Author: Jennifer Polk
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Organizing an Academic Conference? Don’t Forget Twitter
Twitter adds a new dimension to the community and ideas academic conferences generate: If you’ve encouraged tweeting and spread the word about your hashtag, you can expect attendees will be using it. In-person discussions may make their way online, and take on lives of their own. For more insight on incorporating twitter into your next…
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Taking risks is key to a successful career change
One of the pieces of advice I give people considering their options after a PhD is to take risks. Not big ones, but small ones. One at a time. These risks can take the form of drafting a resumé, just for yourself. Or conducting an informational interview, even with someone you already know. Or perhaps simply…
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Stalled career search? Don’t give up
I recently spoke with a humanities PhD who’s having difficulty securing meaningful employment. After a one-year stint as a professor soon after he graduated, he’s worked for a private company for the past 18 months. “General office work,” he told me. “This used to be a summer job, and they hired me full-time in part…
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It’s OK to quit your PhD
My latest post for University Affairs says it’s OK to “quit” — and I put that in parentheses for a good reason. The narrative surrounding not completing a PhD is a negative one: quitting, leaving, failing. But for a great many people, the reality is that they’re moving on because it’s right for them. It’s…
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It’s OK to quit your PhD
Occasionally I’m asked about quitting, particularly “quitting” a PhD program. This happened several times last week, when I was in Vancouver. Contrary to what you may hear or what your own internal critics tell you, there’s no shame in moving on. I remember a long post on a Versatile PhD forum from “PJ,” an ABD thinking about…
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My speaking schedule so far, winter-spring 2016
See my latest post for University Affairs for some reflections on my AHA experience — I co-hosted the Career Fair in Atlanta earlier this month — and info about upcoming events! For more details and updates, check my Events page. Here are the postcards I had printed to bring with me. They were great to…
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Don’t give in to your inner critic
Are you doing your work, or are you making excuses? I ask lovingly, of course 🙂 My friend Lisa Munro, a fellow history PhD who works as an academic editor and writing consultant, cut right to the chase in a recent blog post. “Sticking to a writing schedule is difficult because it requires me to prioritize…
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Alison Norman, Research Associate, Transition Q&A
About Alison Norman Alison Norman earned her PhD in history from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. She’s currently a Research Advisor in the Ontario Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs. She’s also a Research Associate in the Frost Centre for Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies at the School for the…
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Congratulations to us!
I attended the Canadian Online Publishing Awards ceremony last evening in Toronto, with my University Affairs editor Ashleigh VanHouten. The magazine took home 5 gold wins in the blue division (business-to-business), including best blog or column for From PhD to Life! I don’t know exactly what content the magazine shared when it entered my blog…
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How much I make
Or, as my University Affairs editor put it, “Let’s talk money”! Talking about money can make for an awkward conversation. But money is also a basic fact of life. So, I decided to tell the world how much I make and how I make it. I think it’s helpful for us self-employed folk to talk…