Embarking on a career path after earning a PhD, especially in fields like history, can be both exciting and daunting. Many newly minted scholars face a highly competitive academic job market, leading them to explore diverse career options beyond traditional faculty roles. This journey, while potentially unexpected, opens doors to apply historical training in impactful ways across various sectors. As someone deeply involved in guiding humanities graduate students, I’ve witnessed firsthand the challenges and triumphs of this transition. My role as a career advisor at the University of Chicago allows me to support PhD candidates as they navigate these career landscapes, both within and beyond academia. This experience has highlighted the critical need for resources and programs that acknowledge the unique skills and aspirations of early career scholars.
Courtney Wiersema, a career advisor at the University of Chicago, encourages graduate students to make space for their feelings of frustration, uncertainty, and loss, during their non-faculty job search.
My position at UChicago emerged from a proactive university initiative aimed at empowering graduate students and postdocs to launch meaningful careers across academia, business, nonprofits, and government. Through one-on-one career counseling and the creation of career exploration opportunities, I contribute to programs like PATHS (a NEH-funded career diversity program) and build upon the foundation laid by the American Historical Association’s (AHA) Career Diversity for Historians pilot program. These initiatives underscore the AHA’s commitment to supporting historians in diverse professional settings. Over the years, I have assisted countless early career scholars in securing positions not only as professors but also as consultants, curators, and educators in various fields.
Observing numerous PhD job searches from close quarters, I am continually impressed by the innovative ways humanities scholars leverage their expertise outside of academia. Many are realizing the AHA’s vision of “increasing the presence of rigorous and sophisticated historical thinking and knowledge in sites of decision making.” Sharing these success stories with students during advising sessions provides crucial hope and demonstrates the possibilities that exist beyond the often-challenging faculty job market. The AHA, through its career diversity initiatives, acts as a pivotal resource in this landscape, offering guidance and support for early career faculty and PhDs exploring diverse paths.
However, it’s crucial to acknowledge that the positive messaging surrounding career diversity can sometimes feel disconnected from the real emotional experiences of students navigating a non-faculty job search. Resources that oversimplify this process into mere checklists often miss the deeper emotional and identity shifts involved. For highly capable individuals who have dedicated years to doctoral studies, the practical steps of job searching are rarely the primary obstacle. Instead, the core challenge lies in redefining their professional identities, which have been deeply intertwined with their academic projects and communities. This shift can be experienced as a significant loss, as eloquently articulated by historian Erin Bartram in her essay on job market grief. The transition is not simply about acquiring new skills; it’s about reimagining one’s purpose and value outside the familiar academic framework.
Even with extensive experience in advising, I recognize that there are no easy solutions to these complex feelings. However, I’ve observed that non-faculty job searches are more successful when PhD candidates allow space for feelings of frustration, uncertainty, and loss. Finding fulfilling work and constructing a new professional narrative requires time and introspection. It’s tempting to suppress emotional turmoil by relentlessly applying for jobs, hoping for external validation through a job offer. Yet, a more effective approach involves acknowledging and processing these emotions as part of the career transition.
For those undergoing a career transition or simply considering their options, articulating these feelings is a vital first step. Many students utilize career advising appointments to address both the emotional and practical aspects of their job searches. Routine cover letter reviews can evolve into discussions about grief when academic hopes diminish, and career exploration sessions can become challenging when students confront the effort required to pivot to a new field. Expressing these feelings is essential, and seeking a confidant—an advisor, mentor, counselor, friend, or family member—can provide invaluable support during this process.
When students share feelings of pain or loss, I often encourage them to identify the aspects of their academic identities they most value and grieve losing. Were they most engaged in teaching? Did they enjoy public dissemination of research? Or did they find satisfaction in the craft of writing? Pinpointing these valued elements—those that feel indispensable—can surprisingly illuminate alternative career paths that align with their core passions. Teaching, research, writing, and public engagement are not exclusive to faculty positions; they are transferable skills highly valued in various professional domains.
To further illustrate the translation of academic identities into diverse careers, I guide students to resources like Versatile PhD and the AHA’s “What I Do: Historians Talk about Their Work” and “Career Paths” series. These platforms offer personal narratives that showcase the myriad ways history PhDs apply their training in different fields. Additionally, the AHA’s Career Contacts program and university alumni networks facilitate direct conversations with professionals in relevant roles. By exploring these stories, students can observe how historians construct narratives around their career choices, often driven by a desire to utilize cherished skills and experiences from their graduate studies. For instance, a passion for research assistance might naturally lead to a career as a librarian.
These career success stories, while easily recounted in retrospect, highlight the ongoing challenge for non-faculty job seekers: transforming feelings of loss and uncertainty into a compelling new narrative that emphasizes the value and impact of their historical training. The AHA, with its evolving resources and programs, plays a crucial role in supporting early career faculty and PhDs in this transformative journey.
