PhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, Life: Recent Episodes
Jason McSheene
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This week, the hosts recount their final days as graduate students and their first days as doctors.
- How are the last steps of the PhD process?
- Finalizing thesis, defense talk, and job search simultaneously
- Stressful days leading up to the defense
- “No one cares about your thesis!”* – A PhD advisor
- Hosting family and friends for your defense
- Beware: You MAY get emotional during the final moments of your talk
- Kelly doesn’t let professionalism get in the way of her sailor’s mouth
- Reviewing the job searches for Kelly and Nikhil
- Hear about Kelly’s “Lifelong Dream” in Episode 6
- Get the background on the Co-Founder of Nikhil’s Zipline company, Doug, in Episode 8
- Don’t be afraid to use your network! It’s tough out there.
- For interviews: Practice, Practice, Practice!
- Prepare for your negotiations
- Why can’t Jason hit Natalie Imbruglia’s notes anymore?
[Image card created using Flickr user jayneandd’s image under Creative Commons licensing]
A very special thanks to you, the listener. We had so much fun recording episodes and even more fun seeing the reaction to our show. You gave us an outlet for this energy and you spread the word. This is the end of “Season 1”. Thanks for bearing through the learning curve of podcasting and always giving us great feedback…
We’ll be back very soon with familiar AND new voices. Follow us on Twitter @PhDPodcast to keep in touch. As always, you can find more information at phdinprogress.com
http://traffic.libsyn.com/phdinprogress/PhD_021.mp3 Click here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or Subscribe on Stitcher
This week we talk to Aleksandra Badura, a neuroscience post-doctoral researcher at Princeton University about the post-doc life and differences between the US and European PhD programs.
(This episode was recorded a LONG time ago. We have all since defended and will catch up on the
- Coming to the US from Europe to be a post-doctoral researcher
- The “importance” of brand when accepting positions
- Choosing a post-doc laboratory
- Parallels between business world and academia
- Job security
- Applying for fellowships is vital for success in research fields
- Differences between European counties and US in PhD training
- Fewer courses in PhD program in Europe
- Masters degree (~2 years) is mandatory before pursuing a PhD
- Fewer European programs have a rotation system
- Work/life balance
- Considering starting a family
- There is no magic end point to your career
Do you have more questions about being a post-doc? Get in touch with us by emailing feedback@phdinprogress.com or leaving a comment on phdinprogress.com/21
If you’d like to help out the show, the best way to do so is to leave an honest rating and review in the iTunes store. You can find the link in the show notes or just tap our logo to find the link. Each rating and review helps boost our visibility, so thank you!
You can also help contribute to the costs of producing and distributing the show by backing us at Patreon.com/phdpodcast , where even 1 dollar a month supports the show.
Also, let us know you’re listening! Say hi on Twitter. We’re @PhDPodcast.
Finally, all this information and more can be found at PhD in Progress.com
[Episode Card Image adapted from Flickr User Moyan Brenn‘s Image]
PhD_020.mp3
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Dr. Benjamin McNeil is a Senior Lecturer at University of New South Wales and creator of Thinkable.org. He wrote this piece for Ars Technica titled “Is there a creativity deficit in science?”
- What are the hurdles to professors getting funding?
- How can we pursue projects that might not have an immediately apparent payoff?
- How did the coupling of scientific “failure” and personal “failure” develop?
- To what extent do corporations have a role in scientific research and endeavors?
- How science can connect with society?
- Organizations as platforms to raise money for your research
- We revisit “secret learning” and “new knowledge” (i.e. negative results and/or failures)
Thanks to Ben McNeil again for a great show and interview. You can reach him at ben@thinkable.org. Definitely check out Thinkable.org to see some current projects and give your own projects a shot.
If you have any comments or questions, stop by phdinprogress.com/20 and leave a comment. You can also email us at feedback@phdinprogress.com or on Twitter @PhDPodcast.
You can also help support the show in a few different ways. Follow the link in the show notes to leave an honest rating and review in the iTunes store. This goes a long way to spread the word of our show to people who haven’t heard it yet.
And if you are interested in helping with the financial aspects of producing and hosting this show, you can become a Patron at Patreon.com/phdpodcast, where even a dollar a month helps pay for making each episode. Thanks to Masha E. for becoming the latest patron!
As always, you can find all this information and everything we discussed today at phdinprogress.com
[Episode card adapted from an image by Flickr user Bruce Tuten and used under the Creative Commons license]
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A very special thank you to Mark Esposito who also runs the Breaking Bio blog found at breakingbio.org.
Mark wrote a guide about creating the career symposium you heard in this show at http://www.breakingbio.org/resources/
Discussion points:
- Understanding your career path and constantly questioning your goals
- Problems with tenure track positions as the default
- How do we approach learning about “alternative careers”
- Steps in initiating a career symposium:
- 1) Raise money via internal and external grants or donations
- 2) Connect with potential speakers/guests
- Ask faculty
- Use LinkedIn or call companies
- Ask departmental office
- Location can be important
- 3) Logistics for travel arrangement, room availability
- Career areas addressed at the symposium held at Princeton’s Department of Molecular Biology:
- Policy
- Education
- Industry R&D
- Law
- Science Communication
- Related Episodes:
- Using your career services office
- Beyond the Tenure Track with Fatimah PhD
- Kelly’s career search
A very special thanks to Mark Esposito. You can find some great, accessible science posts by Mark at BreakingBio.org. We hope you can take some of his advice and start discussions of alternative careers at your school. He was nice enough to write up a summary and supporting materials that you can find at phdinprogress.com/19.
If you enjoy the show, please help support us. The best way to do this is to leave an honest review and rating in the iTunes store. Any comments you have will go a long way to spread the popularity of the show. Also get in touch with us on Twitter @PhDPodcast
If you’re a big fan and want to help increase the quality of recording and distribution, definitely consider becoming a patron by supporting us at Patreon.com/phdpodcast . Even $2 gets us closer to adequate hosting space and equipment. Thanks to Ben McNeil and Sally Ponchak who are currently supporting us.
[Image used under Creative Commons licensing and adapted from original by US Dept. of Education]
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Discussion points:
- What are informational interviews?
- Understanding what you’re interested in
- Keeping a casual conversation
- Learning about prospects of the company, the culture, how promotions work
- Overcoming being hesitant
- How did you jump into informational interviewing
- Strategies:
- Leveraging Alumni Network
- Being earnest
- What roles with companies do PhDs tend to have?
- It is a challenge for PhDs to get involed in industry
- Roles outside of the research
If you have any comments or suggestions about the show, definitely send us an e-mail at Feedback@phdinprogress.com
We’re also on Twitter @phdpodcast. I love interacting with all of you there, so please say hi.
Our fund sourcing to cover costs associated with the show is up and running. If you’d like more information about supporting us, please stop by Patreon.com/phdpodcast or click the PayPal donation button on our site.
Even a couple of dollars goes a long way towards contributing to the show.
I really want to thank all the listeners again. You’ve been so encouraging. Outside of donating, you can also help us by leaving a rating and review in the iTunes store. We’ll read them on the show, especially the funny ones.
[Episode card adapted from an image by Flickr user Wonderlane and used under the Creative Commons license]
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[Episode card image adapted from a Flickr photo by Derek Mindler, used under the Creative Commons]
If you would like to donate to help cover costs, please click here.This week we have a friendly dialogue about facing Impostor Syndrome and how it has appeared in our lives.
Resources:
- “Banishing Impostor Syndrome” by Andrea Zellner at GradHacker
- The Impostor Syndrome by Caltech Counseling Center
- “9 Tips for Dealing With Impostor Syndrome” – a blog post containing numerous links and writings
- “How I Cured My Impostor Syndrome” by Jacquelyn Gill
We’ve started something new! So far, all of the funding for this show has come out of my own pocket. To help cover the costs, I’ve started a Patreon campaign where you can pledge to help out the show. I’ve also placed a PayPal Donation button on the site. The show will ALWAYS be free but if you would like to help us cover costs and improve the quality of our show, please consider contributing via Patreon.com/phdpodcast.
Another great way to support the show is to leave a review in the iTunes store. This is very important because it boosts visibility of our show. Please take 30 seconds to leave an honest rating and review. We’d really appreciate it!
iTunes user dgr- two left a 5 star review, saying:
“I’d recommend this podcast to any current or prospective graduate students- the speakers always keep the topics fresh and interesting. My only complaint is that while there were two episodes about finding non-academic jobs after school, there hasn’t been anything yet about pursuing postdoctoral or tenure track positions”.
Thank you for the review and we’ll work on getting together a postdoc episode.
Finally, we’re very active on Twitter @PhDPodcast so say hi to us there or e-mail us at feedback@phdinprogress.com.
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[Episode card image adapted from a Flickr photo by Bhernandez, used under the Creative Commons]
Questions asked:
What is a “lifeguard”?
How did you decide to seek help?
What does help look like?
How is mental illness perceived in graduate school?
Am I alone if I seek out help?
Mental Illness Awareness Week Oct. 5-11, 2014
Resources
- “Mental Health Issues Among Graduate Students” by Nash Turley
- The Illustrated Guide to a PhD (the image Halley described)
- Your school’s health service office
(Example: Princeton University’s Counseling and Psychological Services) - “Normal is a distribution”
- “Paying Graduate School’s Mental Toll” by Carrie Arnold
Do you have any experiences to share? We’d love to talk about it further in the comments on our show notes at PhDinProgress.com/16 or /mentalhealth .
You can also say hi on Twitter @PhDPodcast or e-mail us at feedback@phdinprogress.com
Finally, If you like the show so far, help us out by sharing with your colleagues and leaving an honest review in the iTunes store.
Xue9983 left a great review saying how isolating grad school can be when you’re an international student trying to learn a whole new culture, presenting research in a different language, and dealing with the ignorance and arrogance of people: “So I am glad that I found this podcast when I was struggling through those things, questioning myself and why am I doing this PhD stuff. It is a friendly and helpful podcast. Keep up the good work!”
Thanks Xue. That really means a lot to us and we hope to record an episode about international students soon.
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Patricia Berhau is an ISLES Asset Building Coordinator who works primarily with moderate and low-income people. She encourages graduate students to remember that their income-level is only temporary as their income potential is much higher in the long-run.
[Episode Card uses a Flickr image by epSos.de under Creative Commons licensing]
Important reminders:
- It’s all the irregular things that are budget busters.
- Budget! Knowing where your money goes is crucial to being financially healthy.
- Mint.com for organizing your accounts and budgets
- Get a copy of your credit report!
AnnualCreditReport.com You’re entitled to a free credit report from each of the bureaus per year. Your credit report and score dictate your borrowing potential. - If you feel that you want to borrow money at some point, be conscious of your credit handling.
“Make a Resolution to Budget? Here Are Some Apps to Help” by Tara Siegel Bernard – New York Times – Jan 3, 2014
Popular Financial Advice:
- Suze Orman Show Podcast
- Dave Ramsey Show Podcast
- Two Cents – A Life Hacker Blog
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This week, Jason talks to Parag Gupta, 12th-year materials science and mechanical engineering PhD student at Northwestern University about his perspective on graduate school and learning from mistakes.
Resources:
- Parag Gupta’s April 2014 TEDxNorthwesternU “So, Um…12 Years, Huh?!” can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32QCk1fRpfY.
-  Robert Fulghum’s Book Excerpt on problems versus inconveniences is attached Robert Fulghum — Uh-Oh
-  How To Win Friends and Influence People  by Dale Carnegie can be found at your local library, your friendly neighborhood bookstore, or any online retailer. (Parag’s suggestion for a positive outlook and framing)
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Dr. Stephen R. Covey can be found at your local library, your friendly neighborhood bookstore, or any online retailer. (Jason’s suggestion for personal productivity and growth)
- NASA Academy General Information can be found at http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/descriptions/NASA_Academy.html#.U-FtL-NdW2Q and Application Information can be found at http://www.academyapp.com/.
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This week, Jason and Kelly talk to Princeton University graduate student Jessica Rowland Williams about starting graduate school with a child and deciding to raise a family.
Resources
- Parenting in Grad School by Andrea Zellner at GradHacker.org
- Grad School and Parenting: If I Knew Then What I Know Now… Jennifer Bengtson at GradHacker.org
- What to Consider Before Mixing Graduate School with Raising a Family by Theresa Phillips at biotech.about.com
- Your graduate school’s student resource page
- Listener Jennifer hosts a new site called Parenting and Academia! Stop by and share some stories.
- Let us know about any resources you come across feedback@phdinprogress.com
DO YOU have 10 seconds to help us acheive our goal? We would love 50 reviews and ratings in the iTunes store. When we reach 50 reviews or 100 ratings, we’ll release a bonus outtake episode to everyone AND one reviewer will be randomly selected to either join us on the show via Skype or we’ll use his or her topic suggestion.
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This week Jason, Nikhil, and Kelly discuss productivity resources that have worked for them in their graduate studies.
For more information, visit our blog entry on Productivity Web Tools for Graduate Students. There is more information on Mendeley, Papers, Google Calendar, and Mint.
Resources Mentioned and Recommended:
- Papers (€34 for students)http://www.papersapp.com
- Mendeley (free)http://www.mendeley.com/
- Google Calendar (free)https://www.google.com/calendar/
- Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day by Todd Henry
(Jason personally endorses this book) - Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson
- Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey
- Creative Routines infographic by RJ Andrews
- Pomodoro Technique (Wikipedia): 25 minutes of work then 5 minutes “off”
- Lifehacker has a great article “Why You Should Keep a Journal and How to Start Yours”
- Coffitivity The white noise of a coffee shop! Also useful: Nickelback.
We have a new goal only YOU can help us achieve: we would love 50 reviews and ratings in the iTunes store. When we reach 50 reviews or 100 ratings, we’ll release a bonus outtake episode to everyone AND one reviewer will be randomly selected to either join us on the show via Skype or we’ll use his or her topic suggestion.
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What dating challenges and mistakes do grad students face?
- How do you start dating as a graduate student?
- Should you using online dating services?
- How can you maintain a relationship while in grad school?
This week we discuss having a love life as a grad student. After a long discussion, we only end up scratching the surface! We’ll be sure to return to this broad subject.
Have you ever searched for love in the liquor store?
Dating: Online vs Offline
Relationship
Sharing interests
Complementing traits and interests
Intellectual intimidation
Let us know what you’d like to hear more in depth. (If you are a bear or a lumberjack, Kelly would also like to hear from you)
Comment at http://phdinprogress.com/love
E-mail us feedback@phdinprogress.com
Interact with us on Twitter @PhDPodcast
or Reddit /u/PhDPodcast , /r/gradschool
*Sorry for the audio quality. I’m working on making it better! -J
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This week Nikhil interviews PhD candidate in Criminology, Law & Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Oren Gur. They discuss Oren’s research on drug and substance use among graduate students and the challenges associated with his dissertation work.
You can e-mail Oren Gur for more information at ogur2@uic.edu
NOTE:While drug and substance use and/or abuse is a serious subject, the hosts and guest decided to keep true to the show’s unique voice. We integrate levity and a sense of humor into discussion of an important topic of academic research. Jokes made in this show should not be confused with endorsement of illegal/harmful drug use but should promote thoughtful dialog.
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This week Jason, Nikhil, and Abigail sit down with Amy Pszczolkowski, Assistant Director of Princeton University’s Career Services office to discuss career search resources and networking strategies. We encourage you to reach out to your career service office and tell us about your experience!
What can you expect to receive from your university’s career service officer?
-Counseling/Advising: a thought partner and guide; broad exposure
-Assessments: personality, fit, strength/weakness, professional skills, interviewing
-Free valuable information on career center websites
Grad students often don’t know about these services, but the earlier you come in, the better support you can receive.
Mentioned this Episode:
- So What Are You Going To Do With That? – Susan Basalla and Maggie Debelius*
- A PhD Is Not Enough!: A Guide to Survival in Science*
- Princeton Career Services: Resources
- University of Pennsylvania Career Services: Resources for Doctoral Students and Postdocs
- National Career Development Association (NCDA): list of certified career counselors
- Versatile PhD
- AAAS Science Careers (One of Jason’s personal favorite sites)
- American College Personnel Association
- NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
- Science Alliance: New York Academy of Sciences
*Buying items through these Amazon affiliate links directly supports the podcast! Thank you!
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This week, I talk to former PhD student Doug Swanson and current Chief Technology Officer of Malwarebytes about his decision to leave grad school and his advice to current grad students who might be considering an exit from academia.
Thanks again to Doug for his time and insight! It was definitely a personal topic, so we appreciate his participation. Do you have more questions about
possibly leaving grad school?
Leave us a comment at phdinprogress.com/8 or email us at feedback@phdinprogress.com. We’re also active on Twitter @PhDPodcast. If you enjoy the show, please spread the word by telling your friends and colleagues.
Finally, the best way you could support the show is to leave an honest review and rating in the the iTunes store. Thanks for the support! As always, all this information can be found at phdinprogress.com.
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This week we talk to our co-host Dr. Abigail Sporer about what it’s like to continue education after a few years out of academia and how she felt while finishing her PhD dissertation defense.
Thank you to Nick @diacritic for an important topic for our show. He reached out on Twitter, saying “Hey, I’m a listener starting grad school after about fifteen years of industry work. Know any resources for people like me?” If you have any more wisdom for him, please leave a comment below or send us mail feedback@phdinprogress.com
- Doing your dissertation with Microsoft® Word: A comprehensive guide to using Microsoft® Word for academic writing Updated for Microsoft® Word 2007 & Microsoft Word® 2010 by Jacques Raubenheimer
- Coffitivity- Increase Your Creativity! Coffee shop sounds
How do you deal with more immature classmates? What helped Dr. Abigail through the dissertation writing process? What does she wish she did differently?
And please, do not get drunk at work.
We’d love to hear from you. Leave us comments in the show notes at phdinprogress.com/7 or email feedback@phdinprogress.com. We’re also on Twitter @PhDPodcast.
You can really help our visibility in the iTunes store by leaving an honest rating and review. Thank you all so much!
As always, all this information can be found at phdinprogress.com
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This week we have Kelly LaRue in studio to discuss public outreach, a targeted career search, and the importance of finding value outside of your main research.
Kelly is the recipient of the Princeton Graduate Student Recognition Award for her work with Princeton University’s Graduate MolBio Outreach Program.
While performing an amazing level of volunteer work, she has leveraged her experiences into taking action on her professional goals. She has taken an approach to her career search that may help others narrow down their own searches.
The 2 resources mentioned by Kelly:
Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research
http://saber-biologyeducationresearch.wikispaces.com/
EvolDir (i.e. “EVIL DEER”)
http://life.mcmaster.ca/evoldir.html
Why is Nikhil fidgety?
What is a good name for a courtship song?
What happened to the coffee?
Answers within. Thanks for listening!
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This week Jason, Nikhil, and Abigail hope to help newer graduate students by discussing what they WISH they knew earlier in their studies.
Self-management, the production mindset, and failure are the 3 broad topics we dive into for this discussion.
We mention a couple of neuroscience studies-
Chronic partial sleep deprivation:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19961/
Sleep and memory – way too much literature, but the wiki is pretty comprehensive
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_and_memory
Where does Nikhil find his best ideas?
How can you earn your secret Ph.D.?
And correct, unurgent is not a word. Thank you in advance.
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This week we talk to Zach about taking a leave of absence, self-education, and preparation for consulting job interviews.
Abigail gets ready to defend, Nikhil finishes up experiments, and Jason is a subpar caterer.
Nikhil interviews Zach. They discuss the reasons Zach took a leave of absence, what he did during that time, and how it prepared him for his next career.
During the interview, Zach mentions two books (“the classics”) he has read during his preparation for a consulting job search:
Competitive Strategy by Michael Porter
Competitve Advantage by Michael Porter
We’re active on Twitter @PhDPodcast.
If you’d like to help boost our visibility, please consider sharing the show with your friends or rating us on iTunes.
We’d appreciate all the honest feedback, questions, and comments you’re willing to send our way.
As always, you can find this week’s show notes and all the information I just mentioned at PhDinProgress.com
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This week Jason, Nikhil, and Abigail continue the discussion initiated in Episode 2 by Fatimah Williams Castro, PhD on how we should approach our career searches.
We then make public some “anecdata” while briefly summarizing the steps we are taking to 1) obtain skills inside/outside the lab and 2) initiate our career exploration. How can you “manage up”? Where do you find contacts to pursue job leads? Why would you want a treadmill desk? All this and more in Episode 3!
Thanks to everyone who has sent us feedback already, it’s been great and helpful so far. Extra thanks to our friends at Reddit.com/r/gradschool for constantly contributing to a dynamic community.
You can learn more about American Journal Experts (the editing group Abigail works with) at AJE.com, or the technology consulting group Jason works with at PreScouter.com
Send any comments or questions, to feedback@PhDinProgress.com or @PhDPodcast on Twitter.
Let us know what else we could do to improve your podcast experience!
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Thank you for supporting our brand new podcast! We’re constantly trying to improve the quality and content. In this week’s episode, Jason, Nikhil, and Abigail briefly discuss the 61% of PhDs who pursue nonacademic careers as they review the American Institutes for Research article titled “The Nonacademic Careers of STEM PhD Holders” released in April 2014.
Then they interview Dr. Fatimah Williams Castro, the PhD career coach behind BeyondTheTenureTrack.com about starting your career search outside of the academy. She will be participating in the “Beyond the Professoriate” virtual conference taking place on May 3rd and May 10th 2014. For more information go to [more…]FromPhDtoLife.com/conference
You can find the article here: http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/STEM%20nonacademic%20careers%20April14.pdf
Next week, we will discuss a few strategies we’re using in our own career searches.
If you want to participate, write down 3 qualities you want in your next job or career move. Send them, along with any other comments or questions, to feedback@PhDinProgress.com or @PhDPodcast on Twitter.
Let us know what else we could do to improve your podcast experience!
In this episode, Jason, Nikhil, and Abigail introduce themselves and their goals for PhDinProgress.com. We kept this episode light but expect great interviews, discussions, and resource highlights to come. Thanks for listening to our first episode!
We’d love your feedback and suggestions. Let this show reflect the questions and ideas you have to improving your graduate education.
Leave comments below, e-mail us at feedback@PhDinProgress.com
Or follow us on Twitter: @PhDPodcast
UPDATE:iTunes feed is here!
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