Where the Grass Is Greener

By Colleen Flaherty. Study finds humanities and social science Ph.D.s working outside academe are happier than their tenure-track peers, even if "alt-ac" careers weren't their first choice.
With the dearth of available tenure-track faculty positions, professional organizations and others are working to change how Ph.D. programs prepare students for the careers they’re likely to have outside academe. In good news for those efforts, a new study of some 5,000 humanities and social sciences Ph.D.s finds that those working in nonprofits are more satisfied with their jobs than are their peers in tenure-track faculty positions. That’s true even for Ph.D.s who intended to work in academe but did not end up there. More...