Year: 2014
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Don’t shy away from informational interviews
I’ve just come from a virtual event hosted by Versatile PhD Boston all about informational interviews and networking. Fun! Anyways, earlier today I wrote this piece about informational interviews, and it’s now posted on my University Affairs blog. You’ll see that I make a distinction between informational interviews and networking proper. Here’s a chunk from…
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Transition Q & A: Andrew Miller
This summer I met Andrew Miller and talked to him about his transition from history PhD and sessional instructor (read: adjunct) to public servant and soon-to-be Strategic Leader for the City of Mississauga, Canada’s sixth most populous municipality (thank you, Wikipedia). He’s thrilled about his move and proud of the work he’s done over the…
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Transition Q & A: Bruce Harpham
I’m pleased to show you my latest Q & A, this one with a fellow U of T alum who’s now a banking industry professional. Bruce earned his BA from the University of Toronto then went on to do an MA at Western University and an information studies degree back at U of T. He…
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Coaching graduate students
Today’s blog post over at my University Affairs blog includes my thoughts on key themes when working with graduate students. Here’s the first (of six) points I make: 1. Taking control. Graduate students often don’t feel in control of their lives. Part of my work as a coach is to help clients take and feel…
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Transition Q & A: Christine Slocum
Christine Slocum, a sociology MA who left a PhD program after two years, is the latest Q & A participant. She writes about how she transitioned into her current job. Here’s how her post begins: You left your PhD program before finishing. Why? I left because, in retrospect, I was burned out. It was beginning…
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Feeling rooted in the midst of uncertainty
My latest for University Affairs is a personal reflection on where I am now and where I’m headed, finding certainty in the midst of much uncertainty. Here’s how it begins: I’m in the midst of packing up my apartment in anticipation of a move on Monday. “In the midst” is how I often feel these…
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Twitter chats as public outreach and engagement
Do you know about Twitter chats? These planned interactions are an important part of my work, for different reasons. You may know that I host a biweekly chat using the hashtag #withaPhD. Here’s an excerpt from my latest blog post for University Affairs: These Twitter chats are fun, engaging, and meaningful for me. I connect…
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Transition Q & A: Carolyn Harris
I’m excited to present a Q & A with royal historian Carolyn Harris, a fellow history PhD. The full post is available on my University Affairs blog. Here’s a bit of what she told me: What kind of tasks do you do on a daily and weekly basis? The first thing I do each day…
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Transition Q & A: Patrick Vitalone
Patrick Vitalone took his MA in history and transitioned into a job in sales and marketing at a technology startup company. Here’s how he got his first job after earning his degree: Aside from bartending at upscale establishments, which I had been doing off and on for five years prior, my first research job was…
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Why job hunting is like an election campaign
What? Yes. It’s election season here in Ontario. Where I live, the lawn signs went up a few days ago, and the campaign offices are up and running, their outsides and insides plastered with orange (NDP) and red (Liberal). On my walk home from the library just now, I noticed one home sporting two election…