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<p>This is anecdotal, but my husband, who has a PhD from an Ivy institution, did not have trouble finding a non-academic job after he received a negative tenure decision at a top-20 university. He found a non-academic job by using the career services/old boy network at the Ivy where he got his degree. He ended up in a management training position at a large bank (he was clearly one of the older trainees); he did well, became the head of a profitable lending group in the bank within 5 years, and from there went to a small company with which he had done business. A few years later, he became the CEO of that company. </p>
<p>I believe that his good fortune was due to the fact that he is a very smart guy–the Ivy degree and being a professor weren’t crucial to his success. They simply confirmed that he’s a smart guy. The other factor was “luck”–he happened to be in the right place at the right time (e.g., he became head of the lending group at the bank when his boss, who was 50, died of a heart attack.) That being said, H worked to make things happen and didn’t depend on luck. I don’t think he’s unique. There are people who decide what they want and go for it. I think it’s a personality trait–folks like my H tend to make their own “success”.</p>