Isolating occupational interests of academics to identify metrics of success.

Abstract

One of the main problems most of academia faces today is the classic economic problem of supply and demand, i.e. the number of PhD candidates and post-doctorates seeking permanent academic positions (supply) far exceeds the available academic positions (demand). As a result, competition has increased among aspiring graduates as they scramble to advance in academia. Other studies have examined external factors that give these graduates a competitive edge, but they fail to identify whether the candidates actually have the right interests to thrive in academia. A sample of 94 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors completed a revised version of the Holland Interest Scale (Feldman, Smart, & Ethington, 2008). This is comprised of 6 factors: Realistic (R), Investigative (I), Artistic (A), Social (S), Enterprising (E), and Conventional (C). Only graduate students and post-doctorates who intended to pursue careers in academia were considered for the study. In this study, we show that academics are high in S, A, and I interests. The frequency of the SAI trend is 56% in Group 1 (professors) and only 36% in Group 2 (PhD, post-doctorates). Of the 6 interests, the highest interest of Group 1 (professors) members was never E or C. However, highest interests of Group-2 members ranged across all 6 interests. Understanding this information would help students decide if academia is the correct career choice for them even before pursuing a doctoral degree. This conscious decision may eliminate incompatible candidates and leave a limited number of aspiring graduates to pursue academia. Thus alleviating the supply side of the problem.