Finding Your Niche Inside Academia

The central mission for most universities and colleges is fostering the pursuit of educational knowledge and intellectual development.

Those closest to the heart of this mission are doctoral students who have made a commitment to intellectual inquiry by pursuing an advanced degree that typically prepares them to be professors.

"Now they're in the job-seeking mode, which means going out and selling yourself- competing for yourself, and not for a subject or a student," says Katherine Stahl, executive director of the career center at the American University.

Switching into self-selling mode may make doctoral students feel uncomfortable but Stahl believes they will be required to manage their careers as expertly as their intellectual pursuits.

Networking within the field is one of the most important areas for newcomers to academia. "Most faculty are very good at knowing who is in their sphere in other places," Stahl says.

Those who succeed at finding their niche are also adept at finding the right match between their skills and interests and those held by the institution.

"The first thing a potential new faculty should think about is what kind of mix they want in their professional fields," says Ivy Broder, Dean of Academic Affairs at American University. "Think about what type of institution is a good match."

Broder says Ph.D. candidates must decide whether their first steps after finishing their degree will be teaching or post-doctoral research, and which programs have the best mentors for their interests.

Those interested in teaching should try to get classroom experience while still completing their degrees, Broder says. The first few years of teaching is when a new professor learns how to compile a good syllabus, how to pace a course, and how to communicate ideas to different audiences.

College professors need to be organized, stimulating, fair and punctual in grading, she says. Job candidates for college level teaching positions should arrive at an interview with examples of how they use technology in the classroom, and evidence of strong teaching evaluations.

At George Washington University's political science program, professorial applicants need a Ph.D., or be close to completing one. They should expect to be examined closely about every aspect of their academic background, says Jeffrey Henig, professor and department chair of the program.

"We're looking not just for teachers, but for people who would be successful researchers," says Henig. When reviewing applicants, they see which professors worked with them as students, which journals published their articles, and if their research shows promise for future publication.

Developing a following in a field is important for mid-level professors who may want the full professor title, or even rise through the ranks to become dean or provost.

Professors who seek leadership roles in academia need to focus on being successful in their discipline by focusing on scholarship and creative work first, says Broder.

"The very first thing you need to do is become a full professor," she says. "To concentrate on being well-known in your profession is a precondition to becoming a dean."

The personal rewards of working at this level of academia are quite different than those felt as a professor. On a given day, Broder's activities may range from starting new programs, or finding new opportunities that result in positive experiences for students, faculty and staff.

"One of the more interesting things about this position is you bring together and get to work with people from many different disciplines," Broder says. "You basically have to have the kind of personality that puts the institution's goals above personal goals."

Not everyone enters academia directly from a Ph.D. program. Industry professionals seeking a career switch should look for departments that value practical experience and hire a mix of faculty drawn from academic as well as industry backgrounds, says Patricia Phalen, an assistant professor at George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs.

Phalen holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University and an MBA from Boston College. She managed broadcast research for WTTW/Channel 11 in Chicago for about five years, worked as a media planner and did a summer stint as a research analyst for the Department of Commerce.

"There is more [to the world] than experiences, and more than theory. If you don't have the two, your understanding of the world is impoverished in some way," Phalen says.

Editor's note: This article by Kathleen Brill, was acquired by washingtonpost.com on March 7, 2003.