Written by Teresa Blumenthal, Associate Editor for Spanish and Portuguese Review.

Quick Facts

Resource Type: Speaker Series: Careers Outside Academia 

Academia is no longer the only professional option for students in a graduate program. Now, many academically-trained graduate students enjoy fruitful careers in industry. Although a career in industry is a viable option for students with a Spanish and/or Portuguese linguistics or literature/culture PhD, there are often few resources or mentorship options for students to explore those options. Assistant Professor of Spanish at Texas Tech University, Dr. Brendan Regan is putting forth significant efforts to support students that may be interested in a career outside of academia. For example, each fall Dr. Regan assembles PhD graduates working in industry for a Speaker Series to present multiple career avenues for the students in the Texas Tech Spanish PhD program. Each speaker discusses their career path, transferable skills, and answers questions for the attending students. Important to note is that although the name of the speaker series is Linguists in Industry, students in a literature/culture program are encouraged to attend because their skillset is also desirable in the industry market. 

Spanish and Portuguese Review Relevance

Spanish and Portuguese Review is a scholarly publication venue for graduate students and serves as a hub for developing transferable skills among graduate students, both in master’s and doctoral programs. For example, the ability to mentor well is important both in academia and industry and is an important facet of this journal’s annual publication process. Dr. Megan Myers is an Associate Professor of Spanish at Iowa State University who was an active volunteer and contributor to SPR who shares how her SPR experiences prepared her for being an editor in a faculty position.  Further, the vast network that abounds within SPR and AATSP is invaluable for graduate students to connect with mentors, colleagues, and potential future employers. The AATSP annual conference is a rewarding experience and abundant with opportunities to network with industry leaders, as well as expert faculty. Learn what graduate student-contributors to SPR have written about the professional development opportunities at the 2021, 2022, and 2023 AATSP conferences. 

Volunteering for the journal is also a way to support your professional development by gaining experience in peer review, copyediting, communication, and developing skills such as providing constructive, time-sensitive feedback, and detailed oriented editorial standards– which are both highly transferable skills to other industries. Read more about the benefits and skills that SPR volunteers can develop and what some of the positions entail such as Senior Managing Editor, and Managing Editor.

Throughout their graduate school experience, students work to grow in multiple capacities. Skills such as networking, communicating ideas, working with data, presenting information, and completing a project from inception to publication are all important in both academia and industry, and it’s important to remember that an industry career is a valuable option for graduating PhD students.

Personal Highlights

Dr. Regan informed me of the Speaker Series last year and I attended all the 2022 talks. I found the series to be both helpful and encouraging. Similar to many graduate students, I was aware that my skills were broadly transferable, but it was enlightening to hear firsthand the specific ways that graduate training led many people to a rewarding career in industry. 

For example, last year Dr. Belem López discussed how she reviews research grant applications as part of her job; her understanding of and experience in undertaking academic projects makes her an asset in that area. She enjoys reading about researchers’ novel ideas and impactful scholarly undertakings. Dr. Franny Brogan Ball addressed the importance of communicating research findings for her clients and that her team even won an award for their ability to summarize and communicate critical data information. As I prepare for getting a job after graduate school, I have been challenged to consider how my research experience and data presentation skills can be used in an industry career. Whenever I add a line to my C.V. I have begun to think about how that item would fit on a resume or be part of an interview to be both helpful and encouraging. Similar to many graduate students, I was aware that my skills were broadly transferable, but it was enlightening to hear firsthand the specific ways that graduate training led many people to a rewarding career in industry. 

I am looking forward to attending the talks this year and learning from more linguists who attended similar graduate programs as me, undertook the same type of research projects, and ultimately decided to work in industry rather than academia. 

Attending the Series

Dr. Regan asks that you reach out to him for Zoom links for each talk. He is a great resource and hopes that the series guides graduate students to a gratifying career; whether that be in academia or industry. 

Dates & Times

• October 20th 11:00am-12:00pm CT: Dr. Emilie Zuniga, Multilingual Curriculum Designer
• October 27th 1:00-2:00pm CT: Dr. Danielle Dionne, Learning Scientist at Duolingo  
• November 3rd 11:00am-12:00pm CT: Dr. Josh Pongan, Portfolio Manager for World Languages at McGraw Hill 

Comment below if your university hosts similar series about employment types to graduate students! Let us know which talks you attended of the Linguists in Industry series and what you learned regarding industry career options!