Category: Uncategorized
-
Will your PhD open doors for you? + other PhD business owners
Dear Reader, “Your PhD opens doors,” we were told. Not so much for me. At least not when it came to finding a full-time paying job.* When I was figuring out how to pay my way through life after finishing my doctorate, I attempted to identify positions and places where my PhD credential, disciplinary training,…
-
Why professors leave academia + are you a Big Idea Expert?
Dear Reader, Why do professors, even tenured ones, leave academia? Some of you know, because you lived this. But I bet a lot of folks outside the academy are surprised to learn that, yes, professors ditch tenure the get jobs elsewhere, and it’s not a rare phenomenon. Earlier this year I recorded a video about…
-
Troubleshooting your job search + my YouTube channel
Dear Reader, Did you know that I have a YouTube channel? Yes! Scroll down for links. You’re applying, occasionally getting an interview, but time is passing and unemployment is looming (or lengthening). Have you experienced this? It’s at this point that some people reach out to career coaches, wondering what we know that they don’t,…
-
Job applications made easy + why I do what I do
Dear Reader, How do you figure out what you want to do outside academia if all you’ve ever known of the world of employment (since shitty jobs in your youth) is working as a faculty member or postdoc?A couple program members had an exchange about exactly this recently. They framed it as looking for “something…
-
Student protesters have it right + invites and updates
Dear Reader, I hope you are safe and well these days. Are you following the student protests on US, Canadian, and other campuses around the world the past few weeks? A lot of faculty members are shocked by the reactions of senior administrators to what’s happening on their campus greens. They see themselves in some…
-
Grief, identity, and changing careers as a long-time academic
Dear Reader, It might surprise people who don’t have PhDs that grief is often part of the job search process, especially when you’re first changing career directions. In my own case, I didn’t experience grief per se. At least not much, and not for long. What I did have to do was disentangle my sense…
-
When to “do your part” as an academic and when to move on instead
Dear Reader, “We can’t dump all this service on junior faculty. You have to do you part.” Without context, this message from a senior administrator in higher education to a mid-career faculty member could be perceived in multiple ways. It’s certainly true that pre-tenure faculty must be given time to focus on work that will…
-
How to get great job offers and change careers
Dear Reader, How do you convince employers to take you seriously for work that’s quite different from what you’ve done for years? There are different ways to answer this question. Something super important is the necessity of getting right with yourself about this career pivot. You can’t demonstrate to a potential employer that you’re a…
-
“I loved working in academia. Now, I’m so disappointed.”
Dear Reader, “I loved working in academia…. Now, I’m so disappointed.” That’s the verdict of one of my clients who joined the PhD Career Clarity Program earlier this year. Here are others:”Everything in academia is about money. Nothing else matters.””… the burnout, isolation and dissatisfaction are real.””I yearn for a truly collaborative work environment.” And…
-
![[Monthly] What’s happening this month + popular posts](https://fromphdtolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/vvTginhxzTewp8cFZbYn1m.jpg)
[Monthly] What’s happening this month + popular posts
Dear Reader, My big news is that I’ve welcomed nearly 40 new members to the PhD Career Clarity Program this month! 👏🏻 Happy New Year to me 🎉! And to you, too. It’s great to be working with these folks. They include professors, postdocs, a few graduate students, plus other PhDs ready to finally figure…