The Professor Is In

The definitive career guide for grad students, adjuncts, post-docs, and anyone else eager to get tenure or turn their Ph.D. into their ideal job

“If you want unvarnished straight talk about the academic job market—and how to navigate it—then heed Karen Kelsky, and heed her now.”—Rebecca Schuman, education columnist for Slate

Each year thousands of students earn their Ph.D.’s, but only a small percentage land a job. For every tenured professor or well-paid former academic, there are countless underpaid and overworked adjuncts, and many who simply give up in frustration.

Karen Kelsky has made it her mission to help readers solve the mystery of the academic job market. As a former tenured professor and department head, and the creator of the popular and widely respected advice site TheProfessorIsIn, she has helped thousands land their dream careers. With The Professor Is In, Dr. Kelsky has poured all her best advice into a guide that addresses the most important issues facing any Ph.D., including:

• When, where, and what to publish
• Writing a foolproof grant application
• Cultivating references and crafting the perfect CV
• Acing the job talk and campus interview
• Avoiding the adjunct trap
• Making the leap to nonacademic work, when the time is right

The Professor Is In addresses all of these issues—and more.