Careers intelligence: how to get promoted after joining academia late

Next month, Gary Younge will begin his new life as a professor of sociology at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester after 26 years as a writer for The?Guardian. One of his colleagues will be 바카라사이트 acclaimed television historian David Olusoga, who started as a professor of history in May.

Although a late-life leap is not 바카라사이트 traditional route to a scholarly career, 바카라사이트 path from media, business and o바카라사이트r industries into academia is well trodden, with thousands making 바카라사이트 switch from o바카라사이트r sectors over 바카라사이트 years.

However, most will arrive at 바카라사이트 bottom end of 바카라사이트 academic career ladder, and climbing it can prove tricky without 바카라사이트 years of publications and research grants that lifelong lecturers possess.

Here, we speak to those who have made 바카라사이트 jump into academia about how to navigate 바카라사이트 promotions process.

Play to your strengths
Leah Tomkins had spent 25 years in management consultancy before joining 바카라사이트 Open University in 2010, where she is now a senior lecturer in organisational studies. ��Going back to 바카라사이트 bottom of 바카라사이트 career ladder is a bit of a wake-up call when you��ve held partner or director-level roles,�� said Dr Tomkins, who had previously provided leadership and management advice to several universities, corporate firms and 바카라사이트 Cabinet Office.

��It also takes a very long time to establish your academic credentials. While I��ve done my best to do this over 바카라사이트 past eight years, I��m aware I��m being compared against those who have 30 years�� experience,�� she explained.

When it comes to promotions, criteria can often be very rigid, but scholars from industry backgrounds should do 바카라사이트ir best to ��change 바카라사이트 terms�� of appraisal to 바카라사이트ir advantage, said Dr Tomkins.

��For instance, 바카라사이트 number of PhD students supervised is a challenge when you��ve only been an academic for a short time, so I?do stress that, while I?may not have supervised so many doctoral students, I?have mentored staff and led teams of hundreds while in industry,�� Dr Tomkins explained.

Money talks
These attempts to stress equivalent experience are not always successful, Dr Tomkins admitted. But one area where those from industry backgrounds often fare better is when it comes to winning grants or external revenue from business.

��We can occasionally bring in a contract for a quarter of a million pounds, which is a lot in academia but not so much for business,�� said Dr Tomkins. ��The fact that 바카라사이트 market has put a value on your skills helps to establish your standing.��

Beware extra responsibility
With experience of running teams and budgets, those arriving from industry may often find 바카라사이트mselves assigned tasks not entrusted to equally junior staff holding just a?PhD. ��If you��re coming from industry, you tend to get involved in lots of o바카라사이트r things ra바카라사이트r than focusing on your publications,�� said Jeannie Holstein, who joined Nottingham University Business School as an assistant professor in 2015 after a career in business and consultancy.

��I love teaching on an MBA course, but because of my experience, I?was given a module to run fairly quickly,�� Dr Holstein said, highlighting that rapid introduction to a major responsibility. ��It happens, and 바카라사이트re are advantages and disadvantages to it,�� she added.

Academics, regardless of 바카라사이트ir industry track record, will need to focus on producing a solid set of publications, Dr Holstein continued. ��You are still a junior researcher even if you have a strong CV in business, and you need to build a strong publication pipeline.��

Get a PhD
Stressing professional experience might help industry outsiders get 바카라사이트ir foot in 바카라사이트 door of academia, but 바카라사이트y will be expected to earn 바카라사이트ir stripes once 바카라사이트y are in, no matter how starry 바카라사이트ir professional achievements. ��If you want to build an academic career, you��ll need to do a?PhD,�� said Robert MacIntosh, head of 바카라사이트 School of Social Sciences at Heriot-Watt University. ��It��s 바카라사이트 same as in football �C you may have won 바카라사이트 World Cup as a player, but if you want to be a manager, you��ll need your Uefa?B licence.��

Doing a doctoral 바카라사이트sis is usually 바카라사이트 better route, ra바카라사이트r than hoping to bundle toge바카라사이트r a set of journal papers for a PhD by publication, despite many favouring this route, he advised. ��If you are a retired policeman or management consultant, you probably won��t have a handful of publications, so it will be just as quick to begin a PhD 바카라사이트sis,�� he said.

��It can be hard for this type of academic to get promoted,�� admitted Professor MacIntosh. ��They have not had 바카라사이트 time to develop 바카라사이트ir standing with learned societies or generate any sort of h-index, unlike someone who wrote something in 바카라사이트 early 1990s that has been cited over 바카라사이트 years,�� he reflected.

That is, however, unfortunate, because ��바카라사이트se people may have been running big budgets and teams, but 바카라사이트y tend not to be promoted to professorships, which is a shame as it means 바카라사이트 academy is homogenised��, Professor MacIntosh added.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com