JOIN THE PHD CAREER CLARITY PROGRAM
Your current job isn’t it.
Now what?
For professors, postdocs, and other PhDs (inside or outside academia already) who know their current role isn’t the right fit but don’t know what would be.
- working in academia no longer feels like the right long-term path for you
- you’ve already left the postdoc or faculty track but your new non-academic role isn’t right either
- you’re exploring career options elsewhere but feel overwhelmed (and maybe also underwhelmed) by the possibilities
You’re in the uncomfortable in-between:
You want something different. But you don’t yet know what that is—or how to move toward it.
Land your next great-fit role with the support of the PhD Career Clarity Program and community.
6 months access. Start anytime.
“I had definitely been around the block applying for jobs for the last few years, but it was in no way a focused search.”
—C.C., PhD
Uncertain? Feeling some sort of way about it?
Welcome. You’re in great company.
Many PhDs (and other long-time academics) reach a moment where the next best (for you) job isn’t at all obvious.
But you’re left wondering:
- Do I really want to ‘abandon’ academia?
- How does my academic experience translate to jobs beyond academia?
- What kinds of work would actually suit me, the real me, for real?
This uncertainty is extremely common.
But it can also feel isolating.
Having unhelpful thoughts?
People sometimes grapple with thoughts such as
- “Can I really do this? Be useful and happy in a totally different job?”
- “I should be able to figure this out on my own.”
- “I can’t tell anyone. I have to do this secretly.”
You’re looking for answers. For a real way to move forward.
“My job was wrapping up and I felt pretty lost about my next steps. The thought of figuring it out on my own was daunting.”
—J.F., PhD
“The program has honestly helped to keep me grounded during the job search process.”
—S.B, PhD
The PhD Career Clarity Program is a proven process to go from confusion to clarity in your job search
1. Prepare for action
2. Focus on Yourself
3. Identify Possibilities
4. Market to Employers
The advice PhDs come across usually focuses on tactics
- Rewriting your resume (can’t they just read your already comprehensive CV?)
- Networking more (how, with whom, without hating yourself?)
- Applying for jobs outside academia (you’re trying; you’re being ignored)
Those steps aren’t wrong. But they’re not the steps that will actually move you forward right now.
Why? Because they don’t help much if you’re not yet clear about
- What kind of work you actually want to do, specifically (nuance matters)
- How your strengths match up with what non-academic employers value (pay for)
- Which opportunities are truly aligned with your interests and priorities (so you aren’t back here ever again)
You might already have a general direction in mind (e.g. industry, research, the not-for-profit sector), but not the specificity required to actually land a great-for-you job.
Without that clarity…
It’s incredibly difficult to search, apply, and interview in a focused, strategic way.
This is why people often
- spend months or years feeling stuck
- jump into the first available job and discover it’s another mismatch
- lose confidence in their skills
- feel disconnected from work that once felt meaningful
So here you are, feeling scattered, frustrated, and increasingly unsure in yourself, despite your education and years of experience.
And most people assume this means they need to try harder.
But trying harder just keeps you in the same loop.
And that loop has a cost.
You may call it “still figuring it out,” but often what’s really happening is this:
you’re wasting time you don’t have, staying much too long in a role that’s grinding you down, or inching toward something else you already know won’t be a life upgrade.
People often reach this point when a contract is ending, a role they worked hard to get already feels too small, burnout becomes impossible to ignore, or they realize they can’t keep figuring it out alone.
“I was applying willy-nilly to random jobs online…focused on escaping rather than thinking about what I actually wanted to do.”
—S.R., PhD
“I was using the ‘spray and pray’ method, applying to various roles without a clear direction.”
—S.L., PhD
Your problem?
It’s clarity, not lack of effort
If you’ve been trying to “figure it out” by applying to jobs, rewriting your resume, or reading more advice—and still feel stuck… that’s why.
You’re stuck because you don’t yet have the clarity needed to make focused, confident decisions about what roles are really right for you—and how to position yourself for them.
And that kind of clarity doesn’t come from more effort or more applications.
It comes from working through a structured process, one that helps you think, reflect, and make sense of what you actually want.
So that you can identify roles that genuinely fit and don’t make you want to scream into the void every day.
That’s exactly why I created the PhD Career Clarity Program.
Instead of jumping straight into job applications, the program helps you first answer a deeper question:
What kind of career would actually fit who you are and what you want now?
From there, you can move forward with direction instead of guessing your way through your job search.
“It wasn’t job boards, mass applications, or even AI tools that helped me move forward. It was clarity.”
—J.E., PhD
“The best part of the course for me was finding my focus…this really helped me to limit my search and not get bogged down by just applying for jobs that were likely not suitable.”
—K.H., PhD
Hi, I’m Jennifer Polk, PhD
Since 2013 I’ve helped hundreds of PhDs across disciplines rethink their careers both inside and outside academia.
I help professors, postdocs, and other PhDs figure out what they actually want next in their careers—and move toward it with clarity and a plan that fits.
Most of the people I work with are thoughtful, capable, and experienced. They have what it takes to pivot or entirely reinvent themselves, professionally.
They don’t need more advice. They need a way to make sense of their own experience and move forward with intention.
That’s what this program is designed to do.
My work brings together structured reflection, practical job search strategy, and a supportive community so you’re not left trying to figure this out on your own.I also regularly facilitate workshops and speak on PhD career paths for universities and professional organizations across North America and internationally, and my writing has appeared in outlets such as University Affairs, Inside Higher Ed, and the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Jen understood what I was going through in a unique way as only someone who has also gone through it can.
—M.D., PhD
The PhD Career Clarity Program
A structured process and supportive community for navigating your post-academic career.
Inside the program
You’re not left alone to figure it out, or pushed into job applications before you’re ready. This isn’t about giving you a list of jobs or generic advice to follow.
It’s about helping you think clearly about your own career, so you can make decisions and take action based on that clarity, not guesswork and questionable assumptions.
- Work through a framework designed specifically for professors, postdocs, and other PhDs who are rethinking their careers
- Clarify what matters to you, explore real possibilities, and build a strategy for moving toward work that actually fits
- Reflect, test ideas, and make decisions at your own pace, while getting support all along the way
- Join small group coaching calls, where you can ask questions, talk through decisions, and get feedback
- Participate in monthly live workshops to go deeper on specific topics, and draw on a growing library of recorded sessions with worksheets and templates you can return to anytime
You’re not expected to do everything at once.
The program is designed so you can focus on what you need, when you need it—and keep moving forward.
If this sounds familiar, join the PhD Career Clarity Program now.
38 lessons to support your job search
5+ hours of video content
15+ worksheets
Proven system for PhDs on the job market
“What’s changed most is my sense of hope.“
—J.F., PhD
“I’ve started a new job that offers the stability I craved…and thinking about my next step is much less intimidating.”
—J.F., PhD
“I genuinely don’t think I would have had the courage to power through these applications and interviews 2 months ago when I joined the program.”
—P.L., PhD
From feeling stuck or scattered
→ to having direction
“Your system helped me develop a framework for realizing what I want from my next career…”
—J.S., PhD
“I’ve become much better at recognizing that I actually have a lot to offer, and I’m much bolder about applying for things that I really want.”
—C.C., PhD
“For the first time, I saw that employment could support my values instead of feeling like something I dreaded.”
—P.P., ABD
From uncertainty
→ to clarity and focus
“Through the program, I clarified my values and the kinds of work that appeal most to me…“
—H.L.M., PhD
“I feel so strong and confident in my marketability and my ability to change careers.”
—R.H., PhD
“My biggest takeaway is that there are many paths to a happy career.”
—S.R., PhD
From self-doubt
→ to confidence and action
“…my morale has done a complete 180.”
—L.K., PhD
“When I first started your course, I was very shy about contacting people…This is no longer the case…”
—J.C., PhD
From isolation
→ to real support and momentum
“The moral support was breathing life into me.”
—R.D., PhD
“I no longer feel alone in the job search process.”
—S.C., PhD
“I went from having practically no contacts in my new area to dozens.”
—J.F., PhD
From worry
→ to real outcomes
“I found an amazing job much more quickly than I had anticipated.”
—A.W., PhD
“I got the best job I could possibly hope for…I’m over the moon.”
—R.D., PhD
“I was able to bag three full-time industry and two short-term consultancy offers…”
—M.T., PhD
Join the PhD Career Clarity Program
Who this program is for
This program may be a good fit if you are a PhD who’s
- still in academia for now but want to be ready to pivot if your situation changes
- actively trying to transition into a new career direction
- already outside academia but unsure what direction to take next
What these situations share is the same underlying question:
What actually makes sense for me next?
I was in a full-time, ranked, multiyear teaching position but unhappy and not earning enough.
—H.L.M., PhD
Before joining the program, I was in a well-paying job, but it didn’t tap into the research and writing skills I honed during my PhD.
—S.C., PhD
The PhD Career Clarity System
No more spinning, second-guessing, or starting over every week.
No more wondering if you’re doing this “right.”
This is the core framework you’ll follow, ensuring you always know what you’re doing every step of the way.
1. Prepare for action
Step back from the pressure to “figure it out” and start by examining how you’ve been thinking about your career—so you can challenge assumptions, recognize patterns, and set yourself up to move forward with a clearer sense of what you’re actually aiming for.
2. Focus on Yourself
Work through a structured self-assessment to clarify your skills, interests, and priorities—and define what you’re actually looking for moving forward. This work helps anchor your search in yourself before exploring further.
“Creating an everything CV was especially useful.”
—C.L.R., PhD
3. Identify Possibilities
Explore real job options and gather insights about career paths that may be a good fit. Here, you’ll seek out the information you need to make confident decisions about role alignment. This includes networking, but thoughtfully, with the right frame of mind.
“The informational interviews were really useful in showing me what I wanted to do… and what I didn’t.”
—P.L., PhD
4. Market to Employers
Develop a custom job search strategy and learn how to present your experience clearly—through your materials, conversations, and interviews—so you can pursue roles that actually fit. Launch your job search feeling confident.
Explore the program
Click on the arrows to explore features of the PhD Career Clarity Program.
Our Workshops
New workshops are added regularly based on what members are working through. You’ll get instant access to a lineup of workshop replays and more in the Member Resources Library when you join the Program today.
These are not passive recordings. They’re designed so you can do the work, not just understand it.
- translate your academic experience into language employers understand
- draft resume points or interview answers using structured frameworks
- practice how to talk about leaving academia with clarity and confidence
- develop a networking or job search strategy that fits your situation
- reflect on patterns in your experience to refine your direction
You can spend an hour with a workshop whenever you need it—and leave with something concrete.
“The process was definitely made easier by the program…having this structure really helped me.”
—S.M., PhD
“I found great value in the group meetings and reviewing past workshops.”
—S.B., PhD
Join the Program
You don’t need to have everything figured out before you join. That’s what the program is for.
The PhD Career Clarity Program is designed to give you the structure, support, and space you need to figure out what comes next—and move toward it with real, grounded confidence.
Program Fee
$999 USD for 6 months of access
This includes
- the full core course
- access to all live coaching sessions
- monthly workshops
- the full workshop library
- the private community space
After your initial 6 months, you can continue with optional monthly access if you’d like ongoing support.
FAQs
Do I have to be leaving academia to join?
No. Many members are still in academic roles when they join.
Some are actively planning to leave. Others want to be ready if their situation changes.
The program helps you clarify what you want next—whether that leads you outside academia or not.
What if I don’t know what I want yet?
That’s exactly where most people start.
You don’t need a clear goal before joining. The program is designed to help you figure that out through a structured process with a community to support you along the way.
How much time does the program take?
The program is designed to be flexible. Some members spend a few hours per week working through the course and attending sessions. Others move more gradually.
You can engage at a pace that works for your schedule. The core course is about 5 hours of videos. There are also interactive elements like our small group meetings and live workshops you can attend.
What if I’ve already left academia?
You’re absolutely welcome here.
Many members have already transitioned out of academia but find themselves in roles that aren’t the right fit—or are unsure what to do next.
Will this help me get a job?
The program will help you build clarity, strategy, and confidence in your job search.
Many members do go on to secure new roles.
More importantly, you’ll be making decisions and taking action based on a clearer understanding of what you actually want.
Ready to figure this out for real this time?
You don’t need to stay in a holding pattern of inaction or submitting online applications that go nowhere.
Inside the program, you’ll get specific about what you actually want and follow a plan you trust, so you actually move forward.
“It was just what I needed as I was taking my first steps out of academia.”
—R.D., PhD
Join the PhD Career Clarity Program
Not sure if this is the right fit? Book a private tour to talk it through with me.
“I no longer feel stuck or discouraged. I have a plan and a process to find work that suits my skills and values.”
—P.P., ABD
Sign up
Feeling unsure because you want 1-on-1 support?
The PhD Career Clarity Program is full of smart, thoughtful people in the community. I hope you get a lot out of our small group meetings and live workshops. Inside the Program, you can schedule a 1-on-1 consultation with career coach for PhDs, Jen Polk at a savings when you want personalized support.
Or, sign up for the PhD Career Clarity Program now with 3 private consultations with Jen. Join the Program with (3) 1-on-1 sessions.
* 1-on-1 sessions (60 minutes) with Jen are $225 each. PhD Career Clarity Members save $50 per hour-long session whether you purchase individually inside the Program or invest in 3 sessions now with our Pay in Full and Payment Plan options.
