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Dr. Matt Bakker
Dr. Matthew Bakker has spent many years working for the Federal Government. Beginning with a term Research Associate position (equivalent to a post-doc at a university), he subsequently competed successfully for a principal-investigator-level staff scientist position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. After 6 years with USDA, he has just transitioned back to academia and he is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Manitoba, Canada. His background is in Plant Pathology (University of Minnesota). Dr. Bakker’s research addresses questions in microbial ecology, microbiomes, and connections between microbiology and the productivity and sustainability of crop production.
Find Matthew on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/
Matthew’s Consulting Philosophy:
None of us have the breadth of experience to be able to intuitively know what our ideal career would look like; it is important to remain open to new possibilities and to be willing to reimagine ourselves in unexpected roles. As a graduate student, surrounded by people who had chosen the academic track, some of the damaging propensities and baggage associated with this career path became obvious over time. I began to wonder whether alternative career destinations existed that might offer a structure that was more conducive to a balanced whole-life experience. I was surprised to discover options for scientific research within the federal government that offered intellectual challenge, scientific freedom, and also reasonable and clear performance expectations. I will help you explore whether options in government could provide a good fit, and work with you to successfully navigate ‘the system’.
Dr. Vania Cao
Vania Cao is a neuroscientist, strategic communicator and enthusiast in many other fields, with professional experience in writing, reporting, video creation and more. She received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Brown University and the National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnerships Program in 2013, and is a published writer and illustrator in a variety of mediums. She has written articles for newspapers, interviewed fellow scientists, deans and ambassadors, authored white papers and product descriptions, written blog posts for startups and recorded voiceovers. Scientific illustration and 3D modeling are among her professional artistic skills, along with digital painting and video editing. She sings for fun, and has hosted and MCed a variety of different events. Vania transitioned out of academia after graduate school, and loves her job managing scientific content and training at a biotech startup in Silicon Valley. She firmly believes that the value of scientific know-how packaged in real world skillsets is a devastatingly effective way to launch any graduate’s career, but that especially for those who have primarily wet lab research experience, it’s extremely important to begin preparing for possibilities and opportun
Check out my publications and work on my LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/
Vania’s Consulting Philosophy:
When you feel like your research skillsets aren’t able to help you get started in a career away from the bench, this can be frustrating and terrifying, especially when you feel alone in your struggles. But never fear; you’re definitely not alone! I’m ready to discuss your background, concerns and ideas, and help you put together a concrete action plan to explore your options in tangible ways. Let’s improve your writing, interview skills, and most importantly, change the way you think about yourself and your options moving forward. I have counseled both native and visiting scholars about their career paths and interests, and have edited and coached on how to create effective cover letters and resumes. Have questions about what kinds of skills employers care about? Wondering what to focus on in interviews? Need advice on how to deal with different relationships that affect your career progress? Curious about the realities of working out in the “real world” with cubicles and coworkers? Let’s get started!
Dr. Karen Cardozo
Karen Cardozo started in career counseling at Harvard in the 1990’s and returned to the field two decades later. In between, she completed a Masters in Higher Education Administration at Harvard (1993) and PhD in English/American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (2005). Before, during and after the PhD she worked as a dean at Mount Holyoke and taught a wide range of courses in the Five College Consortium of Western Massachusetts. When a tenure track position didn’t materialize, Karen made a Real-Ac turn back to career development at Williams College, only to then land a tenure-track position in Interdisciplinary Studies at MCLA in the Berkshires, where she introduced a new course on the changing world of work and ultimately gained tenure). Karen was recruited thereafter for the role of Executive Director of Career Development at Hollins University in Roanoke, VA. That experience launched her into her current position as AVP of Career Design at Northeastern University in Boston. Karen identifies primarily as a developer of whole human beings, and tries to be one herself by meditating, spending time with her husband and sons, hiking with her dog Sadie, and making music with her band, Show of Cards (showofcards.com). You can email her at cardozok1@gmail.com or find her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-cardozo-5a7b497a/
Karen’s consulting philosophy:
With a Masters in Higher Education Administration and a variety of work experiences on 8 different campuses (R1 and SLACs, public and private, single-sex and coed), I have significant institutional knowledge and expertise on Alt-Ac careers as well as related diversity issues. As a generalist MBTI-certified former career counselor, I’m also well-suited to offer a robust diagnostic approach to broader career change possibilities. And because I’m an interdisciplinary scholar currently located in the tenure system, I am well-placed to help you consider the comparative merits of academic versus nonacademic jobs, as well as the transferable potential of your scholarly background. Finally, as an aspiring yogi, singer-songwriter, and parent, I can empathize with and support your larger efforts to compose a satisfying and meaningful life.
Dr. Maggie Gover
Maggie Gover’s career is dedicated to helping students successfully complete their graduate degrees and then transition into successful professional lives. As such, she has quite a bit of experience helping students identify industries in which they may be successful and describing their graduate careers in ways that might be attractive to those industries. While she is most knowledgeable in alternative academic jobs, she has helped students transition into private industry, government, and non-profit jobs as well. Maggie’s service to students began when she was an undergraduate at the University of Southern California where she served as an intern in the Office of Admissions. While she was completing her Master’s degree at the University of Oxford she served as a Junior Dean at St. Hilda’s College. When she was a PhD candidate at UC Riverside she was the Coordinator for Academic Preparation and Outreach and then the Graduate Student Mentorship Program Coordinator, and later the Director of Graduate Student Professional and Academic Development. While she is now primarily an administrator, she is still researching and publishing in theories of new media and 19th C visual sciences.Adrienne Posner
Adrienne Posner is a Program Manager at Google and works on various internal and external educational initiatives focused on creating a more diverse workforce. Adrienne received her BA in Art History from UC Santa Cruz, completed a fellowship in Critical Theory at the Whitney Museum, and then took a detour into the non-profit sector, working for a time for a political action committee. Returning to school, she received an MA in Art History from UCLA and then applied to the Comparative Literature program at UCLA where she received a second MA, advanced to candidacy, and began work on a dissertation before deciding to leave the academy altogether.
Adrienne’s experience consulting with grad students began as a teaching assistant trainer and continued in her work at UCLA’s Graduate Writing Center, where she coached grad students through organizing, writing, editing, and filing their dissertations. Though no longer an academic, she is still actively engaged in working in higher education, both via her work at Google and via her consulting work helping graduate students and academics at all levels navigate both academia and the non-academic job market.
Coaching Philosophy
As someone who has worked in the non profit sector and the museum world and then transitioned back into academia and then moved between academic programs and then back out of academia and into the tech sector, I have significant institutional knowledge and a wide range of experiences in a variety non-academic settings. I love working with social scientists and humanities folks in particular, and I have extensive experience with tenured faculty as well as early career scholars. If you’re on the fence about how or if to proceed with your degree, if you already have your degree but are considering a change, if you aren’t sure what skills or experiences make you marketable outside the academy, if you’re simply curious about what kinds of alt-ac jobs are out there, or if you want to better understand the tech landscape and how to apply for and get work that feels sustainable and personally meaningful, I can help.
Dr. Jason Tebbe
Jason Tebbe is a former academic who has been teaching for three years at an independent high school in New York City. He received his PhD in German History from the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign in 2006, and went on to be a visiting professor for two years and an assistant professor for three years after that before seeing the light. He is the author of the blog Notes from the Ironbound (KK: where he has excellent post-ac content) and still maintains active research projects on the history of memory and travel. Find him on Twitter at @wernerherzbear.
Jason’s Consulting Philosophy:
I am a former academic with experience on both the contingent and tenure tracks who has made the transition to teaching at an independent high school in Manhattan. Having recently made this change, I have a lot of expertise in applying for jobs at private schools, and plenty of advice on how to navigate the culture of private schools, which differs quite a bit from the academic application process. I can provide tips for finding jobs, fashioning application materials, interviewing, and adjusting to life in a new profession.