What Is Alt-Ac?
A Note on Terms—This collection of Spectra features primarily uses the term “Alt-Ac” when referring to non-teaching and research careers for Ph.D.s, either on campus or beyond the academy. NCA recognizes that some readers may find this term to be problematic because “alternative” may be read as “less than” a “traditional” tenure-track position. Yet, these careers may be the first choice for many getting their Ph.D.s today or in the future. In the spirit of broadening the conversation about both terms and careers, we invite readers to consider not only what these careers offer Ph.D.s, but how the Communication discipline might talk about them. Communication scholars and practitioners might use the term “career diversity” to describe careers outside of the academy or within university administration, as some other scholarly societies do. Alternatively, other disciplines refer to “broadening” career options for Ph.D.s. Karen Kelsky, author of The Professor is In, suggests that “RealAc” may be the most appropriate term to describe “non-academic” jobs, because careers outside of the academy are becoming the norm in many disciplines. Regardless of the term used, we hope that this collection of Spectra begins a vital conversation about the societal contributions that Ph.D.s can make in a variety of settings.
Features
The One Reason to Pursue an Alt-Ac Career
There is really only one reason you should pursue an Alt-Ac career: Because it is what you want to do. I do not consider my work to be an alternative to anything. It is just what I do. If someone refers to my work as an alternative to their work, I want to acknowledge that. I may be willing to use...
Reflections on Alt-Ac Careers
Nine years ago, I sat in front of a laptop in a cold, stale, tiny room no bigger than the average bathroom, finishing up my comprehensive exams for graduate school. While I should have given a breath of relief or a celebratory dance, I instead met this moment with a cascade of tears that signaled...
Entering the Academy after a Career in Industry
There are still moments when I wake up in the middle of the night because I cannot stop thinking about the bureaucracy, the politics, the things people argue about, and, most of all, the time it takes to accomplish things in academia. Don’t get me wrong – I love being part of higher education. I...
Preparing for an Alt-Ac Career on Campus
We have always been eager to talk with people about the “authentic higher education job market.” We used to talk with people as they came to grips with losing some imagined faculty life of musing over books and sharing their passion with eager students. Attaining tenured positions has not been the...
Field Notes
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Spectra, NCA's online magazine, features articles on topics that are relevant to Communication scholars, teachers, and practitioners. Spectra is one means through which NCA works toward accomplishing its mission of advancing Communication as the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry.