Beyond the Ivory Tower: Non-Academic Career Paths for Cognitive Scientists
- Vanessa Simmering, ACTNext, ACT, Inc, Iowa City, Iowa, United States
- Carissa Shafto, Brightfield Strategies, LLC, New York, New York, United States
AbstractCognitive science research has far-reaching implications, but many graduate students are trained with only an academic career in mind. Academic training develops a wide range of skills in service of behavioral research, literature reviewing, data analysis, scientific publishing, grant writing, teaching, and student mentorship. These skills also have direct application in non-academic positions, but training within academia typically neglects to address how these skills translate to other work environments and career paths. As growth in the number of doctoral trainees continues to outpace permanent academic positions (Kolata, 2016; Larson, Ghaffarzadegan, & Xue, 2013; Lederman, 2016), more doctoral recipients have been seeking non-academic employment (National Science Board, 2018). Doctoral students and recipients who are interested in exploring non-academic employment options may not know where to turn for guidance. Our goal in this professional development workshop is to offer such guidance and an opportunity to network with scholars in similar situations.