Category: Uncategorized
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Let’s hang out on Bluesky + other updates
Hi there Reader, What’s not a dumpster fire right now?* Because every day there’s bad news, everywhere, all around us. Our politicians despise us. Higher education is a mess. Healthcare is a mess. Climate crisis, genocide, war… And, in lesser bad news, Twitter seems truly and fully gone, dead, done. So I’ve (maybe for good)…
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A little about me (and why it matters to you) + this month’s member workshop
Hey there, Can I write an email all about me? Yes, why not. Here goes. I’ve been doing what I do, in a few different ways, for over a decade. Most of that time, I’ve been self-employed, working directly with individuals and collaborating with institutions or other organizations. These years of experience are part of…
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Feeling stuck in your job search? How to get moving
Hello Reader, One of the things that connects a lot of my professor, postdoc, and other PhD clients is wanting to feel in control of their working lives. This control comes out of being confident in the direction they’re headed, and able to effectively communicate—to partners, friends, and colleagues—what they’re doing and why it makes…
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You already know how to figure out your next job + free Friday workshop
Hi there Reader, As a PhD or researcher, you’re no stranger to the challenge of uncovering the truth, even when it’s complex or counterintuitive. Your work often involves figuring out what’s really going on—whether that means embracing null results, realizing you’ve missed something, or confronting the fact that your initial assumptions were off the mark.…
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Academia isn’t like other jobs. Or is it?
Dear Reader, Academia isn’t like other jobs but sometimes it helps to think about it that way. For example, it’s common for faculty members, including PIs with research groups, to feel outsized responsibility toward their staff and students. I get it. If students are only enrolled in a program because your lab funding enabled that,…
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This is me validating your frustrations with job searching
Hello Reader, How long does it take to get a job? Is it harder now than it was a couple years ago, or a decade ago? These are questions that came up in my live small group session for members of my PhD Career Clarity Program yesterday. There aren’t easy answers, not without more info…
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What do hope and faith have to do with leaving academia?
Dear Reader, The thing about academics thinking “I love this work more than anything” (a direct quote from a professor on my Twitter feed last week) is a) I believe you butb) you don’t know what you don’t know. Leaving academia—any career change—is an act of hope for a better tomorrow, and faith that you…
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Don’t overlook this invaluable free resource + asking for referrals
Hello Reader, A lot of folks misunderstand one of LinkedIn’s most valuable (and completely free) functions: A search engine to learn about people who have a huge range of different jobs. I frequently talk about networking with my clients and other PhDs looking for meaningful work outside the academy. What I typically mean when I…
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This one’s especially for postdocs + a new podcast recording
Hell Reader, A few days ago I met up with a former client, back then a research associate who wanted to move on to more meaningful work. Now? He’s doing great, still working with scientists within a university environment, but in much different and personally fulfilling capacity. Also last week a current postdoc client got…
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Bad (and good) news about transferable skills, and what it means for PhD job seekers
Dear Reader, I have a love-hate relationship with the concept of “transferable skills” for professors, postdocs, and other PhDs. Well-meaning folks tell job seekers “you have amazing transferable skills that will connect you with great opportunities outside academia.” And this is true; it also lacks nuance. The truth is that having transferable skills is necessary…