Considering a Psychology Career in Academia?

Graduate students in school, clinical, counseling, and industrial/organizational psychology are different from graduate students in other branches of psychology. After earning their Ph.D. graduate students in the other branches are expected to be researchers and teachers in an academic setting. Students in the four areas of professional psychology usually are preparing for a career in applied psychology. They will work in independent or private practice, school, business, medical, institutional, and other settings where they apply and implement their knowledge of psychology. Yet between 10% and 30% of graduates in the four professional areas go on to be trainers, researchers, and educators in an academic setting. Is this still a viable and desirable option?

Academia is becoming an increasingly challenging work environment. Available research funding has been reduced. Already low salaries have not kept up with inflation. Administrative decision-making has become increasingly top-heavy. Tenure has come under attack. Sabbatical leave is not automatic. Pensions plans have been threatened. Long-time problems of racism and sexism are seemingly intractable. Administrative support has been reduced. Library resources are reduced. The role of science in society has been doubted. Academia has become a less attractive profession for many.

On social media, the problems of academia are amplified. The outrage machine of Twitter presents complaint after complaint. Influential professors with tenure are leaving academia for high-paying industry jobs. Many post-docs and recent graduates complain that they cannot find tenure-track appointments. The effects of academia on family life, mental health, and physical health are constant drumbeats on Facebook and Twitter. There are stories of hostile colleagues, entitled students, impossible administrative demands, and culture of impossible work hours. I am surprised anyone who is a regular on social media thinks academia is a viable employment option.

Academia is different for school, clinical, counseling, and I/O psychologists. There are few non-academic career opportunities that are directly related to most fields of study. The situation is similar in experimental, social, developmental, cognitive neuroscience, and other areas of psychology. For graduates in the four professional areas of psychology, a career outside academia is the norm. And those careers typically are stable and pay well. Why would anyone in these professions consider academia as a career?

Professional Psychology in Academia

The nature of academia is slightly different for professional programs than in traditional academia. There is still a need to teach, publish, gain grants, supervise students, and contribute to the administration of the university. Yet, while most academics train and supervise the next generation of professors; professional psychologists develop and promote the next generation of clinicians, model professional and ethical behaviors, teach specific clinical skills, and supervise and support professional practice.

Academia is not monolithic. There are training programs housed in universities that focus on community service rather than publication and grant writing. There are PsyD and related programs that focus solely on training psychologists. There are professional psychology schools with a large percentage of part-time faculty, who have full-time jobs as clinicians. Not every academic job is a publish-or-perish post.

There is a professional need for researchers and the training of the next generation of professionals. As evidence-based practices are becoming the norm in professional psychology, there is a need for relevant, useful, and implementation research. Moreover, social justice has heavily influenced professional practice, but there is a need to improve research in this area. Professional psychology needs the best teachers and researchers.

Is Academia the Career for You?

All career decisions are based on personal, financial, and professional concerns. Every person and every environment are different. Know the specific facts of each academic position and then look for the best possible match to your needs.

The personal factor is simply what you value. Training the next generation of professionals is an exciting opportunity. The brilliance of new students, new energy, and new ideas is continuously exciting and challenging. There is flexibility in time and work hours that is valuable when raising a family. But moving across the country to find academic jobs is both common and disruptive to families. Conducting research and engaging in scholarship in whichever areas are of interest to you is another factor. Academic freedom is a large advantage of scholarly life. There are social status and opportunities to be influential as a university professor. Whether we think about it or not, this can be important to many. Although your primary work is in professional psychology, you will be working with scholars from many fields. Learning and novelty are continuous.

Financial issues are essential to consider, especially for those carrying large student loan debt. I have found that many psychologists do not think about money when making career decisions. There is a range of salaries in academia. Smaller and more teaching-oriented universities tend to pay less than research-intensive universities.

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Many professionals earn significant extra income from side projects. Typically, university professors are allowed one day per week of consultation, and many are on 9-month contracts that make summer free to pursue other projects (though most people use this time for writing and research). Professional psychologists can have a private practice. I/O psychologists often have lucrative consulting contracts in industry. There are also opportunities for income from royalties, workshops, and patents. Although the base income may be lower than many professional psychology roles, there are many opportunities.

The nuts and bolts of a career are where many folks become afraid of academia. There is worry about grants or publications. Stories of misogyny and racism are common. There is the entire literary genre of dark academia, which focuses on the toxicity of academia. It would be disingenuous to deny that such things exist. These issues occur in all professions, but professors write about professional problems with far greater frequency than, let’s say, pharmacists. A career in academia can be welcoming, rewarding, satisfying, and exciting. Most universities support new professors in navigating their career paths.

Conclusions

After 16 years as a clinician, and now 16 years as an academic—I prefer the freedom and flexibility of academia. Despite the challenges in academia, it is a wonderful profession. A career as a professor is a chance to improve an entire profession and improve the quality of training and professional psychological practice for the next generation.