The Lie of "Transferrable Skills" for PhDs

So you’ve reached a crossroads. Most likely you’re either finishing a PhD or have already done so and the shine of working in academia has worn off. The reasons why you’re seeking this change don’t matter as much as your willingness to plunge headfirst into this new challenge. You shift gears to focus on an exit strategy and to chart a new career path for you.

There is a lot of discussion in the Alternate Academic (AltAc) and Non-Academic (NonAc) circles about how to make these transitions. I highly suggest joining the community over at the VersatilePhD. There are also many good discussions to be had on social media, notably Twitter.

Plenty of success stories exist from PhDs who have made the transition out of the academy. The key word in the previous sentence is “transition.” This is the most challenging aspect of pursuing an AltAc or NonAc career. Of course that process is different for every individual, but I’ve found that there are a few holes in these narratives, or unqualified caveats, that would be beneficial to bring to light.

• Experience Trumps All:
• What you did before embarking on the road to a PhD matters. Did you work between getting your undergraduate degree and starting grad school? If so, you definitely have a leg up on the process compared to those who went straight from undergrad to grad school.
• What you did outside of your PhD work while in grad school matters. Grad school is a lot of work. Whether you have funding or not, between classes, school projects, the dissertation, reading, and possibly teaching, there isn’t much time for outside projects. Again those with the foresight to get some type of additional work experience while in grad school are in better stead (in many cases) than those who don’t.
• You may have to start at the bottom. For some this isn’t a surprise. While it may be easy to turn one’s nose up at an entry-level job, if you’ve never done the job before then you’re not better than entry-level.
• But even the bottom can be a challenge to attain. Even if you’re willing to swallow your pride and take an entry-level job there may not be as many opportunities as you think. Your PhD may work against you more often than not in these situations.
• For those on an AltAc trajectory, the PhD is no longer the de facto “union card” of higher ed. Don’t be surprised if you lose out on a job for which you’re (over) qualified for to someone with less experience/education, but with a M.Ed in Higher Ed Administration. 
• Computers make finding jobs more difficult. Job hunting is a full-time job in itself, or it can be. Every company wants something slightly different. The use of computers has made it easier to find and apply for jobs (sometimes), but they’ve also made it easier for companies to weed people out. Blindly applying for jobs and hoping someone recognizes your potential from the stack of resumes is not likely to happen.
• Hiring managers don’t understand the value of a PhD. You have so many friends with PhDs that the value of the training concomitant with the degree is obvious. But there are scores more people who have no idea. I tend to think that younger people in hiring roles are much less likely to understand the value of a PhD than someone who’s been in industry for 20-30 years. It’s not their fault that their primary exposure to PhDs was in the academic environment when they were in school. Unless a hiring manager has worked with PhDs before the odds are not likely in your favor. 
  
• Hiring Managers don’t care about “transferable skills.” Ok. That’s a bit of a stretch. It’s not that transferable skills aren’t a real thing; they certainly are. It’s just that no matter how well you make your case there are likely even more candidates with the exact (or close to that) experience requested for the job. To use a sports analogy, if a team can draft a serviceable 6^th man (or woman) who would be an early round pick or take a late round pick with All-Star potential they’re going to take the serviceable 6^th man, because unlike sports there isn’t another draft round and businesses are more risk averse.
• Companies that claim to “think outside the box” rarely do. Perhaps this is true on occasion, but certainly not across the board. In fact most companies that claim to “think outside the box” when it comes to personnel rarely do so. The former president of Stanford even noted this in a recent interview. When companies talk about the ideal skills they’re looking for in employees they’re often closely aligned with those gained from a humanities/liberal arts education. Yet when the recruiters come to campus is the students from the business school who get all the attention. If that’s happening at Stanford, just imagine how difficult it is for everyone else.
• Expect the process to take a year or more. PhDs are used to working hard, but when that hard work is openly dismissed by hundreds of people repeatedly for a year or more the frustration and depression can reach a fever pitch.
• Your professional network is the best and perhaps only way to get a job. This isn’t a new idea by any means. The entire AltAc/NonAc discussion always revolves around networking and informational interviews. I’d just like to push that point further and stress it as the most important thing you can do for your career change.
• Luck plays a huge role. You can do everything right. Everything. For long periods of time. You work hard. You network. You get your application materials professionally edited and prepared for the job market. You have nothing to show for it.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to understand that your skills ARE transferable and how they apply to the types of careers you want to pursue. But the idea that your skills, experience, and education, as presented on paper are enough to set you apart is a lie. There are always exceptions to the rules, but they’re just that: exceptions. These are the people who got lucky. Who found the hiring manager that actually WAS open-minded, that DID think outside the box, or HAD an understanding of the value of the PhD. Reading through message boards and online discussions on the subject it’s clear that this is a struggle that the majority of people who make the transition experience.