Keynote
From PhD Candidate to Life Coach: Rethinking Success after Graduate School
Speaker: Jennifer Polk (FromPhDtoLife.com)
How I went from a self-described loser with a PhD to a coach and businesswoman. During graduate school, I came to believe in the standard narrative of success in academia; afterward, I embraced a new definition of success, one that is rooted in my own values, strengths, and lifestyle desires. The talk will introduce concepts important to any transition: values and strengths, identity recrafting, redefining success, taking risks, and getting support.
Workshops
The Enjoyment of Employment: Finding the Right Corporate Culture
Facilitator: Doug Kalish (UC Berkeley Visiting Scholar)
Are you considering a non-academic career after graduate school or your postdoc? Are you aware of the different kinds of workplace cultures you’ll encounter? People look for different things in a job: one person might want to change the world, while another just wants a paycheck. Matching your work personality to the culture of the organization is one of the prime factors in workplace happiness. In this workshop you’ll assess your workplace personality which we will then match against different work environments to see what kinds of organizations are compatible with your work style. We’ll end with a checklist and timeline for starting your job search so that you’ll be fully prepared when the time comes.
Panels
HFA-SS Career Panel 1: Publishing, Policy, and Service
Panelists: Karen Schultz Anderson (Formerly Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation at the Presidio and Casa de la Guerra; UCSB Department of Anthropology), Rose Elfman (Journal of Haitian Studies and Kalfou: A Journal of Comparative and Relational Ethnic Studies), Brandon Fastman (The Independent), Rachel Parker (USAID and STPI)
Graduate work provides an invaluable foundation for professional opportunities that require interfacing with the public. From editing academic journals to influencing public policy, the ability to convey complex histories, contexts, and technical information to wider, non-specialized audiences transcends disciplinary and professional boundaries. This panel focuses on the way that graduate degrees in the humanities and social sciences prepare candidates to navigate a wide array of historical, global, or professional cultures with confidence.