Recap of My Presentation

I began my talk by offering a couple of confessions:

First, I am still in the process of making my PhD malleable. I do not have any concrete answers for how to make a living as an independent historian, yet.

Second, I have the luxury of being able to take my time and figure out what career path will work best for me because I have spousal support.

My partner Tim has a great job; he works for Google. He is incredibly supportive and has the patience of a saint. Tim helped me through graduate school and now he is content to let me explore how I can create a career as an independent historian. I do not know how I got so lucky in life, but I am grateful for it.

Next, I discussed how I work as an historian and writer and dabble in entrepreneurship.

Finally, I talked about what I wish I had known at the beginning of my transition out of academia.

3 Things I Wish I Had Known When I Started to Leave Academia

1. Nearly every person who leaves academia experiences a similar period of transition

Step 1. Depression and Mourning

Even if you don't want a traditional tenure-track job, most people who leave the academy experience a feeling of loss over their unrealized dream of living the “academic life.”

Step 2: Acceptance and Hope

You emerge from your gloomy phase into one of acceptance.

You recognize the fact that you were not meant to be a "traditional academic" and you have hope that you will be able to follow your passion in a fulfilling way.

Step 3: Exploration

Most of the time you know deep-down what it is you want to do, but few of us will admit it right away, which means many of us will explore different career options.

I explored a lot last year and I am still exploring. Last year, I interned with 2 public history groups and found that I did not want to run a non-profit.

Step 4: Action

You admit what you want to do and take steps to pursue your calling.

Deep-down I knew that I wanted to make a career as a public historian, someone who makes history accessible for everyone through my writing and speaking.

This year, I am experimenting with how I can earn a living from my writing and speaking.

2. Twitter is a great resource for people who want to transition out of the academy

I am still in awe of the generosity of the #postacs, #altacs, and #twitterstorians on Twitter.

Nearly everyone in these communities has a helpful story or advice that they are willing to share with you.

All you need to do is ask.

3. You HAVE transferrable skills

Graduate school was a valuable experience that taught us skills that “real-world” companies and organizations value.

A list of just a few of our marketable skills • Analytical Thinking • Ability to Write • Ability to Synthesize LARGE amounts of information into digestible nuggets • Computer Skills • Research • Project Management • Entrepreneurialism

Conclusion

The above outline represents the information you will find during my segment of the panel, which begins at about 23 minutes 20 seconds.

You will find a lot of value in this video if you are thinking about, or in the process of, leaving academia or if you are a professor thinking about ways you can improve your graduate education program.

You will find that some of the most valuable insights come during the Question & Answer session at the end of the panel.

Please feel free to tweet me, send me an e-mail, or leave a comment if you have questions about how you can embrace your post-academic or alternative-academic life.