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b'Higher education is under pressure, these days. It has been for a while, now, but the COVID-19 pandemic may well be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel\\u2019s back, and this test is bringing to light some of the fragilities that have been under the radar until now. With me, this week, I have someone who has a deep love for higher education and for students and graduate researchers, and who has explored the question of professional outcomes of PhDs in different domains \\u2013 Paul Yachnin.\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\t\\tWhat you\\u2019ll learn about in this episode:\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\tWhy suspending PhD intake is dangerous for the future of humanities departmentsHow deep-rooted the tenure-track culture is in academia and in facultyThe importance of showcasing career outcomes of PhDs in normalizing non-tenure track/non-academic career pathsWhy graduate researchers should reach out and engage in conversations with peers from other departments and faculties and increase their intellectual mobilityDo you enjoy Papa PhD? Leave me a comment here\\xa0- one short sentence is enough! And be sure to include your Twitter handle \\u2013 that way, I can thank you personally!\\t\\t
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\\n\\t\\tPaul Yachnin is Tomlinson Professor of Shakespeare Studies at McGill University. From 2013-2019, he was Director of the Early Modern Conversions Project. Before that, he directed the Making Publics Project (2005-2010). His ideas about the social life of art were featured on the CBC Radio IDEAS series, The Origins of the Modern Public. In 2009-2010, he served as President of the Shakespeare Association of America. Among his publications are the books, Stage-Wrights and The Culture of Playgoing in Early Modern England, editions of Richard II and The Tempest, and edited books such as Making Publics in Early Modern Europe and Forms of Association. His book, Making Publics in Shakespeares Playhouse, is forthcoming. For the past eight years, he has been working on higher education policy. He leads the TRaCE McGill Project, tracking the career pathways of 5,000+ PhD graduates from across the university and telling the stories of 150+ of them. He publishes non-academic essays about Shakespeare and modern life, including titles such as Alzheimers Disease: What would Shakespeare Do? and Tragedy as a Way of Life. Paul has also recently participated as an expert in the preparation of Degrees of Success, a report by the Council of Canadian Academies on the current state of the labour market transition of PhD graduates in Canada.\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\t\\tThank you, Paul Yachnin!\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\tIf you enjoyed this interview with Paul Yachnin, let him know by clicking the link below and leaving him a message on Twitter:Click here to thank Paul Yachnin on Twitter!Click here to share your key take-away from this interview with David!\\t\\t
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\\n\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\tDownload "Tools for Your PhD Journey" !
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\\n\\t\\t\\tPaul\\u2019s pearls of wisdom:\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\t\\u201cSo, if I say to a young PhD researcher \\u2013 "So, have you thought about the different careers that might be open to you when you graduate?", it\'s as if I\'m saying "I don\'t think you\'re good enough for an academic job". And I\'m afraid that the person will also take it that way. So, how do we change thinking about the PhD, as well as the programs? And there is one very good way to do that, and that is to get as many stories, as many voices of people who have graduated and who say: "Yeah! I\'ve got a PhD in English \\u2013 I\'m Executive Director of CBC Ideas". That is an actual case that we\'ve covered a great deal with TRaCE. That person conveys to people doing PhDs now that there are other pathways. Not only are they entirely legitimate and respectable \\u2013 they\'re to be sought after.\\u201d\\u201cI think that it\'s very important to start conversations with faculty at departments that you\'re interested in if you\'re thinking of doing a PhD. And those conversations include just what you said: "How will this PhD help me fulfill my aspirations? How will it help me fulfill this desire I have to k...'