Things I've been asked about work
Naledi Saul
Some PhD students and postdocs have not disclosed to their advisors/PIs their interest in a non-academic career. Career Centers need to think about how to serve trainees who might not want to be tracked at the latest high profile program or on a career office’s social media streams. Here’s what our office our office does to support them.
Scientific collaborations are common, important, complex. A failed collaboration can impede, or even end, a student’s or postdoc’s career. So, if you only have an
The Goal? To get students and postdocs to take charge of their career We’ve been thinking about different ways make student/postdoc career and professional development constantly visible and accessible. Some issues: there
Career counselors in our office have noted that many graduate students and postdocs repeatedly get ‘stuck’ when exploring the wide range of career options available to PhDs, because they lack a foundational understanding of precisely what it means to ‘explore careers’. So, they read pithy articles or first person narratives that encourage activities like ‘identify transferrable skills’ and ‘conduct informational interviews’, and feel lost. Check out an instrument I developed that we use in counseling appointments to help PhDs get ‘unstuck’ in the career exploration process.
Finally we cover hurdles #4 and #5: the people who relied upon you, and you, because it didn’t occur to you how to respond when you boss asked why you’re leaving.
Last time, I covered the #1 hurdle that can trip you up while going out the door: Your boss. Now let’s talk about the next two on the list: 2) You, and your expectations about ‘leaving well’, and 3) your (unhappy) colleagues.
