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So with not quite 1800 votes, here are the results:
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What is your primary occupation?
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11% of readers are adjunct faculty, while 27% are tenure-stream. I was struck by the large number of readers in other professions, such as law and computing. I'd be curious to hear what some of the readers who chose "none of the above" do. Comments are open.
Restaurant server with a dream of going to philosophy grad school.
non tenured philosophy researcher. "Non tenure-track philosophy teacher" sounded to me as a VAP and evokes very different problems than the ones I face (I can complain about having to write many projects for research grants, but not for the teaching load).
I was a bit caught – I'm a tenured full professor who runs a bioethics center, but also a doctor. I went for the professor option, but others may have be caught with the need to make a choice.
Didn't take the poll because I'm an adjunct professor, not an adjunct teacher. "Teacher" sounds like someone who teaches high school, does not do research, and isn't addressed as "professor so-and-so" by students. I'm sure teachers are wonderful people, but I'm not (simply) a teacher.
BL COMMENT: Fair enough, I only used the word 'teacher' because adjuncts have so many titles these days, some are "adjunct professors," some "adjunct lecturers" and so on.
translator, teacher of English as a second language, political activist
It might be interesting to conduct a poll asking your readership how many have had some training in philosophy, whether it be a few classes at the undergraduate level, a major, a minor, a master's program, or a Ph.D.
Academic librarian
I have a graduate degree in philosophy but work as an academic advisor.
I second MidwestGradStudent's suggestion. I would include, as a separate option, training in related fields that overlaps with philosophy (e.g. political theory).
I work for a bank, so I put "Finance Industry", but I consider myself an amateur philosopher (perhaps a student may be my best descriptor, since I never really stop learning philosophy, and I don't dare call myself an independent scholar). Additionally, while I have a full time job, I am also going back to grad school for a second master's in Library Science.
Like all categories, we can criticize the ways in which categories are split, and each category itself is subject to interpretation. Plus, I self-identify differently than someone may identify me. I have my own biases and may want to make myself appear better than I am based on what I think a "good" career may be.
I am in the computer industry. A bit heartened to see my tribe confirm my conceit that we are a bit more philosophically minded than other engineers. But then again, I just realised, “computer industry” does not equal “computer engineer”; so perhaps “engineer” is in fact the group I belong to?
Another academic librarian here.
I've been retired for 5 years. My primary occupation is overcoming inertia.
@Larry Franz: So, you're a physicist?
Another academic librarian.
Internet Kook. (Former shower curtain ring salesman recovering from PTSD)
I'm noticing a trend here …
Biochemist and studying Philosophy part time
As Elisa said above: non-tenured philosophy researcher. In general, I think this is not an insignificant group outside of the US. In Europe at least, this is fairly common. In some countries there are tenured full time research positions (e.g. CNRS in France). In some countries (Scandinavia, the Netherlands, the UK) research funding is increasingly channeled through a bidding process, the winners of which create pure research positions for themselves, sometimes complemented with adjunct teaching. The European Union and some private organisations provide research funding in the same way. These career paths have furthermore come to be considered (by some at least) the most prestigious. Partly because it is competitive, but also because proven capacity to raise funds in this manner is highly valued by employers/universities, which means that researchers that are good at raising external funding receive extra benefits and support from universities. It appears to me the easiest way to get tenure as a professor (contrary perhaps to as a lecturer) in many countries is in fact by holding non-tenured research positions.
Filmmaker and photographer. Former (academic) philosophy student, current (non-academic) philosophy student.
I'm a military officer (U.S. Navy), but I've just submitted a Ph.D. dissertation at Cambridge (where I also did my master's). So I like to think of myself as a philosopher masquerading as a military officer.
Nope, the inertia I work on is specific to one object!
I wasn't sure what to select … I work as an adjunct E.S.L. and composition instructor at a community college. But I have an undergraduate degree in philosophy, and like to think of myself as an independent scholar, as I have managed a few publications (and plan more, if I can find the time and energy …! ); nevertheless, I selected 'non-tenure track in another field', although I do have a philosophy background.
Freelance writer and editor (but not a journalist). By itself that would be "independent scholar", I suppose, but I do have an honorary research appointment so I would have answered to that. Have held fixed-term and sessional academic appointments in the past, but have never been a career academic in the usual way, so I suppose that would be "non-tenure track" in the American parlance, and have also been a lawyer in the past. (Technically, I am still a lawyer but not holding a current practising certificate.)
I think "honorary research staff" might have been the best fit, for the purposes of this blog.
Tree climber and faller.
I was none of the above. Philosophy grad with a few additional grad quals working both as a freelance management consultant and as the Director of People and Culture in public health.
I'm a tradesman, a carpenter. I have a B.A. in philosophy.
Research assistant in a neuroscience lab.
I'm a retired air traffic controller with a MA in philosophy. I read this blog to just hang on to the back fender of the public discussion of philosophy.
I'm a food and wine writer based in Macau. I have an MA in philosophy.
"None of the above." I'm a research postdoc in philosophy, no teaching.
I have a PhD in philosophy but took up a job in government
I recently retired after working seven years as a superintendent of schools. Besides working in public K-12 education I have worked as an attorney specializing in public sector labor relations. I earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Toronto and while working as an educational administrator a J.D. from Western New England College.
I'm grateful to everyone for sharing so far, and welcome more responses from other readers. It's gratifying to know there is such an interestingly diverse professional readership out there. Thanks, Brian
I am a professional ballet dancer who studied philosophy as an undergraduate.
I'm a manager in a large manufacturing business. No structured background in philosophy.
BA in philosophy, some graduate work (Hilary Putnam, John Rawls), Gifford Lectures, some philosophy during sabbatical. Retired after 40 years as Lutheran clergy. Abiding interest.
Middle Grades Mathematics Teacher
I have a B.A. in philosophy and another in business administration. I am now working in a managerial position at a telecommunication company but still studying philosophy on my own, hopefully to take a M.A. some day. Portuguese, 30 years old. I missed those polls
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