Alternative Career Research Articles

Strengths and weaknesses of PhD training to develop alternative careers. Insights from PhD holders working beyond academia

Purpose This study aims to critically assesses how Spanish PhD holders working outside academia perceive and value their past PhD training experiences within academic PhD programs, addressing the growing need for skills applicable in various sectors. Design/methodology/approach Using a retrospective interpretative design, the authors collected qualitative data from 35 PhD holders who have transitioned to non-academic careers. Through multimodal interviews, the authors gathered in-depth perceptions to understand the strengths and weaknesses of existing PhD training in relation to non-academic employability. Findings The findings highlight a significant disconnect between academic-oriented training and the practical demands of non-academic jobs, particularly in non-research roles. While PhD training was valued in research-related non-academic positions, especially in STEM fields, it was considered insufficient for those in managerial or other non-research roles unless the training included specific industry-related projects. Participants suggested a cultural shift in PhD programs towards a more balanced academic and non-academic focus, integrating societal concerns and broader competencies like effective communication and managerial skills. These changes are seen as crucial for better-preparing PhD candidates for diverse professional environments, emphasising the need for PhD programs to evolve continually in response to the changing dynamics of the labour market and societal needs. Originality/value This study contributes to the ongoing discussion about the need for PhD programs to evolve by offering a unique perspective from within the Spanish context. It underscores the necessity for educational reforms incorporating comprehensive skill training, aligning more closely with the career opportunities available to PhD graduates.

The Road Beyond Academic Pharmacy Leadership

Individuals in positions of leadership, of which there are a myriad of these positions in pharmacy education, will experience a transition from this position in most situations. This transition from a leadership position, be it voluntary or involuntary, can be challenging time. It can leave an individual wondering how to either channel their passion to new areas or recognize a new passion for future opportunities. The 2 questions this individual will need to answer is “what is next” and what is needed for them to feel valued and engaged in their future academic career or alternative career paths. The what is next challenge is not unique to pharmacy education. In reflecting on this question, the authors found examples of individuals who struggled with what is next after they left their leadership position. These individuals were 7 former presidents of the United States. As discussed in the book titled Life After Power, Seven Presidents and their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House by Jared Cohen, each of these presidents went through a unique journey of either rediscovery or self-discovery during their postpresidency years. Their stories offer important insights into answering the question what is next when an individual is considering opportunities after their leadership transition in our colleges or schools of pharmacy.

Development of a creative digital curriculum for the elderly: A participatory approach to enhance potential for alternative career opportunities in the digital era

This research aimed to develop a curriculum for empowering the elderly to create alternative careers in the digital society era through digital platforms and to study the effects of the curriculum and online educational channels on enhancing the elderly’s capabilities. Participatory Action Research (PAR) methods combined with qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed in this study. The study involved 555 participants including personnel and elderly individuals in Lampang Province that were selected by using multi-stage sampling. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data and compare the group mean by t-test. The research findings revealed that the “Creative Digital Retirees” curriculum for empowering the elderly to use digital technology, digital media literacy and utilizing digital media to create alternative careers met the effective criteria, the 80/80 efficiency criteria with E1 = 80.00 and E2 = 87.16. The effective curriculum consists of five learning units including Unit 1: Using technology media for the elderly, Unit 2: Understanding and digital literacy for the elderly, Unit 3: Creating social media for the elderly, Unit 4: Accessing, efficient use of technology and technology management for the elderly, and Unit 5: Electronic law. The elderly’s capabilities significantly improved at a significance level of 0.05. For curriculum users’ satisfaction, the result showed the highest level of satisfaction with an average score of 4.59. It is concluded that the curriculum is effective and can genuinely enhance the elderly’s learning achievements.

Exit with My Colleagues: Exploring Collaborative Career Change of Journalists to High-Tech Roles

ABSTRACT This empirical study contributes to the existing body of research on journalists leaving their profession due to challenging working conditions, inadequate compensation, and heightened levels of stress. By employing a three-fold research approach, encompassing in-depth interviews, the Walkthrough Method on messaging forums, and a descriptive survey, this paper presents novel findings on the exit process and sheds light on the collaborative aspect of journalists transitioning to high-tech alternative careers. Through interviews with current and former journalists who have successfully shifted to the high-tech industry, the study reveals the underlying motivations driving this career transition and uncovers the unexpected network of support facilitating journalists’ departure from journalism. Additionally, this research raises concerns about the potential implications of this significant exodus in the field of journalism, highlighting the need for further examination and attention to this issue.

Entrepreneurial well-being of expatriate entrepreneurs: self and world

PurposeThis paper explores the Entrepreneurial Well-Being (EWB) of expatriate entrepreneurs in China. Through the analysis of their contextualised lived experience across the entrepreneurial journey, the paper proposes a novel theorisation of EWB.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts an interpretivist approach of abductive reasoning to analyse the data from 50 in-depth interviews conducted with expatriate entrepreneurs in China. Expatriate entrepreneurs are confronted with enhanced challenges in their host country, leading to particular emotional engagement with the entrepreneurial journey.FindingsFindings show the importance of life situations, emotions and relatedness in the entrepreneurial process and the EWB of expatriate entrepreneurs. Theorising from their lived experiences, the paper presents EWB as a dynamic process. It further theorises this process as a constant, ongoing interaction and integration between the self and world, in an interplay of being and becoming. Such theorisation contributes first to advancements in the EWB literature, with a stronger emphasis on the entrepreneurial aspect. The paper also contributes to discussions on contextualised entrepreneurship by stressing the role of emotions and relatedness in the pursuit of EWB.Originality/valueEntrepreneurship is a global phenomenon, which is often presented as a suitable alternative career path for migrant and expatriate individuals. However, the importance of EWB for entrepreneurs requires further attention from policy-makers, support institutions and entrepreneurs themselves. By theorising EWB as a processual journey of being and becoming and the relation between the self and world, this paper opens avenues for innovative support policies and practices aiming at developing the full potential of individuals in entrepreneurship and promoting both the happiness index and the global index of society.

Entrepreneurial Reluctance: Talent and Firm Creation in China

Abstract This paper examines the correlation between cognitive ability and firm creation. Drawing on administrative college admissions data and firm registration records in China, we investigate who had created firms by their mid-30s. We find a clear pattern of entrepreneurial reluctance: Given the same backgrounds, individuals with higher college entrance exam scores are less likely to create firms. Through an exploration of firm performance, alternative career trajectories, and variations across regions, we propose an explanation: The ability represented by exam scores is useful across occupations, yet higher-scoring individuals are attracted to waged jobs, particularly those of the state sector.

Assessment on Maritime Students' Awareness, Perceptions and Needs in Career Planning in Tertiary Education

Although seafaring is seen as an attractive profession for prospective students in terms of having the opportunity to see different parts of the world while working and earning more money in less time compared to other professions, the harsh conditions of duties onboard sometimes overshadow this attractiveness, which may lead students to question their choices and seek different career alternatives. This study aims at assessing maritime students' knowledge, perceptions, and needs regarding career awareness and career planning at the tertiary level. The study also seeks to understand students' awareness of career-related activities and the role and responsibilities of the career centre. The research component of the study involves administering a questionnaire to 381 first-year students at a maritime-focused university. The questionnaire comprises twenty questions based on a five-point Likert scale and has been electronically distributed. The data collected has been analysed using parametric methods based on four variables: career anchor, career awareness, career centre awareness, and career planning awareness. The study has revealed that most of the students are aware of their own characteristics and the sacrifices required by their future profession, but they had not yet decided which career path to follow after graduation. The study has also revealed that students are interested in developing their skills through extracurricular activities and consider entrepreneurship as a future career option. The results suggest that career offices in maritime universities should create more opportunities to provide students with adequate information about their future careers and to enable them to make correct and realistic decisions about their career paths. The next study on this topic can focus on how to raise awareness of the functions of career officers and how to develop maritime-oriented career planning courses so that the students can make more realistic and satisfying career choices.

Breaking the mold: alternative pharmacy career options you didn't know existed

This essay explores lesser-known pharmaceutical careers, shedding light on opportunities that pharmacists might not have previously considered. This study covers a diverse range of alternative career paths in pharmacy through a comprehensive review of literature, interviews with professionals in various pharmacy-related roles, and analysis of emerging trends. It challenges traditional notions of pharmacy practice by highlighting positions in academics, entrepreneurship, medical writing, regulatory affairs, and consultancy for the pharmaceutical sector. This research aims to equip pharmacists with the knowledge and resources necessary to navigate their careers in a constantly evolving field. It will emphasize the skills, credentials, and career paths essential for success in these unconventional professions. Additionally, this article aims to inspire future generations of pharmacy professionals to pursue unorthodox career paths and make innovative contributions to the growth of pharmacy practice by highlighting the diverse contributions that pharmacists can make across various industries.

Modeling the operational and labor costs of autonomous robotaxi services

Autonomous vehicle (AV) companies are rolling out driverless taxi-type services in cities around the world, promising to enhance road safety, promote equity, and foster environmental sustainability while simultaneously threatening the jobs of current taxi and ride-hailing drivers. The potential impacts of these “robotaxi” services hinge upon not only whether AV technology becomes sufficiently performant, but also whether AV services become economically competitive. In this study, we develop ground-up cost models for a traditional taxi and a robotaxi service to compare their relative competitiveness. We draw on direct observations of commercially available robotaxi services, semi-structured interviews with AV operational and regulatory experts (N = 27), and archival documents to include the most detailed accounting of frontline robotaxi labor roles to date. We find that labor remains a significant cost for existing robotaxi services but that robotaxi operating costs are still lower than those of traditional taxi services. Ultimately, utilization rates and annual mileage will serve as the most influential factors for robotaxi competitiveness. Finally, if jobs shift from traditional taxi to robotaxi services, the total number of frontline jobs could decrease by between 57% and 76%, but the distribution of worker wages would shift higher. Transportation planners, researchers, and policymakers should continue accounting for labor costs in an AV future, as these costs will influence where AV deployment and job losses are (and are not) likely to occur, and should proactively investigate alternative career paths for potentially displaced frontline workers. Robotaxi costs are highly sensitive to lower labor ratios (i.e., fewer vehicles per worker), but firms reach economies of scale relatively quickly. Robotaxi firms should weigh marginal labor cost reductions against impacts to passengers and workers.

Technical vocational students’ higher learning institution preference and level of academic and skills preparedness

Vocational education is increasingly recognized for its role in creating gainful employment opportunities and stimulating economic growth. As such, this paper studied the higher learning institution preferences of the technical vocational students and their academic and skills readiness. Specifically, this study focused on the senior high school students enrolled in the technical and vocational livelihood track at Buruanga Vocational School and their regards on the growing importance of vocational education in job creation and national support. Utilizing a descriptive-correlational research design, this research examined the relationship between academic performance, skills preparedness, and higher learning institution preference 50 purposively selected completers as grounded on Vocational Identify Theory to understand how students perceived different career alternatives. Each student responded to self-report survey questionnaire that revealed academic preparedness and interest in various institutions. The results demonstrated a significant relationship between their readiness and preference for the institution. Additionally, the graduates indicated that their performance and literal understanding were lacking compared to their academic track. Hence, the outcomes confirmed that schools need to check their program levels and outreach and plan to offer higher-level services like the high school career guidance programs. The results provide hallmark-witted assortment preparations for strengthening undergraduates for high-level activities, thus preparing vocational schooling to attain a degree.

Crisis as opportunity: legal career paths at two historical turning points in Hong Kong

AbstractThis article investigates the career trajectories of Hong Kong solicitors during two historical turning points, specifically 1994–1997 and 2018–2021, when hundreds of lawyers left private practice to pursue alternative career options such as business and finance, government and politics, or relocation to other countries. Data are sourced from the career mobility records of law firm partners reported in 336 monthly issues of the Hong Kong Lawyer journal between 1994 and 2021, as well as other relevant archival sources. The research examines the underlying forces that led these law firm partners to abandon their high-status positions and pursue alternative career paths during these pivotal moments in Hong Kong’s history. The findings suggest that the career trajectories of these elite professionals are not solely based on individual choices but are also shaped by their social origins and the physical and social spaces that influence their careers over time. This study contributes original insights into the complex interplay between individual, spatial and temporal factors that drive career mobility among legal professionals.

Playing the sycophant card: The logic and consequences of professing loyalty to the autocrat

AbstractDespite the centrality of the loyalty–competence framework in research on authoritarian politics, scholars have only focused on material aspects of what elites do in their service to the dictator. Yet nonmaterial aspects such as sycophantically praising the autocrat in speech—a common, everyday practice under authoritarianism, have been ignored. We propose a novel theory to explain under what conditions elites “overpraise” the ruler and imitate his rhetoric, and whether they will be rewarded. We test the empirical implications through semisupervised text analysis and an original dataset of almost 1000 annual legislative addresses of Russian governors. Contrary to common assumptions that sycophancy is uniform across elites, we find that governors who are politically and economically vulnerable and without alternative career paths behave more sycophantically and show that they survive in office longer. Our results have important implications for how personality cults develop and how dictators navigate the loyalty–competence trade‐off.

Talent Management in Indonesian National Armed Force: Addressing Personnel Bottlenecks

Over the years, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) has been tasked with upholding state sovereignty and national defence. However, TNI also faces a bottleneck among its middle- and high-ranking officers, leading to excess non-job personnel. Without corresponding promotion adjustments, the current policy will affect the institution's performance and officers' careers. This study applied qualitative research by conducting interviews and gathering primary and secondary data through focused group discussion and literature review from various policy documents and reports. The findings then highlight the solutions with talent management emerging as a strategic approach. It offers a second-best policy option by promoting professionalism and modernity while addressing organisational challenges. Through this approach, we tried to propose evidence-based solutions to improve organisational performance and address personnel bottleneck issues. This study proposes a new approach to talent management strategies. It involves recruiting, developing, and retaining high-potential individuals and optimising functional positions based on expertise to offer an alternative career path. The talent management approach also aims to enhance efficiency and effectiveness within military organisations

Plastic surgery as an alternate career choice: Analysis of medical student disinterest and attrition in plastic surgery

Plastic surgery as an alternate career choice: Analysis of medical student disinterest and attrition in plastic surgery

Entrepreneurial identity as a career compass – An exploration of the career narratives of entrepreneurial education graduates

PurposeSince there are limited role models and career templates for entrepreneurship education (EE) graduates in the labour market, their careers are largely based on personal preferences, aspirations and values. Few studies have investigated how EE impacts graduates’ career aspirations. The present study addressed this gap by exploring how entrepreneurial identity (EI) manifestations act as career identities for EE graduates.Design/methodology/approachFive graduates from two EE programmes in Norway were purposefully selected based on their career histories. They were interviewed using a life story approach, and the narratives were analysed to explore how their EIs were developed and how the EIs acted as career identities.FindingsThe study findings revealed three EI manifestations that directed the participants’ careers: change agent, career seeker and maverick specialist. Additionally, the findings showed how EI is developed through EE: by connecting previous aspirations to realistic career alternatives, by being a place where individuals can experiment with provisional selves and by gaining social acceptance and affirmations for a claimed identity. Furthermore, the findings demonstrated how EI manifestations act as career identities that give direction to graduates’ careers.Originality/valueThis study has important implications regarding the broader impact of EE on graduates’ careers. Furthermore, by exploring EE graduates’ narratives, this study provides a richer and more nuanced view of how aspirations and career preferences are developed than previous studies.

Painter Leonardo da Vinci or Leonardo from Caffa in Crimea: Challenging the attribution of selected documents

This article reinterprets four documents attributed to the artist Leonardo da Vinci. These documents include a drawing considered to be a Tuscan landscape with an inscribed date of August 5, 1473, a single double-sided page with drawings, writings, and a tensioning crossbow design dated 1478, a drawing of a hanged man dated 1479, and a letter written in Turkish to the Sultan of Istanbul dated circa 1502. If the Tuscan painter created these documents, he was pursuing an alternative career as a scientist. However, the information is incomplete and inaccurate. First, the landscape does not represent Tuscany. Instead, further research indicates that it is the depiction of a fortress in Crimea that relates to significant events occurring in the Ottoman arena between 1473 and 1475. Second, biographers have failed to show evidence that the Tuscan painter had military connections, raising the issue of a non-affiliation with any militia. Third, the sketch of a hanged man focuses an unexplained attention on the victim’s Turkish style of dress. Finally, a letter sent to Istanbul around 1502 claimed Leonardo was Genoese. Taking note of these points, a cumulative reading of the evidence shows that the man who crafted these documents originated from Caffa, a Genoese colony on the Black Sea that the Ottomans captured in 1475. Although this might sound speculative, further documents discussed in the final section indicate that Florence banished the Tuscan painter Leonardo da Vinci around 1477 and that he later died in Bologna in 1499. Therefore, this Tuscan Leonardo could not have written the Notebooks, and the man who died in France in 1519 could not have been him. The research adds a deeper understanding of Turkish influences in the documents and highlights how information gathered outside Europe can better explain them. The findings urge Western art historians to expand their research and to reconsider other authors.

Best practices for recruitment in veterinary clinical trials.

A successful clinical trial requires participants, but many factors can impede effective study recruitment. To better recruit for quality veterinary clinical trials in client-owned animals that lead to improved evidence-based patient care and outcomes, there is a collective need to share and implement current best practices for recruitment strategies. These strategies should utilize a holistic view of recruitment, encompassing study design and logistics, representative participation, incentives, personnel resources, advertising, and participant retention. Although human clinical trial data and resources can provide guidance, effort also needs to be put into evaluating current practices and opportunities for process improvement that are specific to the conduct of veterinary clinical trials. Considering the power of pets as naturally occurring models of disease and as sentinels, improved conduct of veterinary clinical research has the potential to inform human health outcomes. Continued development of collaborations surrounding best practices and training opportunities in veterinary clinical research will improve the impact of veterinary clinical trials teams, while also promoting workforce development and alternate career paths for veterinary professionals.

Alternative career pathways of skilled migrants: looking for new meanings amid starting again

ABSTRACT This qualitative study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of skilled migrants’ lived experiences of alternative careers. We explore identity work and meaning-making processes of career actors for whom alternative career options often meant “beginning again”. While focusing on psychological, temporal, and contextual dimensions of alternative career transitions, our findings identify three unique alternative career pathways: provisional, experimental, and reformist; each characterized by a unique form of identity work and accompanying types of meaning-making. We find that alternative career pathways differ in terms of their temporary and at times provisional nature as well as career actors’ (in)ability to engage in the present search for meanings and purpose in alternative careers. This study advances existing literature on major career transitions and specifically migrant career trajectories inside of local organizations and through unique forms of alternative careers. We also build on the existing meaning-making literature by highlighting the career narratives of those who must search for new meanings while pursuing “less than ideal” career opportunities. Finally, our findings provide practical implications related to outcomes of alternative career opportunities on migrant career success but also more broadly for employers and policymakers.

Media plurality, independence and Talanoa: An alternative Pacific journalism education model

The shrinking mainstream media plurality in Aotearoa New Zealand provides a context for examining publication of campus-based media where student and faculty editorial staff have successfully established an independent Asia-Pacific digital and print press over the past two decades. New Zealand’s largest city Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) has the largest urban population of Pacific Islanders globally—more than 300,000 people in a total of 1.7 million (Pasifika New Zealand, n.d.), earning the moniker ‘Polynesian capital of the world’. The presenter has had a pioneering role with four university-based journalism publications in the Pacific region as key adviser/publisher in Papua New Guinea (Uni Tavur, 1993-1998); Fiji (Wansolwara, 1998-2002); and Aotearoa/New Zealand (Pacific Scoop, 2009-2015; Asia Pacific Report, 2016 onwards), and also with two journalism school-based publications in Australia (Reportage, 1996, and The Junction, 2018-2020) (Robie, 2018). In early 2021, he was co-founder of the Asia Pacific Media Network | Te Koakoa Incorporated which has emerged as a collective umbrella for academics, student journalists and independent reporters producing innovative publications, including the research journal Pacific Journalism Review and a strengthened Asia Pacific Report, which draw on a cross-disciplinary range of media contributors and scholars in other professions. These contributors are mindful of the challenges of reportage about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This article explores an independent journalism model drawing on professional outlets for Asia-Pacific students and how an investigative and storytelling model like ‘Talanoa Journalism’ can be an effective bridge to alternative media careers and addressing ‘blind spots’ in legacy news media.

Perceived university entrepreneurship support services and entrepreneurial intentions: experiences from the University of Dodoma’s graduates

Entrepreneurship plays a pivotal role in economic growth for developing countries, including Tanzania. Unfortunately, the number of entrepreneurs in Tanzania is still lagging behind other East African countries. The emergence of knowledge-based entrepreneurship programs makes universities one of the vital supply sources for creating entrepreneurs. Even though it has institutional support from the government, entrepreneurship is still not considered a promising alternative career choice. Thus, we investigated the influence of perceived university support services on building entrepreneurial intention from the perspective of the University of Dodoma’s graduates. In this cross-sectional research study, a sample size of 120 is drawn from the business graduates of the University of Dodoma who have received entrepreneurship support services using two-stage random sampling, of which females were 37.5% and males were 62.5%. The data were analysed using multiple regressions. The study found that most of the respondents do not intend to own businesses. The study further found that perceived entrepreneurship education and business development support services have a positive and significant influence on the odds of graduates becoming entrepreneurs. However, concept development support has a positive but insignificant influence on graduates’ entrepreneurial intentions. Thus, we draw a number of recommendations for the theory, future research, and practice of university entrepreneurship support services.