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As mentioned in this very good post (How) Can I switch from field X to field Y after getting my PhD?

In some cultures/fields, it is common to take a short master’s degree, summer school, or “boot camp” in field Y to come up to speed and make some connections. The UK, for example, offers conversion courses, as Sammy Gerbil tells us.

However, my situation is somewhat tougher than the ones described:

  1. We just moved to the US on permanent resident visa which allows to work, and I don't have any English publications (first one is coming out soon related to natural language processing)
  2. My degrees are unrelated to a high degree (BA in computer science, MA/PhD in Media with slight emphasis on linguistics and NLP) and they don't seem to interest recruiters in the US.
  3. I want to continue research in sociology/demography and get at least some research-related job in the US (I don't know what can it be, any recommendations on possible job titles would be really helpful in my search). During the job search, I try to accent on my experience as a computer scientist/developer, but despite my expectations that doesn't seem like a skill sociology research organizations want to use.

Currently I work as postdoc in Israel (now remotely) in the public health sector, mostly I do projects/publications related to computer science, natural language processing and some statistics/data science. I thought that finding a postdoc in the US since we moved here would be easier, but it looks like a Russian degree, a postdoc in Israel and changing the field is quite a stretch. I am 38 and consider doing either MA or PhD again. Thesis MA would be easier, but could be more expensive since it is less likely to get funded, I think (not sure!).

Can you please share your thoughts what to do to get noticed and hired and what to look for now and after postdoc? One thing which I don't understand, should I aim for tenure, can't I just work as non-tenure researcher, maybe as research assistant if I am ok with a modest life-style?

Do you think independent institutions like Ronin institute can be helpful in my situation?

Ronin scholar
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  • related/duplicate: https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17232/is-doing-two-phds-a-good-path – Sursula Jan 25 '23 at 07:48
  • @Sursula thanks for the link, however my specific situation is the degree from a country which US doesn't really recognize on that level, maybe doesn't recognize as a degree at all, not sure – Ronin scholar Jan 25 '23 at 08:23
  • Is a russian degree not recognized in teh US? I am from the EU, so I have little knowledge about that. Anyway, also related: https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/162664/how-is-east-european-phd-viewed-in-the-usa – Sursula Jan 25 '23 at 08:53
  • Sorry, I wasn't precise in words, it does recognize officially (although sometimes PhDs have trouble with official part), but recruiters want US credentials for most jobs, unless you are an accomplished scientist with world-name, that's what I wanted to say. Thanks for link – Ronin scholar Jan 25 '23 at 11:43
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    Are you a US citizen? If not, what is your visa status (i.e., do you have the ability to work in the US)? – Jon Custer Jan 25 '23 at 23:19
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    We are on a green card, permanent resident visa, so I can work. Thanks, I've added to the post, I understand it is important – Ronin scholar Jan 26 '23 at 08:03
  • Which universities in Russia did you get your degrees from? How much experience do you have coding? Any industry experience? These factors might be important when looking for industry jobs/postdocs, etc. in the US. – Moishe Kohan Jan 26 '23 at 13:37
  • I don't know a whole lot about the US, but from what I do know, there are lots of nonprofits working in the public health sector. If it fits you, maybe try your luck there? It sounds like recruiters you have faced are not very experienced with hiring first generation immigrants and/or not particularly interested in that. Silicon Valley is accepting on that front, but it generally favors fresh grads or people already standing firmly on their two feet. Anecdotally, Boston seems to be a popular destination among Russian expatriates, at least those in medical/biotech fields. – Lodinn Jan 26 '23 at 14:36
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    @MoisheKohan BA from Higher School of Economics, and MA/PhD from Russian State University for Humanities. Yes, I have about 10 years experience in software, 3 years from that as developer, 7 as tech consultant doing mostly presentations and demos. I consider industry jobs as last resort, because then I have to do research in spare time and that gets more difficult as I grow older and have children – Ronin scholar Jan 27 '23 at 04:06
  • @Lodinn Thanks! I will try non-profits like UN and others. Yes, right, I feel that in US they need just skills for industry jobs and US degrees for research jobs, that's my feeling. I don't want to join industry now as I really enjoy postdoc, but I don't know what to do after this postdoc, that's the problem:) Boston, yeah, popular place, Russia had strong STEM traditionally, so biotech looks like the right place for expats, I might try that if no other doors open. – Ronin scholar Jan 27 '23 at 04:12
  • Oh, now I see what the issue is. It is a whole lot harder to get a Russian degree in humanities recognized abroad than a STEM one, and it is not hard to see why. HSE and RSUH are both strong schools though, and you must have studied there when they enjoyed a measure of independence. This is unfortunate. Recommendation letters from Western countries (Israel is, ironically, a part of that sphere) might open some doors, but you know that already. From the humanities angle, you would need to lean on your portfolio/networking. – Lodinn Jan 27 '23 at 17:31
  • I'm going to do this as a comment as it's not really an answer to your actual question. Try looking for the terms "Computational Social Science" and "Social Analytics" in your job search. You probably want to badge yourself as a data scientist in social science – JenB Jan 27 '23 at 23:27
  • @JenB, Lodinn, Thanks, that's really helpful – Ronin scholar Feb 01 '23 at 03:17
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    Found a related article about a somewhat similar situation https://www.science.org/content/article/daunting-doable-job-searching-after-postdoc – Ronin scholar Feb 01 '23 at 03:24
  • Hey everyone, after many attempts, I got invitation for interview for a postdoc in AI/data science in public health with possible transition to staff/academic track. That is really good news, I guess if it works I can slowly transition from AI in public health to demography by writing joint publications with faculty - assuming somebody there will be writing papers on demography/sociology? – Ronin scholar Feb 14 '23 at 00:58

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