During Tuesday’s community Zoom call with my PhD Career Clarity Program folks we discussed the power narratives (stories) and expectations, and how those interact with the PhD job search. It was a great conversation.
Stories and expectations can weigh very heavily on you, whether they come from family and friends, academic culture in general or PhD advisors in specific, or society writ large.
They can clog up the wheels of you getting clear on your career path.
Consider these scenarios:
👉🏻 You’re a first-generation college student who went on to do a PhD because you always assumed more education meant greater success. What happens once you finish and now can’t find—or simply don’t want—the job everyone expects you to have?
👉🏻 You always got top grades and won awards and loved the university environment as a student taking classes. What happens when you realize that you don’t actually thrive when left to your own devices for years on end during a PhD program?
👉🏻 Your partner sacrificed for your career (that’s how you tell the story) for you to go back to school and now here you are, in more debt, living far from family, and uncertain about what’s next… well, that might leave you feeling really uncomfortable. Now what?
Can you relate? 🤔
If unhelpful stories are messing with you moving forward, one thing you can do is script a different story for yourself. This is a script for you and one you can share with trusted others, as helpful.
In my case, back in 2012–13 I turned “well, I have a PhD and now I’m semi-unemployed and I don’t know? (And sort of feel like a loser.)” into “I recently finished a graduate degree and I’m exploring what’s next because I want to change careers. I loved doing A, B, C, and am looking for opportunities where I can do more of those things outside the university, here in Toronto.”
The second story is forward looking, positive, and invites useful follow-up. 😃
You can’t wave a magic wand and do away with the narratives and expectations in your mind (or from other people in your life), but you can get clearer about what’s true, what’s useful, and what new stories you can tell about where you’re at and what you want to do next.
P.S. I introduce my PhD Career Clarity Program in this free pre-recorded training webinar.