Not every PhD becomes a professor. Some never want to, but a growing number discover too late that there's little room in the academy for them or it's not a good fit for what they want their careers to be. They also might find that they are not prepared for a job hunt outside of the ivory tower. But religious studies scholars can shift into work outside the academy.
Join Kelly J. Baker, co-editor of the 2018 book Succeeding Outside the Academy: Career Paths beyond the Humanities, Social Sciences, and STEM (University Press of Kansas, 2018) for a discussion of the book, including the diverse career options for religious studies scholars. Panelists will also reflect on why scholars leave the academy, share their experiences on their own professional paths, and consider how we should be preparing grad students for diverse careers.
Shreena Gandhi, Michigan State University, Presiding

Panelists:
- Kelly J. Baker, Women in Higher Education
- Heidi Ippolito, University of Denver
- Sarah "Moxy" Moczygemba, University of Florida
- Hussein Rashid, Islamicate, LLC
- Mary Beth Yount, Neumann University

This session was recorded at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion in San Diego, California, on November 23.