Session Abstract

The Professional Division is pleased to sponsor this panel as part of the “mini-conference” on alternative careers for history PhDs, to be held as part of the Annual Meeting in New Orleans.  This session features history PhDs who have gone on to careers (other than administration) outside the academy.  History PhDs possess skills that are attractive to a wide range of employers, and in some cases possess the desire and resources to start their own school, company, or consulting firm.  Participants on this panel represent a range of careers—head of a consulting firm; analyst  for eMarketer; command historian of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U. S. Northern Command; research director for a consulting firm; and educational director of a major historical museum.  Some of these individuals work at jobs that relate directly to the study of history, and some do not.  Some continue to publish historical scholarship, and others do not.  Members of the audience will be interested to hear of each panelist’s career trajectory, from graduate school to job, and to learn of a variety of strategies for finding employment outside the academy.