure). Certainly our merit aid at Chicago takes into account potential for an academic career. The Penn aid package is for those doing the JD/PhD, and a graduate who does not go into academics does, as I understand it, have to repay the law school portion.

[G Owen Schaefer]

The field of medical ethics offers a number of viable non-academic options for philosophers. In particular, the rise of popularity in ethics consultation services (where physicians, researchers and so on request the aid of ethicists in resolving ethical dilemmas which arise in clinical care or medical research) at hospitals provides a good opportunity to put one's analytic abilities to the test. Additionally, Institutional Review Boards often need people with ethical expertise to assist in patient protection in research studies. There are also opportunities in the broader field of health policy, if one is so inclined. The nice thing about these sorts of jobs is that one's philosophical training can be put to direct use (especially if one has studied applied ethics).

Those sorts of jobs do require additional training, of course. One way is fellowships prior to or right after grad school, such as those offered by the NIH (which I went through, and can vouch for its quality), Stanford and the Cleveland Clinic, which allow one to do research while getting clinical/research ethics experience. Also, one could pursue a master's in bioethics, public health or health policy concurrently while in grad school - there are a number of good programs out there. It's a growing field, and one in which there are always exciting developments and interesting questions to tackle, making these sorts of jobs very intellectually rewarding.

[John Protevi]

No one has yet mentioned government work. I would think the analytical and communicative skills of philosophers would fit in well with work as a staff member for a legislator. There's also the Foreign Service and Civil Service exams; I would imagine philosophers would score well and hence qualify for interesting and challenging jobs.

[Another anon grad student]

What are the opportunities (if any) for those trained in a ranked philosophy doctoral program to enter into psychology or counseling? This is my preferred back-up, as I have developed a strong hobbyist interest in psychoanalysis and counseling (and have a respectable amount of coursework in phil of mind and psychology). I understand that there is a movement to create something called "philosophical counseling" but I don't know how mainstream or well-respected it is (or whether this movement is developing in promising ways). Is this a good approach to consider in these economic times (after all, bad economies give rise to lots of personal problems)? Or would entry into psychology or counseling require re-enrolling in a new academic program? Is philosophy beneficial for those who might enroll in a an academic psychology or counseling program?

I guess psychology and counseling are different enough that someone could just answer my questions regarding either of the fields. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Recent law school grad]

In response to the question of Anon Grad Student about law school tuition reimbursement, Yale at least has a program that will repay some of your student loans if your salary after graduation is less than what you'd make in private practice. Careers in academia are one of its intended targets: http://www.law.yale.edu/admissions/COAP.htm

[Alex Guerrero]

Just to respond to BL's question above, NYU Law has a scholarship program, the Furman Academic Scholarship, which provides full-tuition merit-based scholarships for entering J.D. students interested in becoming academics. See here:

http://www.law.nyu.edu/financialaid/scholarships/jdscholarships/academicscholarsprograms/furmanacademicscholarsprogram/index.htm

Selection is based primarily on the usual metrics plus some assessment of potential as an academic; many past recipients have already completed PhDs and even have tenure-track academic positions, but are interested in moving into the legal academy. There aren't many available, but there are many other merit-based scholarships for students interested in going to law school.

[Eric]

To Stephen Krogh,

While your situation is a little different (you've already taught high school), the market for high school teachers (even in private schools) in most of the humanities is pretty dire. In many cases, a philosophy background (even a PhD) doesn't rank you above a 22-year old recent college grad with a BA in education. Many high schools don't know where to place philosophy in the curriculum (the 'social sciences' are how my local district would place a potential employee with a philosophy degree). If you can teach math or science, you're probably better off, but I've known several people with mulitiple MA degrees or PhDs in the humanities who aren't even able to get hired on as substitutes over the last 3-5 years. The school district near my home has a backlog of over 1000 applicants for substitute teaching alone. I'm sure this will let up some as the economy improves, but it's sad that folks with graduate degrees in the humanities (most of whom have taught at the college level as grad students) are often considered worse prospects than students with BA degrees in education.

[Hal]

With regard to high school teaching, my advice to PhDs is to focus on private school jobs. Most public school teaching contracts stipulate that the more graduate work an employee has done, the more the town has to pay the employee. Since the depression is hitting municipalities at least as hard as it's hitting universities, public schools, if they're hiring at all, are looking for the cheapest teachers they can get.

[David]

Here is another back-up plan: consider an international career or at least a postdoc abroad. I'm a German PhD student who studied in America for a year. To my surprise, many American philosophy students think they wouldn't be welcome in (continental) Europe or Asia. However, many universities and research institutes are very interested in international scientists and they don't require that you already speak the local language. There is a global job market for philosophers and it might be a good idea to apply for a postdoc in Berlin, Barcelona, Hongkong, ...

[Uncreative anonymous grad student]

Graham Smith wrote: "Why not Computer Science and I.T.-related work, for those formal-logically inclined? While a second degree in Computer Science would probably better position a candidate to obtain work of a more theoretical and/or lucrative nature, as a one-time engineer I knew people without CS degrees, or any degrees at all, who managed to find work in I.T. Of course, without the degree you may have to start out on the lower rungs of I.T. work. But even that is not totally uninteresting work."

This is actually mentioned on the APA's website (as linked in the comments to the previous post). (That section of the APA's website was, however, written during cheerier times for the IT sector generally.) I know some people in the industry and in fact have asked them about it; I think, in general, it is not nearly as easy anymore to get into the field without formal credentials as it used to be, in part because there are many people with such formal credentials and training and in part because it is no longer booming quite so much. (Thus I asked one person whether he thought it made sense for me to get an MS in computer science, and he said it probably didand I have some programming experience.) It is true, though, that people who find logic interesting would likely also find (some aspects of) programming interesting, and also be good at it. Plus, most MS programs of which I'm aware are even shorter than law school, you don't have to deal with the LSAC, and you don't have to worry about doc review once you're done.

Regarding the last parenthetical in the post, while I certainly appreciate Prof. Leiter's willingness to allow anonymous comments from grad students, it's a shame, I think, that it's necessary. Even if this year's market is better than that of last year, it is unlikely to be running over with opportunities in every subfield. In general there seems to be a tendency to view those who leave the academy, whether with or without a degree, as failures, a tendency which those who leave have often internalized. This is unfortunate by itself, I think, but recent years, when the number of applicants as compared to the number of positions has been so high, make it even worse. It is only sensible for graduate students to be thinking about other ways of making a living. Better if such prudential steps could be taken without the miasma of failure following aftersomething that publicly putting one's name to musings on the topic might (if one is already inclined in that direction) strongly evoke.

Another reason to be reluctant to advertise one's thoughts regarding leaving the profession may be that one doesn't want those readers of the comments who may also be on search committees (or one's own committee!) or the faculty of hiring departments to see one's name and perhaps note it as the name of someone who may just leave anyway, and not even for another department, either. Or perhaps it is thought to indicate philosophical unseriousness. But, again, given the vagaries of the market in the best of years and the likely especially meager state of its offerings this year, thinking about other options is really only sensible. It is too bad that it is probably also sensible to discuss such options anonymously (as I too am doing).

[Uncreative anonymous grad student]

Regarding John Protevi's comment above about gov't positions, persons who are on the ball might be able to make something of this: https://www.pmf.opm.gov/HProgramOverview.aspx

[V. B. Baltzly]

Students interested in public policy may wish to explore the U.S. federal government's Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) program. It's a handy conduit to a diverse range of interesting federal jobs, and it allows one to bypass the drudgery of sifting through USAJobs.gov (a process which in many respects compares unfavorably to philosophy's JFP-driven application process). It can also be a good way for someone who specializes in political philosophpy or applied ethics to gain some 'industry experience' before returning to a (hopefully improved?) academic market in a couple years. (It might further provide a good line on the CVs of philosophers interested in certain academic appointments outside philosophy - e.g., in schools of public policy, think-tanks, etc.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Management_Fellows_Program

https://www.pmf.opm.gov/

Time is of the essence for those wishing to be considered for the 2011 PMF cohort, however: applications are due by October 15, and you must securing the nomination of your proper 'Nominating Official' (typically your Dean) by October 31.

The PMF assessment test is similar to the LSAT, I'm told (I've never taken the latter). Thus I imagine that philosophers would tend to do well on it, for the same reasons they tend to succeed on the LSAT. I know there were a couple philosophers in the 2009 PMF cohort.

[Matt Lister]

The Foreign Service (and the civil service, probably) can be good options, but to get in takes a bit of planing. There's several steps. First, you must take a written exam. It's done on computer now, but there are still only a set number of days per year when it's offered, the next ones being in early October and then in Feb. The written test (at least when I took it) consisted in an odd mix of U.S. civics, contemporary events and trivia, English usage and expression, analytical reasoning, geography, pop management psychology, and high-school (or less) math. It's not extremely hard. Also, some "personality" questions to see if you are similar to current foreign service officers. If you pass this, you must take an oral exam. (I went to grad school instead and so never took it, but several of my friends did.) That is offered several months after each written exam period, in selected cities. You have to travel to the exam site on your own expense. The best way to prepare, I'm told, is to read the foreign news section of several newspapers and magazines regularly for some time before it. If you pass that, you start a fairly tedious background check (past drug use no longer always rules you out, but can be a problem) and wait for an opening if you get clearance. So, the whole thing takes quite a while. But, having a PhD gets you a higher initial pay grade, and my friends in the foreign service think it's a great job. It often takes a year and sometimes more to get in from the time one starts the process, though, so it's worth starting early if you're interested. There's no penalty for stopping at any point in the process.

As for nursing, mentioned above, another big plus is that it is extremely flexible in terms of location. There is demand everywhere. And, it's at least conceivable that a philosophy degree could help one move into ethics consulting or even teaching w/in nursing. It's a potentially very fulfilling job. Nursing jobs also offer a huge variety of schedules, both in terms of shifts and also hours per week, making work-life fit much easier than with many other jobs.

[Stephen M (Ethesis)]

Prof. Leiter pretty much has it right as to law schools, pedigree and placement. I'm not sure it is valuable to state he is right, but he is.

As to nursing, be aware that it is very physical and that most RNs migrate away from "floor" nursing (where you care for patients in a hospital), but there are a wide variety of specialties and sub-sectors. It is very flexible, with the interesting twist that in many specialties the *further* you live away from large cities, the more you are paid (e.g. a CRNA who starts in San Francisco will make $90k a year, if they start in Abilene, Texas, the last advertisement I saw offered $360k a year, six weeks vacation, profit sharing and relocation expenses).

Many linguists end up as computer programmers, fyi. Before law school got so expensive, people went to law school to prepare for foreign service -- I went to school with a guy doing that. I would think philosophy would do the same for you, if not more.

The fields that people are discussing are very, very different. You might want to check in with your school's career center to check out not whether or not you can handle it academically (which I will assume everyone can) but what you would prefer in the way of lifestyle.

[john doris]

"Another anon grad" asked about careers in counseling or psychotherapy; this is one of the careers I recommend for philosophically interested undergrads who are not up for academe. I also think it a good option for people leaving academe. Lots of upsides: interesting work, helping people, (often) good pay, flexible hours (if in private practice), etc. Esp. relevant to the issue of retooling is that the MSW, which I believe is often a 1.5 year degree, is terminal for many careers in social work and therapy. Philosophical training may not be of direct relevance, but some of the verbal skills should translate. There is anecdotal evidence, at least, that therapy-related work may be somewhat resilient to economic downturns: for example, therapists were busy after 9.11.

--Doris

[Phil Leaver]

I left philosophy for the private industry and landed up in the high tech industry (think internet). Here is my advice and some thoughts:

1) Your school has career fairs. Go. Get an idea of the different kinds of internships available and see if you can get one. I met an English Ph.D. once, who did an IBM internship after going to her career fair, and this ended up getting her a job at IBM. She is still there. Furthermore, this is the BEST way for a graduate student to get into the private industry (and if not the best, one of the easiest).

2) Network like a crazy person. Join linkedIn (started by a former philosophy Ph.D.). Once joined, start connecting to other philosophers. Then, start connecting to your parents friends in industry, to your non-philosophy friends. Start doing informational interviews. Work really hard to network with people in careers that interest you. For what it is worth, I found my current job through linkedIn. After applying to it, I saw that I was connected to the COO of the company. I emailed him on the grounds that we were alumni of the same school, and the rest if history. Networking is important because it is probably connections that will get you a job. Also, go to networking events. These can be found through linkedIn or meetUp. It's like the APA smoker, but a little less stressful. In general, almost everyone is really nice.

3) Start reading Job Ads posted for the city you want to live in. Stick to reputable job boards (YES: linkedIn, craigsList; NO: monster). The point here is to read about the different kinds of jobs out there, what they involve, and see if they interest you. Do not start by picking a field. That method is inefficient and, given the fact that the job market is still tight, you will need to be more flexible. BTW, read ALL the ads.

4) Be really humble. And keep this in mind: though you won't be working with Ph.D.s, a lot of the people you work with will be really smart, and subject matter experts in their fields. Your boss may be younger. It doesn't matter.

5) I left a TT-job in philosophy. My private industry job, that I got with NO experience, pays 75% more. I got it in the absolute worst part of the second great depression. I get contacted by recruiters monthly trying to get me other jobs. It is a very different experience to philosophy and, not to be too controversial, I think fair to say somewhat more of a meritocracy.

6) There are of course downsides. Your schedule is somewhat less flexible. You have less time off. But, on the flip, you can probably live in the city you really want to. You will get paid more. You won't have to deal with achingly slow bureaucracy. And you can actually leave work at work. Though not of you get a job at McKinsey.

7) Finally, and this is the hardest: you will, in some way, have to leave your Ph.D. behind as you seek to become a subject matter expert in a new subject. You won't do as much philosophy, and your life may not be as "intellectual". Figure how much this is REALLY worth to you before making the decision.

Good luck!

[Law and Philosophy Joint Degree Student]

I don't think that law school is the ideal alternative to philosophy that lots of people seem to think...

In theory lawyers do analytical work somewhat similar to vulgar philosophical work - and the subject matter of law is (in my opinion) absolutely fascinating...

...but in practice being a law school student looking for a job in this economy is a networking exercise. It is much less about how you think and more about how you portray yourself and how much fun you are to have at a cocktail reception. Law is not an elite profession it is an elitist profession.

If you decide to go the lucrative "big firm" route you will have to strip away all of the interesting quirks from your personality (including your politics - you will be working for the "bad guys"). And you wont have a life outside of the firm. If you decide to go to a small firm you'll still have to put up a lot of pretense (though far less working in plaintiff side law) and you'll make substantially less than you would as a philosophy professor (unless you manage to eventually work into something lucrative like product liability class actions - which is very rare especially now with "tort reform" - tort reform being a code phrase for "allowing corporations and hospitals to hurt people without internationalizing their costs of doing business by paying them compensation").

If you go to law school, you also wont be treated like a grad student...or for that matter like a college student...the atmosphere at most law schools resembles high school with adults and semi-adults. Class with the same people all the time, professors who lecture down to you and demand that you recite elements of the cases you were supposed to read just to check you did the reading on pain of public humiliation, not to contribute anything meaningful - and everyone scared out of their minds about getting good grades so they can get out of law school and move on with their lives (also - grades are, with the exception of a handful of schools, on a strict curve = you can't do well unless other people do poorly and vice versa).

Finally in law school you will be constantly frustrated at the crap that is likely to be passed off as "philosophy" both by students and professors.

BL COMMENT: There is some truth to this, alas, though also some over-generalizing. First, the analytical skills that serve philosophers well in law school usually lead to higher grades, and high grades open doors. Second, it really is not true that those who practice in smaller firms make less than philosophy professors. Six figure salaries are still the norm in law practice, in a way they are not in academic philosophy. Third, the extent to which 'networking' is necessary for getting a job depends on what law school you go to.

[another anon grad]

Thank you Prof. Leiter for having this discussion. I am a philosophy graduate student at a top 15 department in which those who have received a placement have placed very well (although there are those in the department who did not receive a placement and are without a "backup plan").
My question is whether it would be advisable to jump ships in the middle of one's PhD (i.e., just before the A-exam) into Law School? Do admissions at top law schools look at dropping out of a PhD program negatively, or would it be an asset to have completed course requirements for a philosophy PhD in the eyes of an admissions board - particularly with regards to becoming a potential legal academic?

The reason why I would not want to finish my PhD before going to law school is that I will already be in my early to mid thirties by this time, and would rather seek another non-academic career (if I do not receive an academic placement) than having to commit another three years to do another degree.

So basically my question boils down to whether it makes sense to drop out of grad school (pre A-exam) in order to move into an area (either legal academia or a non-academic legal career) with greater job security, or whether it makes better sense to complete my philosophy PhD while developing other back up plans?

BL COMMENT: Having done graduate work in philosophy, and done well at it, will be a plus in applying to law schools. But--and this is important--if you want to then go into legal academia as a "law and philosophy" person, lack of the PhD will be a serious problem. It may be possible to overcome it with good quality writing in the area, but the reality is the JD/PhD is the norm for anyone who gets taken seriously on the law teaching market as an interdisciplinary scholar.

[Mark Couch]

This just came out and seems like it might be relevant.

http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/on_the_fence/woolf6

[Eric]

One option I've always kept in my back pocket is returning to the non-profit sector. I worked for a couple of non-profits before I went to grad school for philosophy (I'm currently a 2nd year in a PhD program) and have found them to be generally interested in people who have proven their industriousness or intelligence in fields unrelated to their own work. I knew someone with a PhD in mathematics who got a job at a large animal welfare organization where she did work totally unrelated to mathematics (but did it very well). Although the pay is generally pretty bad (depending on the organization you might only make what an adjunct would make), the benefit is that you won't be selling your soul to some awful huge law firm.

[Sabrina Bano Jamil]

One option that has not been mentioned at all in this thread is administrative work. This might be because many faculty probably see academic administration as turning to "the dark side" or something like that, but when I finished my MA at FSU, before obtaining my current faculty position at MDC and starting my doctorate at UMiami, I worked in Student Affairs Administration (dealing specifically with undergrad research programs and exceptional scholarship students) for about a year. The fit was quite lovely; my superiors were people who respected my intelligence and it was useful in working with undergrad students as they attempted to get funding for research projects, as well as in solving many (boring but practical) bureaucratic problems. I've known a number of philosophers who have obtained administrative work. www.higheredjobs.com offers listings, and the options are quite diverse. Although an entry-level job may seem to be below the qualifications of a philosophy grad student, it is my belief (based on anecdotal evidence) that if one does a competent job at an entry-level position, one can quickly escalate to a much higher-level position (since, let's face it -- lots of administrative workers do their jobs very poorly). I was told within two months of taking my job that my boss intended to train me to replace the Assistant Director of our programs, who was slated to retire in about a year and a half's time of my hire. In any case, this is an under-explored option, and since philosophy provides (as has been mentioned) some of the skill set necessary to do a good job at administration (such as critical analysis and problem solving) it seems like a viable option for some folks.

[Anonymous]

My leading backup plans at the moment are i) getting an MA in urban & regional planning, then being an urban planner; and ii) going to Unitarian Universalist seminary to be a UU minister. I'm not sure how these would fare financially, but it seems they would fit my philosophical proclivity to try to look broadly at the lives of communities in order to make them better.

I am also not sure how hard it would be to fund either of the above degrees.

I agree strongly with "Uncreative anonymous grad student" that it is a shame that there is such a stigma against seeking non-academic employment. It seems to be aimed not only at those who leave the profession, but those who try or even consider trying to do it. As a result, those who end up quitting seem to do so suddenly and without giving backup plans much thought (which is why this thread is great). My impression is that other masters and doctoral programs, especially outside the humanities, do not have this stigma regarding their graduate students. (I have this impression in part because so many people ask me, 'so what are you going to do with your Ph.D.?', without realizing that it is the status quo in our field to focus solely on getting academic jobs.) Perhaps this is because, in the sciences, the sorts of research for which the grad program directly prepares their students can be done in industrial sectors as well as in academia.

Nevertheless, if our profession wants to have a significant impact on society (dare I say: if we want to be socially more fertile than masturbatory), it seems that we ought to focus on placing those who finish our MAs and PhDs in any position where their skills will be well-used--whether that is teaching young people, or simply using, in other sectors, training on philosophical topics and philosophically cultivated communication and critical thinking skills. When we look at the placement records for our PhD programs, there should be less shame in reading items which give the following impression: 'this one went into [politics / urban planning / consulting / ministry / etc.] -- and we're proud to have put a fully trained philosopher in their midst (she'll be one of the sharpest, clearest-thinking and -writing _ers out there!)'.