Some highlights and observations from today's "Innovative Careers for PhDs" from @DukeGradSchool and @EshipAtDuke (long thread) 1/13
"they might not hire a historian, but they might hire YOU." ~ sage advice from @jmolich 's partner, when she was worried about whether to apply to her job at RTI (spoiler: they hired her)
When @jmolich was asked "what would you have done differently?" she emphasized that "it's important to own your decisions ... to own your career" 💯💯💯
I went to the social sciences panel (was lurking in the back of @DrSharlini 's photo) and it did not disappoint: @HeidiGiustoCPWS, John Hardin of @NCCommerce and @ntroeste of @researchsquare shared their stories of how they got into the careers they have now and responded to Qs.
I've been to a lot of these career diversity / versatile phd / nonacademic career events over the last 5-6 years or so, and what I've noticed is that some attendees seem to want a "how-to instruction kit" to their nonac career. I'm over that. I just want to hear people's stories.
Stories of career trajectories usually sound neat and tidy to an outside listener. Clearly, this person just got lucky - they *happened* to know someone, or they found their passion early (like Heidi with writing). How could that be more useful than concrete advice?
but the stories often reveal how it is that we make our own luck in ways that nobody can predict. Troester inadvertently broadened his career options by hanging out socially with people in a diff dept. Several speakers talked abt taking on small tasks that led to jobs much later.
Realizing that it's OK to take on that seemingly random gig, or taking that ____ course / certification / etc that intrigues you is actually much more helpful advice for me than someone telling me "You should do X" or "Consider developing Y skill."
In all fairness, I DO find it useful to think critically about "transferable skills" and how your CV lines translate into resume bullet points - but increasingly I worry about the potential hazards in overthinking (or worse, overselling) that part of it.
(If the dissertation is a project I am managing, then maybe that is the strongest endorsement for why I should not be hired as a project manager.)
We certainly gain all kinds of skills in the process of earning a PhD. (Lecturing to sleepy 20-year-olds 3x / week did wonders for my presentation skills, for example.) But a PhD isn't about gaining "skills" any more than undergraduate ed should be about "career preparedness."
As Nancy Go revealed in her talk, there's actually far less "translation" involved in explaining our skills to employers than we might think.
The SS panelists were in agreement - you shouldn't feel pressure to change your project/courses to prepare for a career. Be present in what you're doing now. (But also - go with your feelings. If the project / program isn't working, it is ok to change or to do something else)
I left with more confidence about the whole process, a few practical tips (I need to read up on ATS's), and new contacts. Frankly, it's a relief when the terms of discussion are not "there's a jobs crisis here's a solution" but "what do you want to do with your life?" /fin
