Forthrightness about career goals?

[erinleigh]

I am interested in editing at an academic publishing house and have discovered that you essentially need an advanced degree to be considered. I had excellent undergraduate grades (3.96/4.0) and GRE scores (169 verbal and 168 quantitative), and I'm confident that I will have good LORs as well. However, I've been told that you will be ignored/dismissed if you state that you aren't interested in being a professor. 

 

Any insight into that?

 

I'm not really sure what to do with my SOP . . . the options seem to be (1) be completely forthcoming about my career goals, (2) essentially lie and say I want to be a professor, or (3) just omit any mention of career goals. Not really sure what to do . . .

[iExcelAtMicrosoftPuns]

Honesty is the best policy. 

Why do you want to edit at an academic publishing house?

Edited October 15, 2013 by MisterMister

[danieleWrites]

Why would you want to be in a program that would require you to lie? You want to take courses that will develop your career choices, not stymie them. If you want to load up on tech writing and comp rhet courses, why go with a program that wants to shove you into literature? I told my DGS, flat out, that I want to make sure my time in the program was broad enough to get me into several non-academic jobs I can qualify for. He was very pleased to hear it and made several suggestions about how to formulate my dissertation and the course I'll take. Any DGS that pays attention to the world knows that that the job market for graduates sucks rocks right now. Job placement for students is important for departments because that's one of the things they're rated on. We professor tracked folks face stiff competition to get a job. You? You're looking an industry.

 

I would suggest honesty. Maybe you won't get into the school you prefer, but you will get a program you prefer. You'll get help making those important contacts in the academic publishing industry.

[abitstartled]

II'm surprised that anyone would say you would be ignored or dismissed for expressing interest in entering academic publishing -- especially these days, when more and more schools are advertising that their graduate degrees have relevance outside of the immediate academy. 

 

On a side note, when you are looking at schools, it might be worthwhile to choose places with strong academic presses that offer internships or other RA positions. I worked part-time at an academic press for 3 years as an undergrad, and from my (admittedly limited) perspective, it seemed that networking was really key for getting editorial positions. 

[erinleigh]

Thanks for the advice. I also spoke with a prof from one of the programs I'm looking at, and she said that for that particular program, non-teaching professional goals were not atypical. 

[BrookeSnow]

I wouldn't lie. I am currently in an M.A. program with no intentions of going on for a Phd, which seems to shock everyone. "But why wouldn't you want to be a Professor of English??" I was upfront and honest about my career goals and had no problem getting into schools. Now, I don't know if this changes if you are applying to Phd. programs but I would assume if you have to lie you are not going to enjoy your experience in the program.