Posted on by Odi · 4 Comments

Making the most of your time as a PhD student

Throughout my academic career I have been told that once I complete my studies the doors of opportunity would fly open for me. I have not found that to be true. Getting a secure job, or even accessing the funds to create your own job, is not guaranteed. A study undertaken by Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka found that a PhD may actually decrease your employability as this qualification is not necessarily valued outside of academia. More than once, I have had to climb laboriously through narrow windows because those proverbial doors never just sprung open. With this experience it is strange that I haven’t been more intentional or strategic about preparing for the world of work and life post-PhD.

I recently started a process of finding out which skills I have that can be transferred to industry outside of academia – just in case my original plan does not pan out.

septemberblogGetting an academic job is no mean feat. A short while ago I read a book called the ‘Professor is in’ by Professor Karen Kelsky. Actually, I received the book as a present a long while ago, but I was too afraid to read it. In a nutshell, Kelsky lays out the skills and techniques that doctoral candidates need in order to secure a tenured position at a university. And yes, the South African market is not the American market, but we’re heading straight there. I found Kelsky’s book simultaneously comforting and frightening. Comforting, as she lays out a roadmap to follow in making yourself marketable for an academic job; frightening, because she also paints a very bleak picture for those who wish to follow the tenure track. The crux of what I got out of the book is that: to be competitive, you need to be intentional about the additional skills you acquire over the course of your degree, and you also need to package yourself appropriately; YOU are the product.

If I had the opportunity to go back in time, I would have done things a bit differently from the start of my PhD, which includes being mindful about opportunities in the private sector. Below is a list of four things that I would have done differently (and I am working on correcting):

  1. Develop three different aspirational resumes: one for the corporate world, one for the NGO sector and, one for academia. These resumes would be modelled on the skills and expertise that I need for each sector. The idea is that by the time that I am done with building up my skills, I have three different areas that I have the capacity to enter based on my initial skillset and area of interest.
  2. Learn how to network better. I do not understand how networking really works although I know it is important. I am never sure what I am supposed to say to strangers and how to cultivate professional relationships outside of my area of expertise. I have made it my mission for the rest of the year to get better at building relationships.
  3. Be more adaptable and always have a willingness to learn. The reality is – the world has problems that need to be fixed. I need to adapt my skillset to meet the ever-changing challenges ahead and never say NO to learning something new. I am kicking myself for somehow Unlearning how to be adaptable:While studying towards my undergraduate degree, I worked part-time as an outbound insurance telemarketer. I was forced to learn about various insurance products, but I also had to learn how to “sell”. I earned a pretty decent commission on top of my basic salary. What I learned in that call centre is that your primary job is to figure out what your customer needs and give it them. Somewhere along the line I lost that person, who was always ready to think out of the box to meet society’s needs.
  4. Make better use of free university workshops while I can. I have come to realise that many of the capacity building workshops that are offered for free at university, such as journal writing or learning how to use the latest software, are worth a premium outside the ivory towers. All that it costs me is time and a few weeks of commitment but the rewards are immeasurable.

My list is not in anyway complete, as I am working out the details. I plan to book a few sessions with a career coach in the near future to help figure out how to navigate my post-doctoral life. I would appreciate any tips that you may have in the comments section below.

Posted on by Joey Hulbert

Attending conferences as a post-graduate student

Conferences are more important for networking than they are for sharing or learning when you are a post-graduate student.

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A conference without networking is just a proceeding of abstracts or papers. You may disagree, especially if you are shy, but depending on who you meet, attending a conference could change your life.

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The reason I am here writing this for you is because I met my current advisor at a conference.

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So what is the point of networking? Is it only useful if you are looking forward? Why drum up the courage to talk to the Prof or even the Minister of Science?

 

Even if you are not looking for anything, every meeting can still be beneficial. Below are some questions that you can ask any scientist. Even if you study biology and they study astronomy, or if you study plants and they study marine mammals, such conversations could be beneficial to you.

  • ask for advice (e.g. how does a young, South African scientist get ahead in the world?)
  • ask what they would’ve done differently,
  • ask about an experience they recommend (for an international student in SA for example)
  • ask about their personal story (what inspired you to become a scientist?)

 

The timing of conferences is certainly relevant to the pants you wear, but even if you are far from transitioning to a new degree or job, meet as many people as you can. If you meet someone outside of your field or someone irrelevant to your mission, ask if they recommend anyone at the conference that you should to speak to.

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Meet people that aren’t immediately relevant to your project, maybe they will inspire you to shift specializations, or alternatively, bolster your current interest. Conversations with strangers will help you find out more about yourself.

 

There is a positive linear relationship between the importance of networking and the time spent on your current degree, assuming you want to continue learning and pursuing science further after you finish. If you are close to finishing, and you want to continue on the path of advancing knowledge, treat every conference as a career fair, update your CV and make some business cards.

 

Perhaps the best advice I can give is to contact people ahead of time, especially for bigger conferences. Look through the schedule of presentations, take note of the talks relevant to your interests, and send those individuals emails. Introduce yourself and attached your CV. Then, when you meet them at the conference, you can say: “My name is… I contacted you a few weeks ago”.

 

 

Here are some suggestions for taking the next step to actually meet strangers:

  • Follow up with questions. Perhaps the most obvious is to approach people after their talks. This is generally well accepted and usually expected.
  • Eat with strangers. Less obvious but even more casual is to use meal opportunities. Pick a random table and sit next to someone you don’t know to eat your food. Then, start or join a random conversation.
  • Attend social events. Many conferences also arrange social events, generally providing liquid lubricant to alleviate the awkwardness of scientists. Never miss a social event at a conference.
  • Use your poster as a conversation starter or activity. Stand by your poster more often than the actual designated poster session, check back occasionally to see if anyone is perusing it. Also, use your poster as a tool to explain your interests and current research, ask people if you can show them your poster and arrange a time or walk to it with them.
  • Meet people through twitter. Twitter is an incredible tool to participate in discussions centered on conferences. You can shamelessly promote yourself or your poster, or you can use it to have conversations, summarize a main point, add your perspective to discussions or talks, and set up meetings. “Hey I am at this conference too! Come by my poster tomorrow”

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There is enormous variation in science persona, but I am yet to meet a scientist unwilling to entertain a short introduction. Use these opportunities to ‘pick their brains’. Avoid the comfort of your friends and put yourself out there for one or two nights to maximize your conference experiences.