Cassuto argues that the experience of most PhD students studying at university bears little resemblance to the teaching jobs that they will end up doing (if they’re lucky!) in the first few years after finishing the doctorate. He claims that supervisors need to be realistic with their postgrad students so that their expectations match the opportunities available in the job market. Having a PhD from a research-focused university does not mean that you will get a job with a low teaching load and good research support.

Essentially Cassuto’s message to PhDs is that most academic jobs are not like the job your supervisor does. Your expectations need to change to meet the job market. Of course, this difference between hopes and reality is not the fault of the student but of the individuals, departments and institutions who are training them for an academic career.

Most universities offer PhD students very little academic career development training. It is assumed that your skills and expectations will be honed by imitating your supervisors and colleagues. What is actually required is a professional development strand to the PhD.

One commenter on Cassuto’s article suggested inviting back former postgrad students to talk to current ones about the jobs they do now, including non-academic roles, which sounds like a great idea, but could it ever happen? This would also help to solve the problem that many graduate students feel abandoned by their alma mater once they have finished their PhD by showing that their opinions and experience are valued for years afterwards.

The most important factor to take into account is that getting promoted is not about showing you have the ability to move up a grade, it’s about showing that you are ALREADY doing work of that level. You won’t get promoted on potential, but by already being there. You might think this is rather unfair because that means you have to do work of a higher grade for an initial period without getting the financial reward for it, but this seems to be the most obvious way of achieving promotion.

You also need to let everyone in your workplace know that you are seeking a promotion, specifically your mentor and your boss.  In the end you will have to find out who makes the final decision and alert them to your intentions. Initially though, speak to your mentor or line manager about this, through an official personal development channel if possible (e.g. at an appraisal meeting).

Another bit of advice is to be patient. Altogether it took 18 months for my promotion to happen, from first indicating I’d like to be considered, to working at that level, to submitting application documents, to having that application considered by a number of individuals and committees. This will not happen over night!

And don’t think of this promotion step as your ultimate goal: see it as part of a 5 or 10 year career plan in which you can reach much further. Good Luck!

I think that to deny that universities were going through very challenging times is be like burying your head in the sand. Of course financial uncertainties in both the UK and the US mean that the career prospects of all of us are also uncertain, with the arts subjects seemingly hardest hit.

The way that universities use temporary and part time teachers as opposed to replacing permanent lecturers and professors is also a key issue, meaning that the nature of the profession is changing drastically.At the same time, getting a permanent job depends on having a solid publications record, which is difficult to achieve while doing a number of part time contracts.

But does this mean that we should no longer be advising our brightest students that academia is a possible career? Some scholars think it does. I must admit that I have a more positive view of the future of the profession than some. I realise how lucky I was to secure a permanent job a few years ago, but some universities, including my own, are still creating new positions so the situation isn’t solely one of retraction.

Instead of discouraging new academics from coming through the system altogether, we should be encouraging them to be realistic and preparing them for a period of further apprenticeship where they might have to work several jobs at once to get experience, not settling in any one place, before hopefully progressing to a more permanent position.

Many academics in permanent jobs will be part of a personal development review system, where they meet with their mentor and discuss career progress at least once a year. But ironically, those who arguably need this service most: the temporary staff who might be working three or four jobs to make ends meet, might not have access to a PDR system. So, take the initiative and give yourself your own career review!

Questions to think about include: have I done anything this year to improve my CV in terms of qualifications, experience or skills? Where are there still significant gaps in my profile? How can I go about trying to plug those gaps in 2011?

This is a challenging time in the world of universities, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared for the possibility of that dream job coming along next year. And even if it simply isn’t possible to move jobs, by improving your career profile you’ll feel as though you’re doing something productive towards a move in the future, rather than just allowing yourself to stagnate.The same is true even if you are not actively looking to move at the moment.

As lecturers these days we spend so much time thinking about the employability of our students (and rightly so) that it is easy to forget to think about our employability! So, before you put your feet up this holiday season, spend a few moments auditing your career achievements this year: you’ll probably find that you’ve done more than you think!

REF planning.

My head of department has already asked me and my colleagues to provide information on our proposed publications between now and 2012 and to highlight which pieces we think will go forward to the submission. And this is before we even know the final format of the REF (hinging on the issue of ‘impact’) or the number of publications each scholar will be required to submit.

Thinking ahead and making long term career plans can help with tasks like this. When I had written down on paper what I hoped to do in the next 2 years I was astonished at how productive I am going to be! I was also a little daunted, knowing that I will have to really push myself in order to achieve my publication goals. But at least having this aims defined allowed me to judge what is possible and what is too over ambitious.

Personal Development.

The REF is not the only reason for a scholar to indulge in career planning. If you hold a university post, no doubt you will be encouraged to take part in a staff development exercise at some point. This involves outlining your career aims for the next year in all areas of your work: research, publications, admin and teaching.  You should also have the opportunity to discuss issues such as promotion prospects as well.  It is important to go into these meetings well prepared so this is another reason to plan ahead and work out what it is you want to achieve over the coming year.