Beyond the Professoriate is hosting a series of free events to support graduate student and postdoctoral professional and career development. These events are free and open to anyone.
Three Common Mistakes PhDs Make When Starting Their Job Search
January 22
Over the past four years, the Beyond the Professoriate team has interviewed hundreds of PhDs about how to make a successful career transition. Through this research, we’ve learned what makes, and breaks, a non-academic job search.
In this webinar, L. Maren Wood, PhD, will share with you these results. What are the common mistakes PhDs made when starting their job searches? And what strategies did they eventually use that led to a successful career transition?
After attending this webinar, you will be able to:
• Identify common mistakes PhDs make when applying for non-academic jobs
• Apply proven strategies so that you can avoid making these mistakes
• Recognize the most critical piece of a non-academic job search
Register
How to Find a Job You'll Love
February 12
Last year, Beyond the Professoriate conducted a survey of 3,500 PhDs. We learned that the vast majority of PhDs fear that a non-academic job will be less rewarding and intellectually stimulating than being a professor. We know from our research that PhDs are able to forge meaningful and impactful careers in all industries and sectors.
Join L. Maren Wood, PhD, in this webinar and learn how you can find a non-academic career where you will thrive, engage in meaningful work, and be connected to people and projects that matter to you.
After attending this webinar, you will be able to:
• Describe how non-academic careers provide intellectual and rewarding work for PhDs
• Illustrate how values and motivators can be career hooks
• Recognize the importance of identifying your Optimal Career Pathway
Register
Four Things to Consider If You Want to Start a Business or Be a Freelancer
February 26
Have you ever thought about working for yourself? Maybe you want to start your own business, or perhaps you’re thinking of being a solopreneur.
Join Beyond the Professoriate Founder L. Maren Wood, PhD, for this webinar on what every PhD should know about starting their own business or launching a career as a freelancer. After attending this webinar, you will be able to:
• Identify the difference between freelancing/solopreneurship and starting a business
• Recognize common mistakes people make when starting a business
• Develop strategies for launching your own successful start-up or career as a freelancer
Register
Non-academic Career Options for STEM PhDs
March 12
What can grad students in STEM disciplines do with a PhD? Join Beyond the Professoriate as we host three PhDs for a conversation about career opportunities outside of academia.
After attending this webinar, you will be able to:
• Articulate the routines and challenges of a STEM PhD working in industry
• Identify common careers for STEM PhDs outside of academia
• Apply networking strategies to assist in your industry job search
Register
Non-academic Career Options for Humanities and Social Sciences
March 26
What can grad students in the Humanities and Social Sciences do with their PhD? Join Founder of Beyond the Professoriate, L. Maren Wood, PhD, as she talks to three Humanities and Social Science PhDs about their career paths.
After attending this webinar, you will be able to:
• Identify growing sectors for PhDs coming out of the humanities and social sciences
• Coordinate successful networking with other professionals
• Recognize common challenges for humanities and social science PhDs transitioning to non-academic careers
Register
Why Leaving Academia Can Be Harder Than It Seems
April 9
PhDs can work wherever smart people are needed. But leveraging your education to build a new career comes with a range of challenges. Some of these are obvious: you need a resume instead of a CV. You have to learn the language of non-academic employers. You’ll have to build a new community of practitioners who can help you build your new career.
But many of the challenges that keep PhDs from successfully launching non-faculty careers have nothing to do with strategy. In this webinar, L. Maren Wood, PhD, will share with you what really holds PhDs back from making the leap from academia to a professional career, and how you can become comfortable taking a risk to build a meaningful non-faculty career.
After attending this webinar, you will be able to:
• Recognize the three most common fears PhDs have when they leave academia
• Identify strategies for overcoming these fears so you can build a new career
• Apply these strategies to manage self-doubt and impostor syndrome
Register
How I Decided to Leave Academia
April 23
Are you considering a non-faculty career? Join Beyond the Professoriate Founder L. Maren Wood, PhD, as she speaks with three PhDs about their decision to leave academia and how they built thriving careers in the professional workforce.
After attending this webinar, you will be able to:
• Articulate common reasons PhDs have for leaving academia
• Recognize your own push/pull factors for pursuing a non-academic career
• Apply strategies to begin exploring career options that align with your unique skills and interests
Register