Because academic culture frowns on Ph.D.'s who consider leaving the ivory tower, most of those who jump ship find themselves at a loss as to where and how to begin a job search. Yet a nonacademic job search is actually quite similar to a standard research project. Both require advance planning, substantial research, collating evidence for an argument, and, finally, making a convincing argument--all skills that academics possess and that, if used effectively, can ease the transition to a nonacademic job. In this article, the author, a Ph.D. who quit a tenure-track job, offers a primer on how to get started on finding a new career path outside of academe.