What can you do with Sociology/Psychology/Cultural Studies/Social Anthropology post-grad qualification

[onebatmother]

Apart from pat self on back?

I am thinking of retraining but no idea about jobs. Those are the things I'm considering studying - what REAL ACTUAL JOBS might I get with a postgrad MA/PHD in them?

I mean ones that pay money. Any money. But must be money.

Thanks dearies.

Go back to Googling sausages.

I can't. 100x will use her ninja skills to hunt me down and kill me. I've just given away my postcode - how many bats can there be in E17?

I must continue the scales-falling-from-eyes mission.

I think you are wrong about the age and minicab thing (although I liked it).

Imagine how you will feel at 75 with no teeth - intellectual or otherwise - looking back at your 41 year old self. "Ach what a fool I was. 41! Just a baby! What I wouldn't give to be 41 again with a cultural studies MA ahead of me" etc

oh yes it is true [though great metaphor] I remember turning 30 and mourning my twenties. Now I long to be 30 again. not far off, obviously.

Hello.

Can I be of any assistance onebat?

Have you got a minicab with satnav, Wilf?

(It would be good if we had a life satnav, wouldn't it? We could programme in 'job satisfaction and inner peace' and it would say 'You have missed your turning. You have missed your turning. You have missed your turning. You have ...')

We were driving along the Seine just last week with Jane calmly telling us: 'Do a U turn immediately'.

DH and I had a moment (in between flapping our arms and screechily panicking) of Zen-ish 'one hand clapping' when we caught each others' eye and wondered if she was commenting on our life.

Turns out Jane was wrong in any case. I like to think it was the French map people having a laugh at our expense.

I can however offer Real World experience of academic life in those very areas.

Soc/CultSt/SocAnth I mean, not, erm, mapping and Paris. Or E17 either.

Has onebat got a job yet?

I have almost, quite genuinely and for the first time on MN, pissed myself laughing.

At the idea of onebat getting a job, ruty?

By the way, I'm sure you've explored this already and (having scanned the thread) rejected it, but there has been more 'use' of anthropological method in market-related research in the last few years. Unilever at Port Sunlight for example, hoover up graduates and PGs from the North-west - see here for example and many smaller consultancies and thinktanks use 'ethnographic methods' also.

Something that might be right up your street might be the Visual Anthropology programme at Manchester University here. But I don't know how flexible/mobile you are. Most PhD supervision can be done at a distance if you are motivated and organised, though some depts wouldn't like it.

Increasingly Masters' programmes are being offered on a 'block teaching' basis also so people can work alongside studying. I think the OU also offer postgraduate options.

In terms of earning money in academe without a full-time post, your best bet is to register for a PhD in a wealthy department and be very keen and eager and let it be known you'd like to cover teaching, marking, admin.

Unfortunately though I suspect the finances will get even tighter than they already are in universities and money for part-time tutors will be spread further.

Have we been so very dull before now ruty?

We use ethnographic methods sometimes in what we do ...

Out of all of those options, psychology is probably the easiest to find jobs in, both within and outside academia. It has (well, more than these others) got "real world applications". Also it's a boom subject, terribly popular, always expanding both at uni and school level, which means there are always vacancies for teaching it at various levels. I have a psychology phd, as do many of my friends, and none of us have much any trouble getting work afterwards, either within or outside academia.

So on practical reasons, psychology is quite a sensible option.

Trouble is, in the non-academic world, a trained anthropologist would probably have a severe hissy fit be horrified at how this kind of research is used, set up and analysed - never mind the scale of the jobs.

That Fennel, she speak the truth.

Unfortunately for us over here in the soggy social sciences, the love affair New Labour had with 'evidence-driven policy' is already coming to an end and social science is less fashionable. Having said that, there are also research jobs with sociology and social anthropology backgrounds to be had (local govt research, charity work, research agency) some of which you don't require a PhD for, but you would be best with some practical research experience or training.

Cultural Studies (and am speaking as one with a Masters' degree in it) qualifies one for nothing but being an occasional member of Wankers' Corner and being overly interested in television. Which is not to say it isn't enormously relevant, but there are few employability opps which can't be gained elsewhere.

I'd suggest a Masters with a good range of research training (quantitative, qualitative, archival/documentary) from a good London university would give you best bet of both employability and potential teaching and PhD options for the future?

And if you want to do something properly arty farty, what about gallery education/outreach? Archive work? Take a look at the AHRC awards page, find a project funded in London you like the look of, and hang around or contact main investigator to find out if they're recruiting any RAs?

boring boring boring and low paid no doubt

But would put you in that environment for a bit and give contacts etc. Could support a postgrad qual at same time (though they might well have such an internal candidate)

now look there are some jobs with a 'purpose' that one can do with a Philosophy-esque PG qual.

Oh wilf i love you! I do - no, really! I really, really do! You don't believe me! Why don't you believe me?

I quite like the look of fennel too. But doesn't what you say aoubt psychology clash with what bumper said earlier?

Wilf, I have to go out THIS MINUTE but will digest and bombard you with dull questions this very evening.

What caused Ruty's leakage I wonder?

and another one in that unit

By the way bat, if you're seriously thinking about Masters or PhD starting in September 09 you need to apply NOW if you've even a sniff of a hope of funding. Most funding agencies' deadlines are very early May... [eeek]

Any university supporting an application to fund PG stuff (if you want to do it full-time and not part-time) will want you to knock up a proposal and have referees in.

If you're funding yourself (and most people have to) the urgency is less... But don't rule out the various scholarships etc that are currently around - some of them, esp from ESRC and AHRC etc, pay what are almost normal but lowish salaries.

What did Bumper say? I've been looking back but there are a lot of posts.

This one?:

With something like psychology IME is you do a degree, then a postgrad/PhD assuming you get funding then you can do the following:
-Carry on working in academia do research, chasing funding and churning out paper

I'd say: And what's wrong with that? it can be very pleasant. I love my job.

-train for at least a further 2 years to become a charted psychologist trying the BPS website, maybe an educational psychologist

I'd say: True, if you want to do those things then don't really waste your time at this point with a PhD but go directly for that training.

-become a clinical psychologist which involves a very competitive battle to get on a DClinPsy for which would will have had to put in a few years as an assistant psychologist, posts like gold dust

I'd say: I know it's supposed to be competitive but actually, every one of my friends who has wanted to become a clinical psychologist has succeeded. From which I deduce it's not actually that impossible for someone bright and motivated. As policywonk sounds. Pay is quite good once you get there. certainly better than academic posts.

-go and do something completely unrelated and then wish you had chosen Economics or International Relations grin

I'd say: Maybe. But that happens with all courses/subjects.

I think the drawbacks of a psychology Msc or Phd are those of all PhDs in social science or philosophy or similar, they are years of underfunded slog and you can waste your youth or middle age in them and it won't make you rich. But, compared to the others, psychology is quite marketable to employers.