Author: Jennifer Polk
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Do PhDs really want tenure-track jobs?
Well, the seemingly obvious answer is, “Yes!” but dig a bit deeper and it’s not so clear cut. In my newest post for University Affairs I go beyond survey data to show that it’s not good enough to only support students who dream of tenure. An excerpt: It’s a fair assumption that most, and perhaps…
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Grad school is part of your career
This one was inspired by a group session I had with a few McMaster University engineering PhD students. The interviewed me about my job and career. One question in particular got me thinking. An excerpt: As for those current students, I hope they can do as I didn’t. When I was a student, I spent…
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Transition Q & A: Paul Hartley
Paul’s finishing up his PhD in ethnomusicology. After he returned from fieldwork in Turkey, he started working in the private sector. His work is fascinating! I have to admit that despite this, I had a naïve view of academia and thought that it was simply an extension of grad school. The closer I got, the…
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Transition Q & A: Christine Buske
What’s an extroverted biology PhD to do? Well, for Christine, the current answer is to work as head of outreach for a software company! About a year before finishing my PhD I started working part-time for Papers (the reference manager). It was a great job and I knew I had a good chance of staying…
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My new mission: From PhD to Life, the book!
Oh, this is a bit scary! Yup, I’m working on a book. It’s about the emotional transition part of going “from PhD to life,” whatever that means for each person. More about what I’m planning over at University Affairs.
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Transition Q & A: Pablo Dominguez Andersen
I love this story! Pablo did a history PhD and originally aimed at working as a professor. But as he finished his degree he realized he wanted to stay in Berlin, so his options were limited, academic job-wise. He’s ended up in a marvelous, exciting position, pretty unrelated to his dissertation research. What do you…
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Transition Q & A: Sara Langworthy
So what happens when you’re doing a psychology PhD and realize early on that academia isn’t for you? Well, one option is to finish and then “DO ALL THE THINGS!” What do you do now? Now I’m on team DO ALL THE THINGS. Seriously, sometimes I look at my life and think “Okay, Langworthy. Time…
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Transition Q & A updates
I reached out to people who’d contributed Q & A posts in years past, and asked them if they’d like to update us on what they’re doing. Several were eager to do so, and I gathered them in 2 blog posts so far, for University Affairs.More to come! You can read updates from Kimberley Yates,…
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Transition Q & A: John Robertson
The latest Q & A comes from a medical biophysics PhD who works as a research officer at a university-affiliated institution. Here’s how John’s story begins: What did you hope for in terms of employment as you completed your PhD? I’ve always had a very fuzzy view of the future. I knew there were lots…
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Transition Q & A: Tom Westerman
Have you ever thought of teaching high school after earning your PhD? Tom Westerman did! He realized he enjoyed teaching most of all, and has just finished up his first year as a teacher. Read his Q & A over at University Affairs. What did you hope for in terms of employment as you completed…