What will you do with your Soc PhD?

[evenstar]

Curious question to pass the time...

If you get into graduate school, what are your goals after you complete your PhD in sociology? Do you want to go into academia or do you want to use your sociology knowledge elsewhere?

Good luck everyone!

[ewurgler]

Academia, definitely.

I am curious to know what non-academic stuff soc people would want to do.

[Tritonetelephone]

Academia!

I used to want to work for the census bureau or something, but I'm an educator and a researcher. There isn't an alternative for me.

I've told this story elsewhere on the forums, but 2 semesters before I graduated, I went to one of my profs to talk about career options. I said that I want to do research and told her about the things I'm interested in, but I didn't think I could afford grad school (didn't know about funding). She explained how the sociology that I know and love simply does not exist outside of academia. The story she told keeps me motivated when I worry that I'm not "grad school material"...

When she finished her master's, she was offered a job at a marketing company. During her interview, she noticed a book on the shelf that said "Consumer Trends of Mushroom Soup." That's what "sociology" is outside of academia - dull and depressing.

[hip2btriangle]

I'd love to start out teaching for a while, but then I'd love to return to higher education administration and be a Dean of Students type at a small undergrad. Putting my research into action!

[nyghtfalls]

i might work in a think tank, or do some consulting. for me, the PhD is an ends unto itself because i want to have the highest degree possible and keep my options open. really, what job (outside of academia) would turn down an applicant with a PhD? im still considering where i want to be... i think i'd like to be in academia, but im not quite so sure if i'm ready for the politics... but i guess that's the way any job goes! :-)

[ewurgler]

i might work in a think tank, or do some consulting. for me, the PhD is an ends unto itself because i want to have the highest degree possible and keep my options open. really, what job (outside of academia) would turn down an applicant with a PhD? im still considering where i want to be... i think i'd like to be in academia, but im not quite so sure if i'm ready for the politics... but i guess that's the way any job goes! :-)

Be wary--Over-qualification may be a problem for you. If the job requires a BA or MA, they may think you will be bored and leave relatively quickly.

[waitinginohio]

really, what job (outside of academia) would turn down an applicant with a PhD?

What most of my Profs have told me is that if you don't want to go into academia, there's pretty much no good reason to get a PhD. It's a waste of time and money to get a PhD and then work in a job that only requires a bachelor's or master's degree. PhDs have very specialized experience, and it very rarely matches up with the experience and skills that non-academic careers require.

So needless to say, I'm planning on going into academia too.

[slothy]

I've heard the "the only reason to do a Ph.D. is to become a professor" advice a lot, but I've come to the conclusion that, while the idea of an academic career should be apealing to most people doing Ph.D.s, it's definitely not a waste if you're in the social sciences and are aware of how you can leverage your (hopefully) quantitative methods background into an applied field. In fact, there was a big session at ASA this year (one of the career workshops) full of people making six figures doing market research, workplace training, evaluation research, ect... I think it all depends on how you investigate those sorts of opportunities during grad school. I would guess that most tenured professors haven't really spent a lot of time investigating the job market outside higher ed and thus are more likely to buy into the idea that PhD's are overqualified for anything else. It's also worth noting that a Ph.D. can translate into a very healthy federal pay grade if you choose to go into public service (and happen to be a US citizen) - places like HHS, Education, CRS, GAO ect... are full of social science Ph.D.'s who stepped off the tenure track, although my impression is that things are slightly tougher for sociologists than economists or political scientists. You'd also find many soc Ph.D's working in respectable (and at least comparably paid relative to TT) administrative positions at just about any major university.

As for me, I'd say that an academic career is my default plan post-PhD, but I realize that there's a high probability that I won't even finish and I certainly plan to make an effort to network with non-academic employers.

[slothy]

It's a waste of time and money to get a PhD and then work in a job that only requires a bachelor's or master's degree.

And I'll also add that I think there is very real value in the professional skills one gains in the process of doing TA and RA work that is comparable to what a lot of us truthfully would be doing anyway. Learning to be comfortable while addressing large groups of people, managing projects, writing proposals, tactfully critiquing peers... on some level, acquiring these skills in the supportive environment of most soc departments is probably better than the skill sets many of our peers are getting working in dead-end administrative or retail careers.

[sparkle456]

Well, I'm applying to graduate schools to be a professor. I had a mentor who was the best...

I love qualitative research also. I am so anxious about getting accepted into other schools...especially after my first rejection

Good luck to all. Hope everything works out and that we all are able to fulfill our dreams!

Peace.

[nyghtfalls]

And I'll also add that I think there is very real value in the professional skills one gains in the process of doing TA and RA work that is comparable to what a lot of us truthfully would be doing anyway. Learning to be comfortable while addressing large groups of people, managing projects, writing proposals, tactfully critiquing peers... on some level, acquiring these skills in the supportive environment of most soc departments is probably better than the skill sets many of our peers are getting working in dead-end administrative or retail careers.

yeah, slothy! fight the power.

to waitinginohio: let's just say that I like to keep my options open. I don't believe in the idea of "wasting money and time" if you've got the drive and capacity to make things pop. ;-) in truth, at the end of the day, the PhD is not only for those interested in academia... it is more so for the people that can handle it. what they do with it afterwards is pretty much fair game, imho. but perhaps that's just my naivete, lol!