In this case, choosing your intellectual parents or where your intellectual parents live. An article in "Perspectives on Psychological Science" provides the results of an analysis of the of the employment of people receiving a Ph.D. in psychology. See: http://pps.sagepub.com/content/8/2/208.full
Here's the abstract: |The outcome of a graduate student's hunt for employment is |often attributed to the student's own accomplishments, the |reputation of the department, and the reputation of the university. |In 2007, a national survey of psychology graduate students |was conducted to assess accomplishments and experiences |in graduate school, part of which was an assessment of |employment after completion of the doctorate (PhD). Five |hundred and fifty-one respondents who had applied for |employment reported whether they had obtained employment |and in what capacity. Survey results were then integrated with |the National Research Council's most recent official ranking |system of academic departments. The strongest predictor of |employment was department-level rankings even while |controlling for individual accomplishments, such as publications, |posters, and teaching experience. Equally accomplished |applicants for an employment position were not equal, |apparently, if they graduated from differently ranked departments. |The results also show the degree to which school-level |rankings, department-level rankings, and individual |accomplishments uniquely predict the various types of |employment, including jobs at PhD-granting institutions, |master's-granting institutions, liberal arts colleges, 2-year |schools, outside academia, or no employment at all. Note: Emphasis added. What is not included in the abstract is what kinds of jobs the Ph.D.s got: 37% got academic jobs, 35% got non-academic jobs, and 27.6% were unemployed. That unemployment number should scare people. What's the bottom line about being able to predict what kind of employment? Quoting the article: |Which is the strongest predictor of employment: School reputation, |department reputation, or individual accomplishments? | |The answer is department reputation. Always choose your parents wisely. -Mike Palij New York University [email protected] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=24013 or send a blank email to leave-24013-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
