Talk to me about careers with NGOs, think tanks, advisory bodies...

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

I have a Ph.D in Biological Sciences, several years of postdoctoral experience, numerous peer-reviewed publications, mostly in microbiology, as well as four years of teaching experience at the university level. I am a recognized expert in electron microscopy and microanalysis, and also the evolution of microbes. I have PI experience --managed a $500K for two years. I am known for excellent speaking skills and am a fanatic about the quality of my work, my images, and the lectures I give to my students.

Over the years, I have applied for a few tenure track positions at various universities without any luck, but I am honestly not all that thrilled with that career path. I am currently lecturing at one university (contrary to what you may have heard about adjuncts, I like the institution and am doing pretty well because we have a UNION). I am also a research associate/consultant at another university. I also have a hell of a lot of freedom, I see my boss once a year, and I have no co-workers to deal with. No one tells me how to do my job. And I have summers and the month of December off (three weeks in Ireland this last summer). Generally, I like my students a great deal. Most of these poor millenials know that their prospects with a mere B.S. or B.A. are slim without a rich daddy to pull strings for them, that their student debt will make their lives hell down the line, and that everything is rigged (and don't let mustachianism blind you to those facts).

In any case, I am really becoming interested in policy and having some broader effect in life than education, writing peer-reviewed papers that very few people will actually read (sad fact, but does not minimize the importance of basic (non-applied) research). I was close to getting a job as a program manager with NSF (so I was told), but then the position was canceled.

I read in the news constantly about all these different NGOs, think tanks, non-profits, etc. It is amazing how numerous these are--they must have some career openings--or is it only something for those who have connections/cronies? Some of the people I have dealt with in these positions have been breathtakingly ignorant of the most basic facts, and I am told that people are "ordained" from the beginning for these positions based on I don't know what (rich daddy, connections, mob ties?).

I have no connections aside from the absolutely brilliant faculty who have kindly served as mentors to me over the years. Any thoughts? Do these jobs go to people with management degrees and very scant knowledge of science? I am not even sure where to look. I never see these types of jobs showing up on the usual sites?

 

[farfromfire]

My only useful suggestion is to expand your LinkedIn (ugh) and IRL network to include people with similar backgrounds that work in industry. If you don't have friends like this, make 'em! Do you still attend any conferences? I'm only at the beginning of my career in a different scientific field, but conferences are full of potential employers and connections.

[Mod Edit: Removed discussion about rude posts that were removed, and joke about OP's avatar that caused confusion.]

[SecondBreakfast]

For what it's worth, I don't understand why people are jumping all over you. [Mod Edit: Removed comment about rude posts that were removed.]

But yeah, that kind of QANGO is a socialite position. Good for people who're good at lobbying and have fat rolodexes. Depending on your politics they exist either to smooth the communication bumps and ensure smart policy decisions are made with the right consultation OR to create a lot of well paid nothing positions for rich children. Probably both are true. But it can be a pretty mercenary career. I have a friend who was all geared up to go down that path, smart guy, decent internships and contacts, knew how to talk the talk, but then the political party he was working with got wiped out overnight one cycle. The money stopped and his career was over just as it was getting off the ground.

You might think a science position would be less likely to suffer to partisan politics but the hate you're receiving just in this thread for being a scientist puts the lie to that.

[maizefolk]

Yup, word of mouth and network referrals are the road to grant support in the NGO world, and I would guess those are the same avenues to pursue if you want employment there. It is very different from the public sector (state and federal gov) where every position or RFP is widely advertised and grants/applicants have to be assessed and scored based on predefined criteria.

For whatever reason your post made me think of this article from several days ago.

Social scientists have found that when aspiring intellectuals face highly restricted employment opportunities, they often take refuge in extreme politics. In a 1996 study, the sociologist Jerome Karabel sought to identify the circumstances under which intellectuals, from would-be academics to writers and artists, embrace or rebel against the status quo. “Especially conducive to the growth of political radicalism,” he wrote, “are societies in which the higher levels of the educational system produce far more graduates than can be absorbed by the marketplace.”

Frustrated that their long investments in education and cultural cultivation haven’t paid off, intellectuals in such societies train their anger — and ideas — at the economic and political systems (and social groups) they hold responsible.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/30/opinion/sunday/adjunct-professors-politics.html

As others have said, inserting politics into this sort of post is pretty much guaranteed to alienate half your potential audience whatever the politics are. Opening with a preamble about the strength of your CV, and talking about mere BAs and BSs is going to alienate a lot of the rest.

[arebelspy]

Mod Note: Cleaned up this thread with a bunch of back and forth rude posts.

If you don't want to read the OP because it's too long, don't. And don't comment.

Being rude about it, and then increasing the rudeness when OP says a similar thing is unhelpful. And, FYI, trying to figure out who someone is IRL and posting about it is creepy.

Please read the forum rules.

Back to your normal commenting.  :)

[HawkeyeNFO]

I have worked with several think tanks related to the aerospace industry, and the bottom line is that you are a consultant.

That means you need to be someone that people WANT to work with.  Nobody cares about your union unless you are applying to be a union steward or other official.  And avoid talking down to "poor millenials" as these are people now in the work force.  Employers want to know what you can offer their organization.  Your expertise may get you in the door, but the bottom line is business development.  On a continual and repeat basis.  Whether the system is rigged or not.  Think tanks are not academia.  If the boss at a think tank gets a phone call from their government client who says "Dr. Bigwig is smart but we can't tolerate sitting in meetings with him," then Dr. Bigwig gets fired.  It happens and it happens quickly.  And that's how you develop a reputation that you don't want.

Academia offers protections to people who are opinionated and vocal about their politics, but don't expect that in a scientific community think tank. 

[mozar]

Sounds like you have enough going for you that you can start your own think tank.

[tyrannostache]

For starters, it sounds like you need to spend more time really nailing down what kind of work you want to do. Do you want to continue doing research, or are you interested in more of a program- or policy-related role? Start by identifying some of the kinds of work you want to do, then set up informational interviews with people who are in those roles. That should give you some ideas and leads; it might even generate some part-time work that could help you get your foot in the door. As with anything, it's about the hustle and the network. You're not likely to get a way in to the kind of position you want just by trawling ads on Indeed.

FWIW, I'm a PhD working for a nonprofit, married to a PhD who is trying to transition from postdocs into a nonprofit. I think we exemplify 2 different ways in:
--I took a job that required just a BA. I already had connections with the org. from previous part-time/temp work. For me, it has been a great decision, and I'm working my way into more advanced roles.
--My spouse is working as a consultant while trying to get hired by another NGO. Openings are few and far between. He's applying for everything, doing contract work on projects related to his field, and patiently building connections.

I'll second Hawkeye--you really have to show an organization that you understand their mission and can contribute to the work they need done.

One of the biggest hurdles to leaving academia for the NGO world is being able to show transferable skills. Very few NGOs are interested in the kind of "advance the state of the field" science that you have likely been pursuing over the course of your career so far. For NGOs, it's almost all about applied science and management. PhDs sometimes assume that they should be able to jump right in to high-level positions, and they are often unaware of their experience gaps. You might have to revise your expectations about where you can start.

And a word on mindset. For better or for worse, academia trains us to poke holes in new ideas and approaches when others present them to us (hi reviewer 2, thanks for eviscerating the manuscript). Arguably, this is good for developing sound science, but it can be a barrier on the outside. It can come across as condescending and counterproductive. You seem to be denigrating management, but that stuff matters. When it comes to advancing policy or projects on the ground, fundraising, communications, and management are important. PhDs who have spend their careers in the academy sometimes don't get that. For example, an acquaintance leaving academia recently started an initiative to fund something related to his research. When a big interest group didn't jump at the chance immediately, he berated them on social media. That's, like, fundraising Don't #1. So try to keep an open mind. Some of those folks who seem to have "scant knowledge of science" might have other skills that make them really valuable. In my experience in the NGO world, scientific knowledge doesn't matter much if you can't use it to get things done.


As far as think tanks, I've got no clue. I can only assume that getting hired by one requires a certain level of family connections or a MacArthur fellowship.

[tyrannostache]

Posted to follow.

My PhD is going to be policy aligned and I'd like to end up at an NGO think tank or in government, but there is a place for me in industry as well. Doing research in academia in my field would be ideal, but difficult to break into even with an impressive CV.

And edward, if you want to end up at a NGO or in gov't when you're done with grad school, put yourself on that trajectory while you're in grad school. Apply for applied fellowships, internships, etc. It's not much easier to break into the kind of job you're talking about than it is to break into academic research.

[maizefolk]

And a word on mindset. For better or for worse, academia trains us to poke holes in new ideas and approaches when others present them to us (hi reviewer 2, thanks for eviscerating the manuscript). Arguably, this is good for developing sound science, but it can be a barrier on the outside. It can come across as condescending and counterproductive. You seem to be denigrating management, but that stuff matters. When it comes to advancing policy or projects on the ground, fundraising, communications, and management are important. PhDs who have spend their careers in the academy sometimes don't get that.

That's a good point. Even within science/academia, getting good at figuring out when to be in reviewer mode and when to be a little more politically conscious is a big help in things like working on interdisciplinary collaborative teams.

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

Thanks folks. Some interesting thoughts and good advice here! I tend to shoot my mouth off in forums at times (e.g., political views), but am much more circumspect in real life. Of course, It think this is true for many of us!

And, I wasn't denigrating mere B.A. and B.S. degrees. I was only saying that these degrees are hardly the (almost) guarantee they once were  for obtaining a decent job. Depends greatly on major and institution of course. I have known brilliant, creative people with no college at all, and complete fools with many letters behind their names.

[rockeTree]

You should try for the AAAS  science policy fellowships. Apps due soon, will get you government experience, references, and connections and offer lots of free training on presenting your skills to the market you are talking about, networking, and otherwise being employable outside academe. Pay’s ok, starts at a year but is often extended to two.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk