XP: Help me think of a new career for my H!

[Deleted]

Also posted on MM, but thought that some CEP frequenters might also have valuable input.

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.

Aaaaaand GO.

[Deleted]

Consulting. Someplace like Accenture might have a use for him.
Politics. It is campaign season.
Policy. I have a friend that works for a labor union researching and writing on policy issues.

[y4m]

Any chance you're married to a Republican? DH needs a guy with exactly this skillset through the election and possibly beyond. H keeps trying to recruit me to do it, but that's the worst idea ever.

[Deleted]

My husband? A Republican? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Last year, he purposely wore red on Labor Day. You know, in solidarity with the workers. Scott Walker made my life hell when he was county executive, and he's been making the mister's life hell now that he's governor - because, you know, who needs funding for universities or decent pay for professors? I think I'd be served with divorce papers if I suggested he work for a Republican. LOL.

[IIOY]

My H has already given up on academia, so yours cannot. Who is going to get me those fabulous stories of student idiocy? WON'T HE EVEN THINK ABOUT ME?

[5thofjuly]

Think tank/policy, corporate training, or, if he's willing, teaching his subject matter at a ritzy private high school.

My friends who've decided against academia work as statisticians (technically Researcher II or III positions) at a major hospital that does clinical trials, the state dept. or ed., and USAID respectively.

[fernane]

Would he be interested in grant writing?

[Deleted]

May 23, 2012 7:40:07 GMT -5 IIOY said:

My H has already given up on academia, so yours cannot. Who is going to get me those fabulous stories of student idiocy? WON'T HE EVEN THINK ABOUT ME?

I've got your back IIOY.

[ESF]

It sounds like he's got a very useful skill set.

One area that could be a good fit would be monitoring, evaluation, and impact assessment. Like the people at foundations who make sure their grant money is being well spent and the grant recipient is actually achieving results. Typically large grant makers employ these people, as do larger nonprofits. Smaller nonprofits tend to use outside consultants.

[Deleted]

May 23, 2012 9:45:40 GMT -5 chilerellanos said:

There's always law school!

FUCK NO!

We went out to dinner with another couple last night, both lawyers. dr.h said he should have gone to law school, and all three of us looked and him and said, "No, no you shouldn't have."

That's a good idea, ESF! I will add big foundations to the list

Poor guy is just so discouraged over what has been going down at work that I think he's losing sight of how awesome he is.

[y4m]

May 23, 2012 9:44:24 GMT -5 ESF said:

It sounds like he's got a very useful skill set.

One area that could be a good fit would be monitoring, evaluation, and impact assessment. Like the people at foundations who make sure their grant money is being well spent and the grant recipient is actually achieving results. Typically large grant makers employ these people, as do larger nonprofits. Smaller nonprofits tend to use outside consultants.

I think Insom is doing something along this line now. She'd be a good person to talk to about it.

[Deleted]

May 23, 2012 7:32:36 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

My husband? A Republican? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Last year, he purposely wore red on Labor Day. You know, in solidarity with the workers. Scott Walker made my life hell when he was county executive, and he's been making the mister's life hell now that he's governor - because, you know, who needs funding for universities or decent pay for professors? I think I'd be served with divorce papers if I suggested he work for a Republican. LOL.

He should think of it as infiltrating the enemy camp ;D

[emilyj]

May 23, 2012 7:40:07 GMT -5 IIOY said:

My H has already given up on academia, so yours cannot. Who is going to get me those fabulous stories of student idiocy? WON'T HE EVEN THINK ABOUT ME?

I may or may not have a side Tumblr (that I really need to get better about updating) that is devoted to student idiocy. I'm happy to share.

AngryHarpy, I'm not sure what area of academia he's in, but I have pretty much all of those same skills - not Stata, all of my stuff is done in SPSS. I'm a media/comm person, so if I ever left academia, I'd go over to the industry research side of things - Pew Internet Research and Neilsen would be the most obvious, but there's also Arbitron, Poynter and a ton of media research groups. Are there similar things in his field that he could look at?

[bigt1]

It might not be as mentally challenging, but if he could learn how to program/set-up and operate a Lathe of CMM I could have a job for him tomorrow. We can't find people who can do it.

[Deleted]

May 23, 2012 10:26:57 GMT -5 bigt1 said:

It might not be as mentally challenging, but if he could learn how to program/set-up and operate a Lathe of CMM I could have a job for him tomorrow. We can't find people who can do it.

Could we live with you? I could be your dog nanny. Not so much your baby nanny, though.

[bigt1]

May 23, 2012 10:30:15 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

May 23, 2012 10:26:57 GMT -5 bigt1 said:

It might not be as mentally challenging, but if he could learn how to program/set-up and operate a Lathe of CMM I could have a job for him tomorrow. We can't find people who can do it.

Could we live with you? I could be your dog nanny. Not so much your baby nanny, though.

As long as you don't mind that your cats likely would not survive, sure. We don't have humidity or thunderstorms and it doesn't snow in the winter; what's not to love

[Deleted]

Why would the cats not survive? You actually think the dogs will hurt them? Despite his girth, Fatty is quite adept at hiding. And Velociraptor will protect them both. He is the fiercest 13 pounds you ever did meet.

[pescalita]

I think both of your skill sets would do well in DC. (Well, Silicon Valley also, but if I'm not being selfish, DC)

[bigt1]

May 23, 2012 10:45:53 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Why would the cats not survive? You actually think the dogs will hurt them? Despite his girth, Fatty is quite adept at hiding. And Velociraptor will protect them both. He is the fiercest 13 pounds you ever did meet.

Oh yes, for example, Ronny (the bigger one) jumped through a rose bush teeth first to get at a cat, fortunately for the cat he ran out of leash before he got to it.

Both are very much hunter killers, The local cat/rodent/bird population know to keep out of the yard cause they don't know when a dog will come flying out the back door.