AltAc: Knowing Your Worth and Committing to an Industry Career

• In Event: DCS’s AltAc Series: A Panel for Job Seekers – Navigating into AltAc Careers

Abstract

Graduating students often choose their career path, and ultimately their employer, by considering several factors, including: location, salary, benefits, organizational culture, and flexibility. For some students, they also choose between employers in academic and AltAc spaces. However, for some individuals, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds or without partner or family financial support, choosing a traditional academic career, typically where base salaries are lower and increase slower, is not an option. This is incredibly problematic as departments and faculty regularly do not mentor students about how to navigate AltAc spaces and they are often de-valued as “worthy options.” This paper critically examines the reasons academia may push student-scholars into AltAc, or practicing spaces, while simultaneously not providing additional support. Implications of this issue are discussed and recommendations are presented.

Author

• Ellen Sfecla, Federal Bureau of Prisons