Author: Jennifer Polk
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Bruce Harpham, Senior Financial Analyst, Transition Q&A
Bruce Harpham earned his MA in history from Western University, as well as a master’s of information studies from the University of Toronto. He’s currently a senior financial analyst at the Bank of Montreal. Find him online at Project Management Hacks and follow him on Twitter @PMPhacks. When you finished your MA, what did you plan to do next? I…
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Coaching graduate students
On my new LinkedIn group (called From PhD to Life, natch), Laura Graham asked me what I thought were “the greatest areas of need” when it came to working with graduate students. At first, I responded briefly: I am a coach, not an editor or mentor-for-hire, which means I take a non-directive approach, and that it was difficult…
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Christine Slocum, Database Administrator, Transition Q&A
Christine Slocum earned her MA in sociology at the University at Buffalo in 2010. She spent two years pursuing a doctorate in sociology at the University of Washington before leaving that to begin a career working to alleviate homelessness. She is employed as one of the data nerds at the Homeless Alliance of Western New…
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Feeling rooted in the midst of uncertainty
My latest for University Affairs is a personal reflection on where I am now and where I’m headed, finding certainty in the midst of much uncertainty. Here’s how it begins: I’m in the midst of packing up my apartment in anticipation of a move on Monday. “In the midst” is how I often feel these…
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Twitter chats as public outreach and engagement
Do you know about Twitter chats? These planned interactions are an important part of my work, for different reasons. You may know that I host a biweekly chat using the hashtag #withaPhD. Here’s an excerpt from my latest blog post for University Affairs: These Twitter chats are fun, engaging, and meaningful for me. I connect…
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Carolyn Harris, Royal Commentator, Transition Q&A
Carolyn Harris earned her PhD in history from Queen’s University in 2012. She is now an instructor in history at the University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies, a freelance history writer, and royal commentator. Read her writing and interviews online at RoyalHistorian.com and follow her @RoyalHistorian. What did you hope for in terms of employment as you…
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Patrick Vitalone, Start-Up Technology Professional, Transition Q&A
Patrick Vitalone earned his MA in modern European history from the University of York. He is a start-up technology professional from Boston currently living in San Francisco. Patrick focuses on company growth on the U.S. East Coast, and in Europe and the Middle East. He mainly writes on nationalism, business and economics, and his research…
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Why job hunting is like an election campaign
What? Yes. It’s election season here in Ontario. Where I live, the lawn signs went up a few days ago, and the campaign offices are up and running, their outsides and insides plastered with orange (NDP) and red (Liberal). On my walk home from the library just now, I noticed one home sporting two election…
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Daniel Mullin, Sales and Consulting, Transition Q&A
I’m pleased with this latest contribution from Dan Mullin, whom you may know from The Unemployed Philosopher’s Blog. Dan’s honest about why he sought out and is now happy in a non-academic job. He’s working in sales, and has this to say about why it’s a good fit for him and other PhDs. Daniel Mullin…
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Resume writing tips for academics
This post was inspired by the most recent #withaPhD Twitter chat as well as a real-life in-person conversation! Here’s how it begins: I was recently chatting with a friend here in Toronto who’s ABD and looking for full-time employment. He told me that when he “buried his degree” on his resume — placed education last…