Skip to content
A dotted path connects a green map marker at the top left and a blue map marker at the bottom right on a white background, symbolizing the journey of leaving academia to explore PhD career opportunities.
  • About Jen
    • Writing
    • Press and Media
    • Press Kit
  • Program
  • Services
  • Testimonials
  • Speaking and Workshops
  • Resources for PhDs
    • Transition Q & As
    • Alt-Ac Jobs at Institutions
    • Recommended Reading
    • PhD Career Transitions in Canada
  • Blog
Free webinar
PhD career coach

From PhD to Life blog

About Jen Polk
Free webinar for PhDs
Subscribe
  • Can a chatbot replace a PhD career coach?

    Dear Reader, I’ve been working on something new (fun!) and I’m not sure how I feel about it (hmm!). The new thing is a chatbot…

    Read more

  • Ever feel like your experience just doesn’t count?

    Dear Reader, The interviewer smiled politely. You could almost hear the quiet click of a mental file cabinet: PhD. Postdoc. Researcher. Each time Divya (not…

    Read more

    Ever feel like your experience just doesn’t count?
  • Don’t job search like students use AI to write papers

    Dear Reader, It often seems like the hardest part of leaving academia is figuring out how to “sell” yourself to employers. For example, a PhD…

    Read more

    Don’t job search like students use AI to write papers
  • October program info (+ help if you don’t know what you want next)

    Dear Reader, A lot of PhDs already know how to job search. Is this you? You have a job already, whether you work in academia…

    Read more

    October program info (+ help if you don’t know what you want next)
  • Fixing what’s underneath comes first (story time!)

    Dear Reader, Here’s a story about my living room wall. Today, it looks stunning. (If I do say so myself.) The colour grounds the space,…

    Read more

  • The problem with “once a scientist, always a scientist”

    Dear Reader, I saw this comment on LinkedIn recently: “Once a scientist, always a scientist.” At first glance, it feels like an empowering sentiment, reassuring…

    Read more

  • For PhDs who feel stuck in limbo

    Dear Reader, Here’s a surprising thing about my work: Many of my clients already have jobs outside of academia. Yep. Good jobs, even. They’re working…

    Read more

    For PhDs who feel stuck in limbo
  • What my clients taught me this week about leaving academia

    Dear Reader, The hardest part of leaving academia isn’t the job search itself. Yep. It’s the years of conditioning that make brilliant, passionate people feel…

    Read more

    What my clients taught me this week about leaving academia
  • “Do you do any intellectual work at all anymore?”

    Dear Reader, On Saturday, I went to a small party with people I’ve known casually for years but rarely see. When we all first met,…

    Read more

    “Do you do any intellectual work at all anymore?”
  • What to do after breaking up with academia

    Dear Reader, If you’re letting go of academia as the guiding framework for your life and career, welcome. What do I mean? Well, education is…

    Read more

    What to do after breaking up with academia
←Previous Page
1 2 3 4 5 … 36
Next Page→
Sign up for Jen Polk’s email list

Find what you’re looking for

View posts by category
  • Book Review
  • Comment
  • Podcast Appearances
  • Process
  • Reflection
  • Resources
  • Self-help
  • Transition Q & A
  • Uncategorized
  • Workplace Norms and Culture
View posts by tag

ABD academia academic academic job market adjunct adjuncting Alisa Harrison Al Jazeera alt-ac alternative-academic anthropology banking Beyond the Professoriate blogging book review brainstorming branding British Columbia business cancer career change career coach career transition Carleton University Carol Mark celebrant Central Asia changing careers Christopher Peterson coach coaching coach training communications conference confidence consulting cv dating dissertation e-learning Ed.D. elevator pitch employment English entrepreneur entrepreneurialism ethnography exercise Family Practice femlead finances freelance freelance life german studies Google Hangout grad school grad school. career change graduate school gratitude gremlin group coaching health health care healthy-living higher education history homework independent scholar informational interview informational interviews investing journalism librarian marketing money networking PhD positive psychology post-academic post-PhD professor project management Q&A Q & A resume self-care sessional instructor social media sociology strengths support group tenure transition Twitter twitter chat university administration University of Toronto values writer writing

View posts by date
  • 2026
  • 2025
  • 2024
  • 2023
  • 2022
  • 2021
  • 2020
  • 2019
  • 2018
  • 2017
  • 2016
  • 2015
  • 2014
  • 2013
  • 2012

Search

Work with Jen

Register for your free webinar

Join the Career Clarity Program for PhDs

Schedule a 1-on-1 consultation

Invite Jen for a workshop or speaking engagement

A dotted path connects a green map marker at the top left and a blue map marker at the bottom right on a white background, symbolizing the journey of leaving academia to explore PhD career opportunities.
PhD Career Clarity Program
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Sign up for Jen’s email list.

Designed with WordPress