Publications

Previous Page | Next Page

RESOURCES: SOME SOURCES OF INFORMATION

This section provides some information for people thinking about choosing a career other than an academic appointment in philosophy, or just looking for a job. It includes printed materials, videos, and some websites. Much of the printed material is available in libraries: some, and most of the video material, is available only by ordering from the publisher and paying for the materials ordered.

The section on websites is meant only as a starting point. There is a huge amount of information (and an even huger amount of disinformation and noninformation) on the World Wide Web, and sites and their contents come and go at a dizzying rate. A search on "philosophy" returns more than 100,000 sites, a great many of which have nothing whatever to do with what we think of as philosophy.

A good strategy for finding useful sites and pages is to start with the sites listed here, follow links, and then just search. Let your mouse do the walking. The APA website, at http://www.udel.edu/apa, is the best starting point of all.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON PHILOSOPHERS' BASIC SKILLS

1. Herbenick, Raymond, "How Philosophy Students Compete on Basic Skills." Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association, Vol. 69 number 2, November 1995.

A comparison of results of tests given to students in various disciplines by the Educational Testing Service. Philosophers as a group do very well on such tests as ORE, LSAT, MCAT, and OMAT.

2. Passmore, John, "The End of Philosophy". Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 66, March 1996. Contains some anecdotal evidence, and some stirring prose, about the value of studying philosophy in developing habits of mind applicable to virtually any intellectual endeavor.

 

WEBSITES

3. http://www.apa.udel.edu/apa

This is the page of the national office of the American Philosophical Association. It is frequently updated and enhanced. It contains a wealth of information of use to philosophers in all stations of life, at all stages of their careers, both within and without the academy. It has information about the APA, its activities, its members, meetings, and many other useful things as well. Access to the main web page and much of the information does not require an account or a password, but some areas of the site are open only to members, for example current Jobs for Philosophers, the current Proceedings and Addresses, lists of fellowships and grants, and the membership directory.

There is a list of programs in bioethics, with links to get more information about those programs. Following links from the APA page will get you to many philosophy department pages and pages of APA members. A lot of the information in these pages is about philosophy departments and their members, courses, graduate programs, and so on. But there is also other information of particular interest to philosophers outside of academia, or those who do not have access to a philosophy department or university library: sites devoted to the works of particular philosophers, electronic journals, use groups of interest to philosophers, etc.

4. http://www.epistemelinks.com/

This is the Episteme page. It has lots and lots of links to other sites of general interest to philosophers. There are pages devoted to famous philosophers, including some living ones. There are many pages of professors and students. There are links to on-line texts, both historical and current works in philosophy. Many organizations and events are listed, there are links to lots of newsgroups, and there are even pictures.

5. http://plato.stanford.edu

This is the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. This is an on-line encyclopedia of philosophy. The project is new: so far, there are about fifty entries. The encyclopedia is intended to be an authoritative reference work, suitable for use by students and professionals in philosophy and related disciplines, as well as by members of the general public. It is a dynamic document: authors have access to their entries, and can keep them up to date. New material is added frequently. All entries and revisions are refereed. This document is unique: it is the only encyclopedia that never goes out of date!

6. http://www.ncis.org

This is the website of the National Council of Independent Scholars. It is full of information about resources for scholars outside of the academy, including library sites open to public access, electronic journals, and websites in many disciplines, including philosophy.

7. http://www.Monster.com

This is a commercial jobsearch site, with job postings, resume and career search advice, and listings of jobs by community. It has a lot of ads and links to fee-charging services and sites, but the free part of it just might turn out to be helpful. No doubt there are other similar sites. Search on "jobs" or "careers" and see what happens. The probability of finding something of obvious use or interest is not high, but the site gives a useful idea of the nature of commercial jobsearch resources on the Web.

8. http://listsrv.cmsu.edu/archives/about.php3?list=nacphil-l An email listserv focuses on non-academic careers for philosophers.

9. http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/gpi/jobs.htm

Peter Suber’s list of links to many websites with jobs for philosophers, both within and outside the academy.

10. http://www.sozialwiss.uni-hamburg.de/phil/ag/jobs/ An international jobs website.

 

CAREER INDICES

11. Akey, Denise S., Encyclopedia of Associations. Volume I: National Organizations of U.S. . Volume II: Geographic and Executive Indexes. 19th edition. Detroit MI: Gale Research Co., 1985. A more recent edition may be available.

Provides the name of organizations that have activities for almost any interest area. Provides a good starting point to collect helpful information for job searches.

12. American Directory of Job and Labor Market: Where to Find Government Job and Labor Market lnformation for Little or No Money. 1993.

Contains information about where to find free and low-cost publications, how to access government job and labor databases right from your own personal computer, and pinpoints the locations of key government personnel and employment centers nationwide. Relatively up-to-date, specialized information difficult to find elsewhere.

13. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Washington DC: U.S. Department of Labor, 1994. Provides information concerning what a person does on the job, what abilities and interests are needed, schooling or training required, working conditions and projected job opportunities. Published annually in early July.

14. Petras, Kathryn, Jobs 1996. New York NY: Simon and Schuster, 1995.

Provides up-to-date job information by occupation, by industry and by region from coast to coast. Includes job descriptions, salary levels, and growth potential, working conditions, professional associations, and general employment trends for the coming decade. Published annually.

15. Pollack, Sandy, Alternative Careers for Teachers. Harvard, MA: Harvard Common Press, 1984.

Emphasizes the many options available to someone with a teaching background. A useful overview to start branching out.

16. The Whole Work Catalog. Boulder CO: The New Careers Center, 1515 23rd Street, PO Box 339-MK, Boulder, CO 80306. Also available on CD-ROM.

17. Krannich, Ronald, The Best Jobs for the 1990s and Into the 21^st Century. Manassas Park, VA: Impact Publishing, 1995.

Forecasts 29 major trends for jobs and careers. Includes information about opportunities for older workers, women and immigrants, and about part- time and temporary employment.

18. Hecht, Cheryl S., Free and Inexpensive Career Materials: A Resource Directory. Garrett Park MD: Garrett Park Press, 1995. To get a list of current materials, and to order, contact Garrett Park Press, P.O. Box 190B, Garrett Park, MD 20896.

Describes some of the best free and inexpensive materials available from over 800 organizations, complete with contact information, citations of available publications, and an index showing where information on 320 different occupations may be acquired.

19. Herbenick, Raymond, Careers of Philosophy Students, 1901-1994. Available from the Philosophy Department, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469.

20. Career Opportunities News - 6 issues/year.

Each issue covers employment trends, free and inexpensive career materials, new reports and new books, fields with jobs, liberal arts education and careers, minority and women's interest, financial aid, etc.

21. Schmidt, Robert, The National Job Line Directory. Holbrook MA: Bob Adams Press, 1994. For a current list of materials, and to order, contact Adams Media Corp., 260 Center Street, Holbrook, MA 02343, phone (800) USA-JOBS.

Offers a nationwide listing of over 2,000 organizations that post job openings by phone. Includes descriptions of each organization and a detailed section on how best to use this often-overlooked job search method.

22. The Hidden Job Market. Princeton NJ: Peterson's Guides, Inc. To get a list of current materials, and to order, contact Peterson's Guides, Inc., Dept. 6608, P.O. Box 2123, Princeton NJ 08543-2123.

Current edition. Lists firms found in no other directory, covering industries such as environmental consulting, genetic engineering, alternative energy systems, health care, telecommunications, on-line services, educational and training software, and more

23. Mort, Mary-Ellen, Reaching the Hidden Job Market: Research Strategies & Resources. Oakland, CA: M.E. Mort, 1992.

24. How to Get Interviews & Organizing Your Time: Getting Interviews in the Hidden Job Market. Audiovisual. Indianapolis, IN: JIST Works, Inc., 1992. To get a list of current materials, and to order, contact JIST at 720 North Park Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46202-2431, phone (800) 648-JIST; fax (800) JIST-FAX.

25. Bard, Ray and Elliott, Susan K., The National Directory of Corporate Training Programs. New York, NY: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1988.

26. America's Top 300 Jobs: A Complete Career Handbook. 4th edition. Indianapolis, IN: JIST Works, Inc., 1992. For ordering information, see item number 22.

27. Career Guide To America’s Top Industries. 2nd edition. Indianapolis, IN: JIST Works, Inc. For ordering information, see item number 22

28. America's 50 Fastest Growing Jobs. 3rd edition. Indianapolis, IN: JIST Works, Inc. For ordering information, see item number 22.

29. Figler, Howard, Liberal Education & Careers Today. Garrett Park, MD: Garrett Park Press, 1989. For ordering information, see item number 16.

30. Nadler, Burton Jay, Liberal Arts Jobs. Princeton, NJ: Peterson's Guides, Inc., 1989. For ordering information, see item # 20.

31. Directory of Occupational Titles. 4th edition, revised. U.S. Department of Labor. Indianapolis, IN: JIST Works, Inc. For ordering information, see item number 22.

32. Farr, J. Michael, The Complete Guide for Occupational Exploration. Indianapolis, IN: J IST Works, Inc., 1993. For ordering information, see item number 22.

Organizes jobs listed in the U.S. Department of Labor's Dictionary of Occupational Titles into clusters of related jobs.

Previous Page | Next Page