When Dr. Travis Webb got in touch with me some time ago to introduce his new business management platform, Yo-Do Software, I was interested in the platform, but even more interested in his personal story of going from a Religion PhD to a business … [Read more...] about How to Make the Leap from Academia to Founding – Guest Post
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52 Career Actions: Week 9: Write a 90 Second Career Pitch
Sorry I am a bit late on this one. Did I mention, Kel is buying a bookstore? As we box up about half of the 30,000 (no that's not a typo) books shoved into every available nook and cranny by the previous hoarder owner, I have been knee deep in … [Read more...] about 52 Career Actions: Week 9: Write a 90 Second Career Pitch
“Did We Drop the Ball on That?” The Power of Your Words
I was working with an instructional faculty member in the social sciences. The department had offered them the opportunity to teach some classes in their own specialization, which would be a great support for their own research and writing. They … [Read more...] about “Did We Drop the Ball on That?” The Power of Your Words
52 Career Actions: Week 8: Update Your LinkedIn Profile!
Take a deep breath. It's time to face that thing you've been avoiding. That thing that strikes fear in the heart of virtually every academic. That thing that announces to the world that a) you exist and b) you are looking for work. Yes, reader, I … [Read more...] about 52 Career Actions: Week 8: Update Your LinkedIn Profile!
Etymology Is a Growth Industry?!: Colin Gorrie’s Innovative Post-Ac Path
If you've been hanging around Professor Is In for any length of time, you know that I (Karen) have a side obsession with British early medieval history. Talking about Viking settlements in the North of England? I'm there! Alfred the Great? He's my … [Read more...] about Etymology Is a Growth Industry?!: Colin Gorrie’s Innovative Post-Ac Path
52 Career Actions: Week 7: Create a Weekly Habits Sheet
Congratulations on getting this far! At this point in the series you have already done several things that most PhDs skip when they are thinking about career transitions. You named the career you are trying to build. You audited where your … [Read more...] about 52 Career Actions: Week 7: Create a Weekly Habits Sheet
52 Career Actions: Week 6: Benchmark the Skills You Actually Need
Last week you identified real job titles. Not aspirations. Not identities. Titles that actually exist in the labor market. Now we do the part most PhDs skip. We benchmark the skills. Here is the pattern I see constantly. A PhD finds a job … [Read more...] about 52 Career Actions: Week 6: Benchmark the Skills You Actually Need
52 Career Actions: Week 5: Research Job Titles
Week 5: Research Job Titles This week's action is for those considering leaving the academy. At this stage, it's easy think that you are being strategic when you say things like “I’m open to nonacademic work” or “I’ll look outside the … [Read more...] about 52 Career Actions: Week 5: Research Job Titles
I’m Buying a Bookstore
This is Kel. I am buying a bookstore. It's 900 square feet. It is 12 blocks from my house. It has 30,000 titles held in the mind of a man who has built its thoughtful, scholarly inventory for 32 years. Once my friends and I get the titles scanned … [Read more...] about I’m Buying a Bookstore
52 Career Actions: Week 4: Define Your Lane (with Criteria, Not Fantasy)
Define Your Lane (with Criteria, Not Fantasy) We continue with 52 weeks of focusing on what you can control! By now you have done three things: You clarified your career values. You audited where your time actually goes. You wrote a professional … [Read more...] about 52 Career Actions: Week 4: Define Your Lane (with Criteria, Not Fantasy)