It is widely accepted that the academic job market is very limited and unlikely to expand any time soon, yet enrolments in PhDs continue to rise. If the PhD is no longer preparation for academia, where do these graduates go on completing their degrees? This study of Australian PhD graduates in Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) explores motivations to undertake a research degree, their experiences of academia, and their current employment. These personalised narratives reveal the impact and value of doctoral education on the employment trajectories of HASS PhD graduates in non-academic careers. These stories uncover both the ‘cruel optimism’ and positive employment outcomes experienced by HASS doctorate holders. It is argued that commencing PhD candidates should be encouraged from the outset to seriously consider their doctorate as preparation for careers beyond academia; rather than being ‘failed academics,’ these graduates succeed as high-level knowledge workers.

中文翻译：

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在学术界内外推动HASS博士毕业生的动机和职业轨迹的故事

人们普遍认为，学术工作市场非常有限，短期内不可能扩大，但博士学位的入学人数仍在继续增长。如果博士不再为学术做好准备，这些毕业生将在哪里继续完成学位？这项对澳大利亚人文，艺术和社会科学（HASS）博士研究生的研究探索了获得研究学位的动机，他们的学术经验和当前的工作。这些个性化的叙述揭示了博士教育对非学术职业中HASS博士毕业生的就业轨迹的影响和价值。这些故事揭示了HASS博士学位持有者所经历的“残酷乐观”和积极的就业成果。有人认为，应从一开始就鼓励应聘博士生认真考虑其博士学位，为学术界以外的职业做准备；这些毕业生不是“失败的学者”，而是作为高级知识工作者而成功。