dr.harpy is interested in leaving academia, but he focused on going into it for so long that I think he has no idea with where to start.
I have some ideas for him, but since we have a wide variety of occupations here, this seemed like a good place to get some suggestions.
His skills include research (including knowledge of research methods), analysis/critical thinking, writing, teaching, leadership, office productivity software (he's a genius with Excel), statistical knowledge, statistical software (Stata, SPSS, R).
Bonus: He makes shit for pay right now, so unlike me, if he takes a shit-for-pay entry level job, our household income is unlikely to change.
Market Research is an obvious fit with his skillset. He could even do polling if he wants to keep it political, but the pay is crap and he'd really need to be in DC. But Market Research data skills work in any city, and if you get out of politics it can pay pretty well.
I'm definitely trying to push him toward market research and am looking for jobs for him to apply to. He's still kind of freaking out over a few things, so this is all I can really do to help.
y4m, if you have any advice/suggestions re: market research jobs, please send me a PM!
Actually the guy who runs our advanced analytics group is in your area, and he would be a great guy to talk to about the industry. I'd be happy to make an intro if he's interested.
He seems like a fit for any type of analytical job. My job title is Operations Research Analyst, but I don't do any actual OR work. I just manipulate large data sets using Excel, Access, SAS, etc. I see a lot of Fed jobs that might be a good fit. (Statistician, Operations Analyst, Logistics Analyst, Management Analyst, Business Analyst)
I work in clinical research and pretty much suggest it for anyone. Is he actually a statistician? If so, there seem to be frequent openings in my company.
What about corporate trainer? Especially for technical positions. That seems like a natural fit and probably at least decent pay.
It seems like there are a lot of jobs that I see for research people. I don't know about your area, but I've looked in Los Angeles, Chicago, and DC and have found jobs that would be good for him. For me, I look for assistant positions because that's the level I'm at, but with his education and experience, he wouldn't need to start there. I'd love to have your dh credentials right about now...guess I could do the work for it eh?
Poli sci with a focus on American, so IR-related jobs are out.
Thanks for all the suggestions. Right now, he's still just down in the dumps about the shit that's going on at work. The more I think about what he's dealing with, the more I just want him to get out. Job postings I've seen for market research easily pay 20 grand more than he's making now, and he wouldn't have to deal with state education budget cuts and cheating students.
Consulting? One of my good friends from grad school just got a job at a top business strategy firm, and they hire Ph.D.s from a lot of fields. Bonus: The pay is great!
He seems like a fit for any type of analytical job. My job title is Operations Research Analyst, but I don't do any actual OR work. I just manipulate large data sets using Excel, Access, SAS, etc. I see a lot of Fed jobs that might be a good fit. (Statistician, Operations Analyst, Logistics Analyst, Management Analyst, Business Analyst)
He could go into finance with skills like this as well. He'd probably have to start close to the bottom but the money can be really good.
Does he want to get out of teaching entirely? Or would he consider a high school job? The money isn't always bad there, especially if you end up going into administration.
I agree with chia. The skills he has now would be ideal for my agency. Those jobs can take a long time for the hiring process, but it's worth it once you are in.
With his statistics knowledge, could he go get some Six Sigma training? I know the last two companies I worked for had people on staff who were just Six Sigma Black Belts. They acted as project mentors for continuous improvement projects, and that was pretty much it.
Are you guys interested in moving? There are several jobs at my company that need that exact skill set. I can PM you more information if you are interested (I don't want to announce the name of my company here). I live in Iowa City, IA which is kind of like a smaller version of Madison.
The jobs would include research and development (among others) for a company that focuses on education and workforce assessments/tools/development/etc.
ETA: We also have a legal department and we're a great place to work!