‘The most compelling common denominator among people who have adopted the “alt-academic” moniker is that they tend to […] incorporate scholarly methods into the way that work is done. They engage in work with the same intellectual curiosity that fuelled the desire to go to graduate school in the first place.” – Katina L. Rogers,Continue reading ““If I leave academia, can I come back?” Perspectives on a persistent question”
Category Archives: Professional identity
‘Academic-adjacent careers’: what are they, and how do I find them?
“It never sat very comfortably that during my PhD I became so specialised that only a handful of people really understood my work. I wanted to expand my mind, not focus it. So a research-adjacent career has fed my curiosity and my soul in a way I now see research never could.“ – Sarah McLusky,Continue reading “‘Academic-adjacent careers’: what are they, and how do I find them?”
Culture Shock: how to navigate unspoken differences between academia and ‘industry’
‘Like a salmon leaping up rapids and waterfalls, I discovered I needed to be intentional about my career and know where I was headed, even though I didn’t know exactly what was waiting for me upstream.’ – Matteo Tardelli,The Salmon Leap for PhDs Rather like bowling, or trying to iron creases out of clothes withoutContinue reading “Culture Shock: how to navigate unspoken differences between academia and ‘industry’”
When leaving academia isn’t ‘giving up’… it’s actually finding yourself
‘Changing your goal or vision is ok. You can be happy beyond academia: it’s not second best, it’s an alternative.’ – Dr Naomi Tyrrell One of the most confusing conversations I had in my PhD went something like this: Me: Yeah, I’m properly looking into careers in university professional services for after my PhD. FellowContinue reading “When leaving academia isn’t ‘giving up’… it’s actually finding yourself”
Expert, or imposter? Why post-PhD careers can take time to gel
‘We like to think that we should make a living based on what we enjoy doing. However it’s often the opposite way: we start enjoying jobs in which our expertise is respected. […] Passion and fulfilment often come after reaching some level of proficiency in a certain area and not the other way around.‘ –Continue reading “Expert, or imposter? Why post-PhD careers can take time to gel”
“Non-Academic” Jobs: more academic than you think?
‘My industry life doesn’t look that dissimilar from my academic life, to be honest.’ – Abby Bajuniemi, PhD Sections from this post also appear in the University of Birmingham’s Postgraduate Researcher Development Blog. Nicknames at work can be telling. My partner’s work nickname happens to be ‘The Professor.’ He thinks it’s the mad-scientist-curly-hair that drawsContinue reading ““Non-Academic” Jobs: more academic than you think?”