Dear Reader,
Did you watch any of the NASA livestream on Monday, when the Artemis II astronauts were on their lunar flyby?
I had it on for a lot of the day. So exciting. (And, yes, I’ll be checking on things as they splashdown today at 8:07pm EDT!)
There were a bunch of great moments, including this comment from pilot Victor Glover. Here’s what he said to the folks in Houston about his time observing the Moon:
I want to emphasize how important the discussion time was. When we start to talk, we not only got better science discussion, we got better human connection. And so doing this as a pair, we just learn and grow together. And that’s just super important.
I think scientists—and all scholars—will recognize the truth in his words, not just for people flying around the far side of the Moon, but for the rest of us down here too.
Now, I’m not going to say that your job search is like a lunar mission.
But there are some common themes when it comes to doing hard things.
The astronauts brought these up over and over during the past few days:
- How key their training and preparation was, and how grateful they are for it.
- The value of learning from different kinds of experts and mentors over the years.
- That it’s all been a team effort, going back years and spanning multiple countries.
We’ve witnessed them ask questions, clarify in real time, issue corrections, and generally stay in active communication with the folks on the ground.
This is all relevant to your own (career) exploration.
If you’re job searching alone, you’re making things harder on yourself than they need to be.
That’s because exploring new terrain, learning new skills, and making big decisions all benefit from discussion time.
Now, in space, the stakes are really high.
For you, we’re not dealing with reentry through Earth’s atmosphere followed by a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
But the stakes still aren’t small for you, eh?
- Staying too long in a job that’s stealing your time, leading to burnout.
- Missing potentially life-changing opportunities because you’re spiraling, distracted, indecisive.
- Delaying action because you don’t have the structure, feedback, or encouragement to keep moving.
- Or making your next move out of desperation instead of intentionally, with clarity and focus.
That’s one reason discussion time is built right into the PhD Career Clarity Program.
Inside the program, you’re not left to do all this thinking on your own.
You get a clear process, yes.
But you also get live discussion, coaching, community—regular chances to talk things through with people who actually get it.
Because that’s often how clarity deepens.
If you want to add to your team as you navigate what comes next, I’d love to share more about my program and whether it might be a good fit for you.
Let me know if you’re interested (anytime).
To get back to space for a moment, here’s a fun fact:
There’s a crater on the far side of the Moon called Campbell, named in part after my great-grandfather Leon Campbell, who was a long-time astronomer at the Harvard Observatory. He was my dad’s mom’s dad.
And here’s another fun fact:
My niece and nephew are apparently related through their father to the Canadian astronaut, mission specialist Jeremy Hansen. Because Canada is just a small country of 40 million people, I guess.
Okay, those are all my very tenuous connections to space.
Cheers, and thanks for reading,
Jen
P.S. Want to explore working with me? Visit my Services page to learn about options, or reply to this email and let me know what you want my help with!
Jennifer Polk, PhD
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