Dear Reader,
Earlier this week, I wrote about people who don’t hate academia but still want something else.
That distinction matters.
Because if you’re not in crisis, it can be easy to tell yourself you should wait.
- Wait until you feel more certain.
- Wait until the semester is fully wrapped up.
- Wait until you have a clearer idea of what’s possible.
- Wait until your job feels unbearable enough to justify doing something about it.
But—and I’ve witnessed this a lot in my 13 years in business—you can spend years thinking carefully about your future without actually making real progress.
Not because you aren’t thoughtful. You are! And that’s a good thing.
Not because you aren’t smart enough to figure this out. Again, of course you are.
But because figuring out what’s next for you, job- or career-wise won’t come from thinking harder in private.
Instead, it comes from structured reflection, honest conversation, small experiments, useful information, and repeated practice connecting what you know about yourself with what is actually possible.
That’s different from rumination (or worse).
Rumination keeps you circling the same questions:
- What else could I do?
- What if I leave and regret it?
- What if nowhere else values what I know?
- What if I choose wrong?
- What if I’m too late?
- What if I’m not ready?
Those are real questions.
But (rude question incoming): Are you heading into summer in largely the same place as you were last June? Yeah.
Let’s make sure June 2027 is meaningfully different.
And that’s why the PhD Career Clarity Program exists.
It gives you a structured process for figuring out what you want now, what matters to you in your next role, what kinds of paths are worth exploring, and how to communicate your experience in ways that make sense beyond academia.
It also gives you ongoing support while you do that work.
Because making a career change after a PhD or a career in academia is not just a logistical project.
And it can be very hard to do entirely alone.
If you’ve been telling yourself, “I’ll get help once I know what I want,” hold up.
You do not need to have your whole future figured out before getting support.
Figuring it out is the work.
And you don’t have to do that work by yourself.
If you’re ready to start June with structure, support, and a real process for moving forward, join the program.
And if you’re interested but unsure whether the program fits your situation, book a private tour with me. We’ll talk through where you are, what you’re trying to figure out, and whether the program is the right next step. (It’s just a conversation; you can do a vibe check on me if nothing else.)
Cheers,
Jen
P.S. You do not need to rush into a job search to prove you’re serious. But if you’ve been thinking about this for a long time, you may need a different kind of support than more thinking.
