Careers with Purpose
There was a piece of advice that I heard again and again during my young life, long before I ever thought about doing a PhD and certainly long before I thought about leaving academia. “Get a good job with a pension.” If there was academic
Updated March 8, 2023 I’ve now worked outside of academia for three years, and I’ve realized that research careers are EVERYWHERE! I’ve been paid to research for most of my career so far. So it annoys me when people assume you have to work in
I spent a few years learning about papyrology during my doctorate. For those of you who don’t know, papyrus is sort of like an ancient paper that’s mostly found in Egypt. In 2016 I went to a big conference on papyrology in Barcelona. All of
I sat in on a how-to-get a job seminar in the second year of my PhD that stressed the importance of networking for non-academic careers. I nodded and took notes. The instructor looked us in the eye and said, “Don’t wait until you’re done. Start
“Do you think your PhD fucking impresses me?” I was sitting at a table in Ottawa’s prestigious Chateau Laurier for one of my worst job interviews ever. This angry little man in front of me had a PhD himself. And while ultimately I decided that
Impact-Site-Verification: 51455037 I started my altac career just before I finished my PhD. I was in final revisions with my supervisor, and I got a job running projects for a think tank. Getting the job added a few months to my thesis, since the revisions
Impact-Site-Verification: 51455037 One morning last October, I put on my dress pants and dress shirt and climbed onto the bus into the city. The sun hadn’t yet risen over the last of the fall leaves, and there was a light haze hanging in the early-morning
I was having lunch with a fellow PhD working outside of academia the other day, and I articulated something I’ve been thinking but didn’t quite know how to say. I don’t regret my PhD. I really don’t, even though I’m cynical about academia. It’s a
As I’ve transitioned to a post-PhD career, I’ve realized something. Success is all about mindset. Now before you imagine those cheesy posters from the 90s that had motivational quotes on them (hands up if you’re old enough to remember those), let me explain. It’s super
I was raised religious, and as a kid there were two career paths that appealed to me more than any others: missionary and minister. I felt that I’d been put on this earth for some higher purpose, and what higher purpose could there be than
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