LEVERAGING YOUR GEOSCIENCES DEGREE FOR THE NON-ACADEMIC ACADEMIC JOB SUPPORTING AND RECRUITING STUDENTS

Geosciences students often approach the culmination of their degrees without realizing that many job opportunities exist within the academy that are non-traditional academic roles. Whereas attaining the role of a tenure-track professor is the goal of many students, many others aspire to remain in the academy without the pressure of a traditional professorship. The academic roles available for those with master’s and doctorate degrees extend beyond research assistants and technical staff and offer fulfilling opportunities to apply the skills learned while pursing geosciences degrees. These academic roles are designed for supporting students and departments and others are public-facing positions intended to work with local communities and stakeholders. Here, I discuss about the roles available in academic settings that are designed with students and departments in mind. I offer insights from my position as a combined recruitment, outreach, diversity, equity, and inclusion coordinator in a geosciences department at a major R1 university located in a large metropolitan area with a diverse demographic. In my role, I work with local K-12 schools and community colleges with students from underrepresented backgrounds in the geosciences and provide guidance/mentorship for students with diverse backgrounds in my department. As such, I also outline best practices for supporting students from marginalized and underrepresented backgrounds with the aim of increasing the diversity of the geoscience workforce through a non-traditional academic role.