Useful Career Materials
History Jobs Dip for a Second Consecutive Year
Published Sept. 4, 2014. This Chronicle of Higher Education article by Sydni Dunn explores the recent job trends for history PhDs.
Educating Scholars (Princeton University Press, 2010)
This book by Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Harriet Zuckerman, Jeffrey A. Groen, and Sharon M. Brucker, focuses on the current state of doctoral education in the humanities and some of the challenges of the various programs.
"What Doors Does a Ph.D. in History Open?"
Published on October 30, 2012 in The Chronicle of Higher Education, this article by L. Maren Woods explores what PhDs in history do with their degree if they are not working in academia. She examined four history departments and tracked where the 45+ percent of PhDs who did not receive academic appointments worked. She found that contrary to the stereotype that they worked as baristas at Starbucks, these PhDs found a wide range of careers including the traditional public history careers, publishing and editing, government jobs, and higher education administration. Some had successful careers as independent scholars and historians. Others became independent business executives and some went on to get additional degrees to become lawyers, politicians, and librarians.
"Going on the Job Market, ABD" and "Going on the Job Market, ABD (part II)"
This is a two part article from Inside Higher Ed that explores how best to conduct a job search if you are ABD. It is written by Gerry Candavan and based on his own job-hunting experience as an ABD.
"Historians Continue to Face Tough Job Market"
This article by Peter Schmidt in The Chronicle of Higher Education cites a 2011 report from the American Historical Association's Perspectives on History on the history job market. Although the market is still tough, it shows that there may be a small improvement in the market for history professors.
"Ph.D.'s Spend Big Bucks Hunting for Academic Jobs, With No Guaranteed Results"
Published on March 11, 2013 in The Chronicle of Higher Education, this article by Stacy Matton discusses the increasing costs and the growing business of helping Ph.D. graduates find a job in academia.
"Don't Reform Graduate Education in a Vacuum"
Alexandra M. Lord, the "author" of the Beyond Academe website discusses why faculty members and department chairs need to track the career trajectories of their graduate students and that graduate education needs to be reformed but only with the input of graduates who have pursued careers outside academia.
"Some PhDs Choose to Work off the Grid" and "3 Scholars Follow Their Own Path"
Author Robin Wilson discusses in these two articles how some individuals with PhDs have chosen to work as independent scholars rather than working in academia.
"Pressure Builds for Schools to Help Grads Get Jobs"
This article by Jon Marcus in USA Today brings national attention for the need for colleges and universities to take a more a more active role in helping graduates find jobs.
From The Chronicle of Higher Education's column "Manage Your Career" - "Why would a scholarly organization like the council (American Council on Learned Societies) request a one- or two-page résumé from a Ph.D.?" Julie Miller Vick is senior associate director of career services at the University of Pennsylvania, and Jennifer S. Furlong is director of the office of career planning and professional development at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York Graduate Center. They are the authors of "The Academic Job Search Handbook" (University of Pennsylvania Press).
From The Chronicle of Higher Education's The 2-Year Track - "Academics are notoriously bad at what other professionals call 'networking.'" -- Rob Jenkins is an associate professor of English at Georgia Perimeter College.
Self Sabotage in the Academic Career
From The Chronicle of Higher Education - 15 ways in which faculty members harm their own futures, often without knowing it. -- Robert J. Sternberg is provost and senior vice president at Oklahoma State University, and a professor of psychology and education there. He will take office this year as president of the University of Wyoming.
From "The Chronicle of Higher Education's "Do Your Job Better" column - A new professor resolves to start his career with less of a wall between him and his students—but how? Javier Jiménez is an assistant professor of Spanish and director of Latin American studies at Marietta College. He is chronicling his transition to his first tenure-track job.
The Déjà Vu of Today's Application Files
In The Chronicle of Higher Education's Manage Your Career column, Thomas J. Straka writes about reviewing applications for a tenure-track position. Thomas J. Straka is a professor of forestry at Clemson University.
From The Chronicle of Higher Education's On Hiring column which provides "advice on managing the academic career". Diane M. Fennig is a senior consultant with the Human Capital Group, an executive-search and leadership-consulting firm based in Brentwood, Tenn.
A Ph.D. candidate at a Southern university discusses what happens when a dual-career couple in history ignores all the warnings and goes in search of two teaching jobs. "Eunice Williams" (a pseudonym) has been chronicling her search for a tenure-track job on the The Chronicle of Higher Education'swebsite.
OAH Members Exclusive Content
"History Master's Graduates Job Prospects Are Part of A Larger Trend: Improvements Are Needed Now to Assist All College Alumni" by Laura J. Sweeney
