The ivory tower isn't for everyone. Whatever your reasons for leaving the tenure track or your PhD program (or just pondering it), you need support, dignity, perspective, a little self-knowledge, and a new network of contacts. That's where this group comes in.

Doctorates without Borders holds two types of Meetups. Once a month, we meet for an Out-of-Academia Workshop, which features a self-assessment exercise and an opportunity to discuss the ins and outs of moving into non-academic employment.  Discussion runs the gamut from the nuts-and-bolts of translating academic skills and experience to nonacademic careers, to the more difficult project of figuring out what you actually want. Nor are we necessarily opposed to the academic world itself: some participants have left reassured that the professor track is in fact the right path for them.  This is simply a safe space to air doubts and explore other possibilities as well as swap contacts and information. Bring resumes, cover letters, and  ambivalence!

The second type of Meetup is our Speaker Series.  Each month or thereabouts, Doctorates without Borders invites a former PhD or ABD to discuss his or her successful transition into a nonacademic career. Again, the discussion may range from the technicalities of other fields and interview practices to the emotional and psychological work involved in leaving behind past professional identities, achievements, mentors, and colleagues.  Some of the speakers will address the search for creative outlets outside the academy; others will focus on the more prosaic problem of finding a steady paycheck.

(Note to prospective members, particularly those who have not yet "outed" themselves to advisors and colleagues as academic leavers: This group is private, which means that Google will not "crawl" its pages. For an extra level of privacy, join under a pseudonym.)

Disclaimer: Doctorates without Borders is not in any way associated

with Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders.