Perspectives on nontraditional research careers in clinical psychology

Building on a panel presentation titled "Career opportunities for behavioral scientists: Non-academic research settings." given at the November 2004 meeting of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, this article presents the experiences of three clinical psychologists who have careers in nontraditional research settings. These authors focus on three issues: (a) What nontraditional career did they pursue and why? (b) What, if anything, in their training prepared them for that career? (c) What advice would they give to students and young professionals who are considering pursuing a similar type of nontraditional career option? An introduction and concluding remarks that highlight recent trends in the academic job market and themes across each authors' experience are provided by the chair of the panel.