Doctoring: Building a Life With a PhD

by Christopher Cornthwaite

So, the tenure-track job isn’t there and you need to leave academia and do something with that PhD. How hard could it be? All you have to do 1. Stop feeling worthless, 2. Get over the pain of losing your academic identity, 3. Start from scratch in a hostile career world and, 4. Build a high-paying, non-academic career that you also happen to love. Every year, a new cohort of students around the world steps into PhD programs. Most of them expect to become academics—professors that is. But most of them won’t. So, what happens when you need to take a PhD and build a career outside of the academy? This book argues that life can be fantastic for PhDs off the tenure track. PhDs are making waves in industry, government, non-profits, and just about every place you can imagine. Graduates worry all the time about PhDs being undervalued in the “real world.” In fact, the place where PhDs are valued the least is the academy. Most PhDs in the academy don’t think about creating non-academic careers with their degrees until they near the end, and many departments are failing to help their grads make the transition. In his first book, part memoir and part self-help, PhD-turned-blogger Chris Cornthwaite tells the story of his struggles and successes in building a non-academic career with a PhD. If you’re a PhD who wants to or needs to leave the academy, he argues that there are two big challenges. The first is the loss of self that comes with “failing” in the academic job market and dealing with the mental baggage that comes with it. The second is reclaiming a new vision for your life and career and having the knowledge to build what you want to build. This is not a story about how bad academia is. Rather, it’s a reinvention manual on how to rediscover yourself and your purpose and find a career you love, even with a degree that can feel “useless” at times. Chris Cornthwaite is a blogger and former academic. After finishing his PhD in religious studies, he went through the hard work of building a career with his degree, working for a think tank, government, and as a consultant. He launched the website www.roostervane.com to share stories and advice for building careers with degrees.

Genres: Academia

164 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 5, 2020

Reviews

[Laura May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris has done an excellent job with this book. It is full of relevant, helpful, and well-written career advice for those at any point of their PhD journey, whether they have not yet started, or even if their PhD was completed decades again. The book is both grounded and empowering, and I would heartily recommend it as essential reading for all PhDs.

[Daisy Pooler · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great book for those of us feeling disillusioned by academia - it validated a lot of my opinions about the academy, and helped me realise my worth outside of a tenure track job. it's rather full of inspirational speak, but I didn't mind that for the most part. it left me feeling like there are options out there for me, which is what you need after leaving an institution you have been part of for a long time. it's also a necessary book as most PhD graduates do not end up as professors, so some guidance about exploring other options is needed - a brief which this book fulfils. it's also very kind of Chris to provide this resource free of charge.

[Charu Uppal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for those who have graduate eduction and above, even though it talks directly to those who are either leaving or disillusioned with academia. It gives practical tips even as it works as a motivational speech. Since it is written from first person perspective --it is both personal and authentic. Easy read, but packed with information and ideas, which means you will need to return to it over and over again. Read it, gift it .

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful and engaging book with many encouraging ideas to help those of us with doctorates contemplate and, if desired or needed, achieve non-academic careers.