Interested in non-academia for English & Comp Lit. Etiquette for Phd Apps / First years?

[Prophecies]

Hey everyone,

I posted a few months ago about my research interests. One thing leads to another, and my interest in world literature is at this moment, flourishing. So I'm interested in English and / or Comp Lit programs. However, as someone who plans to apply at the end of next year, I'm wondering how to express that I have minimal interest in academia. I want to pursue a PhD because of the skills it will develop. Here are some cool ones:

• From writing a dissertation, you learn how to simplify and interpret large swaths of information. You also can construct an argument, conduct research, meet deadlines, work to a high standard, etc. Good for policy. 
• From compulsory teaching, you learn patience, motivating others, listening skills. You become a better communicator overall. Any industry or department that deals with real people will value those skills. 
• From learning languages (even if it's just reading) you develop cross-cultural awareness, grammar and linguistic skills, appreciation for nuances in multicultural situations. If you are as passionate about writing and publishing as I am, this is a huge attraction.
• Conferences, posters, journal articles: great for communication, meeting clients standards, etc. Great for technical writing. Also a sign of initiative, asking questions, enthusiasm and being driven. Absolutely perfect for marketing and communications. 
• From writing grants and requests for funding, you learn types of persuasive language. Perfect for careers where you have to attend to a client's needs- such as being a copywriter for an investment bank.

And a lot more. I just look at PhD holders, and I think they have a kickass list of skills. I'm mostly interested in writing and publishing and have small amounts of experience in both. I just think a PhD will take my writing to the next level. Sure, I write fantasy novels but academic writing requires awareness to structure, argument, evidence and clarity. Those are valuable! Plus, I have a strong passion for my research ideas. Still got a lot of reading to do

Now onto my question. When I construct my Statement of Purpose and talk about my goals- will the admissions committee be put off by an entry from someone who has no intention of academia? After all, a university is giving thousands of dollars in your direction. They may also perceive ill-intent on my part: that I intend to drop out of the PhD with a fully paid Masters. I want to do coursework and a Doctoral length thesis. How could I best convey my intention within the SOP? I don't want to manipulate or convey a false impression. 

I'm also worried about etiquette (if) I'm accepted into a program. Professors will contact me and maybe disheartened if I don't want to go into academia. I'm from Australia, and I know that the USA universities can be very driven about placement rates. However, Comp Lit & English will not always have the best rates. The good news is that many universities run 'non-academic' afternoon teas and career seminars for PhD students. However, professors- who invest so much time in training you- may take my lack of interest in academia the wrong way. Should I tell my professors at whatever program that I'm not aiming for an academic career? 

This got wordy. Thanks if you have read this far. Anyway, back to reading Tolstoy! 

[EM51413]

I'm not an expert on this, but as I understand the current state of affairs, a decent portion of PhD graduates will end up outside of academia anyway, whether they want to or not. I think it is amazing that you see yourself deriving all kinds of benefits from the process alone regardless of the outcome - a mentality that is perhaps much healthier than going through the program with the sole purpose of entering academia.

I really don't know if not being interested in entering academia will affect your admissions, but I doubt it. Yes, U.S. programs can care a lot about placement statistics, but those programs often consider placement into industry (especially prestigious positions in industry) as important as placement into academia, not least because the academic job market is largely dominated by chance these days anyway.

Do ask yourself, though, if spending all those years of your life acquiring the skills you see in a PhD graduate is REALLY worth it; this question has a trivial answer for those who want to enter academia but if all you want is solid communication skills, you might not need a PhD in English to do so, as the program will require much more specialization (and effort in general) than cultivating those skills. 

[Glasperlenspieler]

18 hours ago, EM51413 said:

 I really don't know if not being interested in entering academia will affect your admissions, but I doubt it. Yes, U.S. programs can care a lot about placement statistics, but those programs often consider placement into industry (especially prestigious positions in industry) as important as placement into academia, not least because the academic job market is largely dominated by chance these days anyway.

Eh... This is obviously hard to say for sure and will vary a lot from program to program (and advisor to advisor), but I suspect that especially top tier programs (even if they pay lip service to alt-ac careers) look down upon people seeking careers outside of academia. That's not to say you won't find resources to pursue those careers at those universities, but I might be slightly hesitant about expressing though wishes too loudly too early in your program. Despite all the talk about the life of the mind and what not, PhD programs in the humanities should still largely be understood as a very peculiar form of vocational training.

To the OP: I applied to PhD programs with the intent of eventually becoming a professor and by and large maintain that goal (despite some doubts and a desire to keep my eyes open for alternatives). But I don't think I mentioned that desire once in my SOP and I don't think there's really a need to. Instead, I wrote about my research goals and interests, why I thought they were worth pursuing, what skills I had to do that research, and why I thought that particular program made sense for pursuing that research. People reading your SOP will likely assume you want to pursue an academic career (mostly because they are so thoroughly ingrained in academia that alternatives won't occur to them) but so what. You're not deceiving them, they're just reading into it what they want to. For the sake of PhD applications, I think there's at least some risk of expressing a desire for alt-ac careers, and since there's no real reason to talk about your career goals in an SOP,  don't do it. If and when you get accepted, you should certainly go through graduate school with an eye towards generating the best chances of getting a job outside of academia and take advantage of all the resources the university has to support that. At some point, you will need to have a conversation with your advisor about career plans, but that's not going to happen until at least a couple years into the program. 

All that being said, you should take very seriously @EM51413's last point. I think a PhD can certainly be a valuable fulfilling experience even if you don't want to be in academia, but it's also a lot of work, stress, academic politics, and time spent when you could be jumpstarting an non-academic career. And if it's not going to be directly career-relevant to you, don't take that decision lightly. 

[Prophecies]

Hey everyone.

Thank you for your replies. I'm also under the impression that certain jobs- academic editing, university administration- require PhDs anyway (to my knowledge). A job that really appeals to me- annotating books- tends to go to PhD holders. But, I should consider maybe another academic path (perhaps a Masters in Literature). If I complete a PhD and return to Australia or to go to the UK, I will be eligible for plenty of positions in publishing.  

Part of me is really passionate about research and my ideas, but this thread has given me valuable advice. I could always look at PhDs in Canada, Australia, UK- where they have part-time options and less of a stigma against alternative academic paths.