Author: Jennifer Polk
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This spreadsheet keeps me honest
My latest blog post for University Affairs is about how I track what I spend, and how knowing what’s going out motivates good spending habits. Here’s how it begins: Ten years ago, when I started my PhD at the University of Toronto, I began tracking every penny (R.I.P.) I spent. I can’t remember what motivated…
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Recognizing your own good work is hard!
My latest blog post for University Affairs is a reflection on success, achievement, and our human tendency to focus on the negative. Here’s how the post begins: “How’s business?” I was asked this by a fellow panelist at an event I recently participated in. “Good!” I responded, and then added my usual caveat: “I’m not…
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Kelly J. Baker, Freelance Writer, Transition Q&A
Kelly J. Baker earned her PhD in religion from Florida State University in 2008. Her scholarship has encompassed numerous topics in religion and popular culture, including religious hate groups, apocalypticism, religion and gender, and horror. Last year, she quit her job as a lecturer and moved back to Florida. She’s currently a freelance writer, who…
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Learning is my priority
It’s difficult to divide one’s attentions, especially among several significant projects. In my latest post for University Affairs I relate how my focus must be on my coach training, and update you on my progress. Here’s how the post begins: Earlier this month I completed the coaching supervision course. It started in the spring, and…
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Making a big change? Start small, be kind to yourself
Today’s post on University Affairs is a reflection on the nature of change and how we can best set ourselves up for success. When it comes to making changes in your life, start small. It’s all well and good to decide to exercise regularly, take up a vegan diet, or write for two hours every…
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Dealing with inner critics
One of the most important jobs I have as a coach is to recognize, point out, and help my clients deal with their inner critics. Noticing and coming up with a strategy to deal with inner critics is an important part of coaching. We all have these “gremlins” messing with our lives. They are there…
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Don’t shy away from informational interviews
Many academics, broadly defined, claim to dislike networking, think it is insincere, that it’s not something they’re good at anyway. Now, I have many thoughts about all this, but let me offer just one in this post. I make a distinction between networking proper and informational interviews. The latter involves making contact with a person…
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Andrew Miller, Manager of the Transit Policy Office, Transition Q&A
Andrew Miller earned a PhD in history from Johns Hopkins University in 2005. He currently manages a transit policy office for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. What did you hope for in terms of employment as you completed your PhD? Unsurprisingly, I hoped for a tenure-track job, although I must admit those hopes weren’t fervent.…
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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…