As we all know (I'm preaching to the choir here...) being a graduate student comes with its own unique sets of challenges that are difficult to relate to unless you've been there. There is a huge difference between being an undergraduate and a graduate student...just as large as between being in high school and going to college. As compared to undergraduates, we have a lot less support ingrained into the system. It's all the more obvious during orientation for undergraduates. There is someone there holding their hand (not just their parents, but a person paid by the university) every step of the way without them asking. Someone walks them from building to building. By the time we're graduate students, it's assumed that we're adults and have our stuff figured out, but the University of Arkansas is just as new to many of us when we come here as the undergraduates, if not more so. And we're not provided housing on campus.
There's a difference...
Graduate students are more likely to be self-sufficient when they start graduate school. They're (we're) more likely to be paying for their own housing, food, insurance, etc. We're more likely to have spouses, significant others, partners and/or kids making the move/change with us. By design, we have different needs, concerns, etc. than we did as undergraduates. We're less concerned about homecoming, and more concerned about safety on campus after dark. We're less concerned about pledging a fraternity/sorority and more concerned about health insurance. We're less concerned about being able to camp out for good seats on football game days, and more concerned about affordable child care. We're also more likely to be providing indispensable services to the campus.
...and the differences can be stressful.
With more people depending on us...advisers, students, our own families...the stress can become overwhelming. There's not enough time in the day to do all the things that need to be done to keep everyone happy, and the things that could make things easier, more money, more time, is in short supply. Sleep should not be optional, yet for some students, it is.
Sometimes you just need someone to talk to...
I've gotten in the habit of meeting with some other students I took a course with a few times a semester and we all check in with one another. We talk about our trials, tribulations, adviser stories, progress, concerns in a safe place with other students who are sharing the same experiences. What we talk about at dinner, stays at dinner.
Unfortunately, not everyone has a group of other students and friends they can go to to talk through issues and challenges that they're facing. To help address this, we're starting a Graduate Student Support Group through CAPS on campus for students to find the community they need and share their experiences. The group and all group discussions will be treated as confidential. No one has to share any information they don't want to, and everything that is discussed at group, stays at group.
We are going to have an informational meeting in a few weeks for interested graduate and professional students. If you'd like to be a member or just find out more about the group, please email me at dfarver(at)uark(dot)edu and I will put your name on the list.
And please remember...if you're in a difficult situation and you don't know how to handle it, the sooner you ask for help the better. Dr. Koski at the Graduate School is always available to help, and if she can't, she'll send you to someone who can. Just don't wait to long to speak up. The earlier into the process, the more likely she, or someone else, will be able to provide guidance that will lead to a positive outcome. Often, if you don't say anything, no one knows that something is not ok until it's really not ok and your options have become much more limited. We're here to help you and want to see you succeed.
-- Dawn
~~~
SEVERE WEATHER SIDE NOTE: We are in the midst of severe weather season. Make sure you know what is happening and what you need to do in an emergency. Make sure your contact information is updated so you can receive RAZALERT messages, and it doesn't hurt to sign up for texts for weather and other updates from another source as well. I've signed up to receive texts from KNWA for severe weather alerts in Washington County. If there is a chance of severe weather, I have my phone by my bed so I know to get up and check the radar. Know where to go if a tornado is confirmed, and don't drive through standing or moving water. For more tips, go to any of the local television station websites, or The Weather Channel.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
what does a PhD mean?
Have you ever thought about how people with a PhD are perceived outside of academia? In terms of the job search, you can be perceived to be overqualified and undertrained. Here's one example (via Dilbert):
So have you experienced this? From friends, family? "So what exactly are you going to do with that?" "But you're not going to be a real doctor..." "You've been in school for how many years and you're going to get paid what to be a professor?" (That one is especially for folks who are accepting jobs at SLACs.)
But it's not all negative. Here's another side of what a PhD looks like via Doonesbury:
The comic above does a lot to debunk quite a few myths. There's a pregnant woman who just completed her PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. (Thank you, Mr. Trudeau.) Undoubtedly there is someone out there who is doing research on how PhDs and academics in general are portrayed in the media, etc. (As a fun exercise, search "professor" under clip art and see what comes up.)
For this week, I'll leave you with those thoughts. Here's to an awesome, productive (and/or relaxing) Memorial Day weekend.
- Dawn
~~~
Upcoming events:
Graduate Student Support Group
This summer in conjunction with CAPS, we're starting a Graduate Student support group that will meet weekly through the summer. If you're interested, please send me an email at dfarver(at)uark(dot)edu and I'll put you on the list. It's all anonymous and confidential.
Career Development Workshops
I'm planning on giving one or two workshops on job searching for academic positions this summer. Keep your eyes peeled and I'll post the dates as soon as arrangements have been made. If you're looking for a faculty position to start August 2014, the time to put together your application materials is NOW!
Next week: A post about start-up funds. What they are and what you need to know...
So have you experienced this? From friends, family? "So what exactly are you going to do with that?" "But you're not going to be a real doctor..." "You've been in school for how many years and you're going to get paid what to be a professor?" (That one is especially for folks who are accepting jobs at SLACs.)
But it's not all negative. Here's another side of what a PhD looks like via Doonesbury:
The comic above does a lot to debunk quite a few myths. There's a pregnant woman who just completed her PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. (Thank you, Mr. Trudeau.) Undoubtedly there is someone out there who is doing research on how PhDs and academics in general are portrayed in the media, etc. (As a fun exercise, search "professor" under clip art and see what comes up.)
For this week, I'll leave you with those thoughts. Here's to an awesome, productive (and/or relaxing) Memorial Day weekend.
- Dawn
~~~
Upcoming events:
Graduate Student Support Group
This summer in conjunction with CAPS, we're starting a Graduate Student support group that will meet weekly through the summer. If you're interested, please send me an email at dfarver(at)uark(dot)edu and I'll put you on the list. It's all anonymous and confidential.
Career Development Workshops
I'm planning on giving one or two workshops on job searching for academic positions this summer. Keep your eyes peeled and I'll post the dates as soon as arrangements have been made. If you're looking for a faculty position to start August 2014, the time to put together your application materials is NOW!
Next week: A post about start-up funds. What they are and what you need to know...
Monday, May 20, 2013
writing...successfully
Getting into writing mode can be a challenge. Especially for your thesis or dissertation. We're not talking about a little report here, we're talking about your life's work up until this point. We're talking about putting into words the research you've been working on for years. We're talking about the document that is the difference between you being Ms. or Mr. for the rest of your life and instead being Dr. How could someone not be intimidated by that?
Then add in my biggest mental hurdle. Plagiarism. It might sound silly, but here it was, one of my hangups. What if I accidentally plagiarize? After reading and reviewing so many articles for my literature review (which I'm still not finished with by the way), I was caught up in the land of not being able to have an original thought. If I thought something about something else, likely it wasn't something I thought of myself, but the thought had been planted there by something I read that was written by another researcher. I was feeling like I had to cite my thoughts in my head. So you can see how paralyzing that can be once I had to put thoughts on paper. "Obviously you're being irrational..." I can already see some of you thinking. Each of us will have a hurdle or block of some kind that's easy for someone to dismiss if they're not in your head, but when they're happening, they're very real.
What got me out of the funk, and back into reality was reading parts of "Writing your Dissertation in 15 Minutes A Day." I didn't really need the beginning, and the premise of the book is that everyone has something that works for them, she just outlines a few methods to try. I am an outliner. I like to outline my thoughts, see a direction, a plan of action, and fill in the blanks. This, for whatever reason, was not working for me. My outline felt too circular...more like a web(?). Logic was failing me, and I'm an engineer!
One of the recommended methods involves sitting down and writing something every day. It doesn't have to be about your dissertation at first. Just write. Whatever comes to your mind. What you have to do that day. How you are feeling? Are you nervous? What have your hurdles been? What's been frustrating? What came out for me was my plagiarism quick sand. And a long list of things to do.
But sitting down and writing something every day is not as easy as it sounds when you have a family. Significant other, pets, kids all offer a bunch of things (rather demanding things) for your to do list that often, when in your face, will jump above your writing. So the second part of this - just one line in the book - was what made this work for me. In talking about a mentor who was helping other students write, her method was to get up, make coffee, and lock herself in her room to write for two hours before doing anything else. It was a "eureka" moment for me. If I get up before everyone else, make my coffee, lock myself in my office and write, it's when I'm at my best (shockingly not after a long day at work), and before any of my other distractions are awake and in need of my time.
Match this with keeping all of my research documents out in my office spread out so they're right where I need them, and it actually works! Even better, I'm doing much better with my Graduate Student Guilt. (I hear that this is similar to Catholic Guilt if you were raised Catholic...but I was not.) Graduate student guilt would manifest itself when I was mentally flogging myself throughout the day...you need to review at least three articles today...you should write at least four more pages...you still have ## papers to grade...what about your lesson plan for tomorrow?...you should do that analysis today...didn't your advisor ask for an update?...and on, and on. Now, I get work done in the morning, and go on with my day. I have something, something significant, accomplished before my day even starts. It's a wonderful feeling. And if I want to catch up on a Downton Abbey episode that afternoon, I do it with much less guilt. I've earned it!
And how did I address my plagiarism paralysis? It will seem pretty obvious to you as an outsider, but I just wrote. No one needs to see my hand written documents before I have a chance to include my references. If I'm writing from memory, I'm less likely to accidentally quote someone, I am more likely to better paraphrase and idea, and my document will be more organic...less pasted together. Less choppy. For me it was a win-win-win, hopefully resulting in win-win-graduate!
Everyone goes through it, you just need to find your magic (or not-so-magic) formula for getting it done.
Feel free to share. Have you found something that works for you? Email me about it...
-- Dawn
Then add in my biggest mental hurdle. Plagiarism. It might sound silly, but here it was, one of my hangups. What if I accidentally plagiarize? After reading and reviewing so many articles for my literature review (which I'm still not finished with by the way), I was caught up in the land of not being able to have an original thought. If I thought something about something else, likely it wasn't something I thought of myself, but the thought had been planted there by something I read that was written by another researcher. I was feeling like I had to cite my thoughts in my head. So you can see how paralyzing that can be once I had to put thoughts on paper. "Obviously you're being irrational..." I can already see some of you thinking. Each of us will have a hurdle or block of some kind that's easy for someone to dismiss if they're not in your head, but when they're happening, they're very real.
What got me out of the funk, and back into reality was reading parts of "Writing your Dissertation in 15 Minutes A Day." I didn't really need the beginning, and the premise of the book is that everyone has something that works for them, she just outlines a few methods to try. I am an outliner. I like to outline my thoughts, see a direction, a plan of action, and fill in the blanks. This, for whatever reason, was not working for me. My outline felt too circular...more like a web(?). Logic was failing me, and I'm an engineer!
One of the recommended methods involves sitting down and writing something every day. It doesn't have to be about your dissertation at first. Just write. Whatever comes to your mind. What you have to do that day. How you are feeling? Are you nervous? What have your hurdles been? What's been frustrating? What came out for me was my plagiarism quick sand. And a long list of things to do.
But sitting down and writing something every day is not as easy as it sounds when you have a family. Significant other, pets, kids all offer a bunch of things (rather demanding things) for your to do list that often, when in your face, will jump above your writing. So the second part of this - just one line in the book - was what made this work for me. In talking about a mentor who was helping other students write, her method was to get up, make coffee, and lock herself in her room to write for two hours before doing anything else. It was a "eureka" moment for me. If I get up before everyone else, make my coffee, lock myself in my office and write, it's when I'm at my best (shockingly not after a long day at work), and before any of my other distractions are awake and in need of my time.
Match this with keeping all of my research documents out in my office spread out so they're right where I need them, and it actually works! Even better, I'm doing much better with my Graduate Student Guilt. (I hear that this is similar to Catholic Guilt if you were raised Catholic...but I was not.) Graduate student guilt would manifest itself when I was mentally flogging myself throughout the day...you need to review at least three articles today...you should write at least four more pages...you still have ## papers to grade...what about your lesson plan for tomorrow?...you should do that analysis today...didn't your advisor ask for an update?...and on, and on. Now, I get work done in the morning, and go on with my day. I have something, something significant, accomplished before my day even starts. It's a wonderful feeling. And if I want to catch up on a Downton Abbey episode that afternoon, I do it with much less guilt. I've earned it!
And how did I address my plagiarism paralysis? It will seem pretty obvious to you as an outsider, but I just wrote. No one needs to see my hand written documents before I have a chance to include my references. If I'm writing from memory, I'm less likely to accidentally quote someone, I am more likely to better paraphrase and idea, and my document will be more organic...less pasted together. Less choppy. For me it was a win-win-win, hopefully resulting in win-win-graduate!
Everyone goes through it, you just need to find your magic (or not-so-magic) formula for getting it done.
Feel free to share. Have you found something that works for you? Email me about it...
-- Dawn
Friday, May 3, 2013
so what are you going to do with that?
As promised, I'm reviewing a few different books on finding jobs after graduation that are targeted toward graduate students. The first discusses finding careers outside academia, and the next will be finding careers in academia.
So What Are You Going to Do With That?: Finding Careers Outside Academia, is written by Susan Basalla and Maggie Debelius, both PhDs themselves.
I really enjoyed reading this book, so let's jump in. It's a quick read and at a reasonable price, might be worth picking up for those of you who might be trying to answer some difficult questions. (Besides the obvious, "So what are you going to do with that?") Right now some of you may even be asking yourself, Should I finish my dissertation? What do I want to do after I graduate? How do I sell myself to people who might think I'm overqualified and under trained?
I have sticky notes all over this book (I have had an aversion to writing/highlighting/note-taking in books for as long as I can remember. One too many bad run-ins with used books that had been abused, I suppose...what's the purpose of highlighting when you highlight EVERY OTHER WORD IN THE ENTIRE BOOK?!?) with nuggets of wisdom that I found to be helpful and I'm guessing you will too.
Some students realize while they are in the middle of their programs...maybe right after comps, that academia is not right for them. If you want to be a tenure track professor at a large research-focused school, getting your PhD is on your path to reaching your goal. For students who do not choose that route, or thought they wanted to go that route and have changed their minds for whatever reason, they may consider leaving without a PhD. Others are still getting their PhD (and have been in school long enough they want something to show for their work) but know that academia is not for them. At least not yet. It can be a scary realization that what you've been working toward for (ahem) almost a decade is not what you want anymore, or it's not a direct line to your original goal.
Still other students graduate with hopes of finding that elusive TT position at School of Your Dreams, only to find out they haven't been able to land a TT position offer at School-I-Never-Wanted-to-VIsit-Let-Alone-Work at. They've been stuck in post-doc/visiting professor/adjunct land for a few years and are losing hope that they'll get out alive. The realization is setting in that maybe they weren't destined for greatness in a university setting, and that there is (might be, has to be) something better out there for them.
Finding a career outside academia requires us as graduate students and recent grads to start thinking of things differently. In my presentation on Finding a Non-Traditional Job for your Degree, I discuss how to reframe your graduate school experiences into skills that any employer will find valuable in the workplace. For example, teaching a class requires management skills, organizational skills, research and on occasion, conflict management. Working in a lab requires organization, attention to detail, ability to work in a team, and troubleshooting (you know the ancient piece of equipment you have in your lab from the early-70s that only works when the temperature outside is between 72 and 74.2 degrees and when there's a full moon...). So What Are You Going to Do With That? discusses how to reframe those skills, and how others before you have been successful, and happy, outside academia.
They also interview many folks who work outside academia (or inside in a different capacity), but continue to have close ties by working as consultants, or alongside other administrators/faculty on campus. Let's face it, if you didn't like academia, you wouldn't still be here, right?
As a graduate student, many of us have felt like we don't have any options...it's finish or leave. However, Basalla and Debelius discuss ways that you can broaden your horizons while still in graduate school, and gain skills that can make you more marketable if you decide to leave the academic path.
Basalla and Debelius also discuss things you can do to learn about yourself and make important contacts like informational interviews, listing/reframing your skills, and just thinking about the type of work environment you want to be in. What excites you and makes you want to wake up every morning? For an example of someone who left academia, but hasn't strayed too far, and is working on something that she is passionate about, see Need Advice on a Nonacademic Career? Don't Ask Me. (But if you need advice on an academic career, be sure to check out her webpage: http://theprofessorisin.com/).
There is also good advice on putting together materials, writing your resume, writing a cover letter, and addressing questions about your academic past. Again, it's a fairly quick, and entertaining read, that any student considering a nonacademic job after graduation, or even is just not sure what to do after graduation, should take some time to review. (If you do, please let me know if you liked the quote from Ms. Mentor starting on the bottom of page 12 as much as I did.)
Best of luck and more reviews to come. If you're at graduation, I'll be running around working somewhere, please feel free to come up and say hi.
-- Dawn
~~~
On a side note: I hope you enjoyed the snow this morning...I realize that a few folks have (probably) said, or at least thought in their heads, that hell would freeze over before I finished my dissertation...so I take the snow as a sign that I'm most definitely making progress in the right direction. ^-^
So What Are You Going to Do With That?: Finding Careers Outside Academia, is written by Susan Basalla and Maggie Debelius, both PhDs themselves.
I really enjoyed reading this book, so let's jump in. It's a quick read and at a reasonable price, might be worth picking up for those of you who might be trying to answer some difficult questions. (Besides the obvious, "So what are you going to do with that?") Right now some of you may even be asking yourself, Should I finish my dissertation? What do I want to do after I graduate? How do I sell myself to people who might think I'm overqualified and under trained?
I have sticky notes all over this book (I have had an aversion to writing/highlighting/note-taking in books for as long as I can remember. One too many bad run-ins with used books that had been abused, I suppose...what's the purpose of highlighting when you highlight EVERY OTHER WORD IN THE ENTIRE BOOK?!?) with nuggets of wisdom that I found to be helpful and I'm guessing you will too.
Some students realize while they are in the middle of their programs...maybe right after comps, that academia is not right for them. If you want to be a tenure track professor at a large research-focused school, getting your PhD is on your path to reaching your goal. For students who do not choose that route, or thought they wanted to go that route and have changed their minds for whatever reason, they may consider leaving without a PhD. Others are still getting their PhD (and have been in school long enough they want something to show for their work) but know that academia is not for them. At least not yet. It can be a scary realization that what you've been working toward for (ahem) almost a decade is not what you want anymore, or it's not a direct line to your original goal.
Still other students graduate with hopes of finding that elusive TT position at School of Your Dreams, only to find out they haven't been able to land a TT position offer at School-I-Never-Wanted-to-VIsit-Let-Alone-Work at. They've been stuck in post-doc/visiting professor/adjunct land for a few years and are losing hope that they'll get out alive. The realization is setting in that maybe they weren't destined for greatness in a university setting, and that there is (might be, has to be) something better out there for them.
Finding a career outside academia requires us as graduate students and recent grads to start thinking of things differently. In my presentation on Finding a Non-Traditional Job for your Degree, I discuss how to reframe your graduate school experiences into skills that any employer will find valuable in the workplace. For example, teaching a class requires management skills, organizational skills, research and on occasion, conflict management. Working in a lab requires organization, attention to detail, ability to work in a team, and troubleshooting (you know the ancient piece of equipment you have in your lab from the early-70s that only works when the temperature outside is between 72 and 74.2 degrees and when there's a full moon...). So What Are You Going to Do With That? discusses how to reframe those skills, and how others before you have been successful, and happy, outside academia.
They also interview many folks who work outside academia (or inside in a different capacity), but continue to have close ties by working as consultants, or alongside other administrators/faculty on campus. Let's face it, if you didn't like academia, you wouldn't still be here, right?
As a graduate student, many of us have felt like we don't have any options...it's finish or leave. However, Basalla and Debelius discuss ways that you can broaden your horizons while still in graduate school, and gain skills that can make you more marketable if you decide to leave the academic path.
Basalla and Debelius also discuss things you can do to learn about yourself and make important contacts like informational interviews, listing/reframing your skills, and just thinking about the type of work environment you want to be in. What excites you and makes you want to wake up every morning? For an example of someone who left academia, but hasn't strayed too far, and is working on something that she is passionate about, see Need Advice on a Nonacademic Career? Don't Ask Me. (But if you need advice on an academic career, be sure to check out her webpage: http://theprofessorisin.com/).
There is also good advice on putting together materials, writing your resume, writing a cover letter, and addressing questions about your academic past. Again, it's a fairly quick, and entertaining read, that any student considering a nonacademic job after graduation, or even is just not sure what to do after graduation, should take some time to review. (If you do, please let me know if you liked the quote from Ms. Mentor starting on the bottom of page 12 as much as I did.)
Best of luck and more reviews to come. If you're at graduation, I'll be running around working somewhere, please feel free to come up and say hi.
-- Dawn
~~~
On a side note: I hope you enjoyed the snow this morning...I realize that a few folks have (probably) said, or at least thought in their heads, that hell would freeze over before I finished my dissertation...so I take the snow as a sign that I'm most definitely making progress in the right direction. ^-^
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