Alt-Ac or Out-Ac

One of the biggest decisions to make after you decide to leave the academy is to figure out if you want an "Alt-Ac" or "Out-Ac" position. Alt-Ac is alternative academic (there will be a bunch of posts about this from Dr. Lease) and are usually academic adjacent. This includes things like curriculum development or instructional design. Roles like this can be found in universities, and function more on the administration and staff side rather than tenure track.

"Out-Ac" are a different animal entirely. These are roles completely divorced from the academy and are largely in the corporate or non-profit sector. They may have totally different cultures, mores, and work systems than you may be used to from the academy. These may also have stricter, or more  rigid rules around appearance, and gender conformity. Or they may not. It all depends on the culture of each corporation. So if you are considering an "Out-Ac" position, these are all things that you will have to take into serious consideration. As always, do your research. Out-Ac jobs also require you to change the way you represent yourself on paper. See the Resources page for more on that.

Deciding which arena you want to enter is a big decision.  I'm providing ya'll with the "pro" list I made for each. We'll discuss the con's list in another post.

Alt-AC Pros
-you'd be working with a familiar university system
-you may have already begun networking with people through conferences or your current department
-Alt-Ac jobs often understand how your skills transfer into work off the tenure track
-Document to use to apply:  CV/Resume hybrid

Out-Ac Pros
-often better financial compensation
-removed from academic culture
-flexibility in terms of location. (you can move to where ever you want rather than being bound to college towns
-Document to use to apply: Resume

These are all things to think about while you plan you "out".