This newsletter is typically distributed the last Thursday of the month and contains a variety of resources, links, and reflections on graduate-level career & professional development, higher education, and an occasional detour into neuroscience topics, the area I formally trained in as a graduate student and postdoc.
Missed the inaugural newsletter from January 2021?
"Success", however you define it, rarely happens overnight. Rather, a dedication to doing good, innovative work and putting out relevant content is an essential step on the long road to impact and innovation as a creator or scholar. Examples from the development of Pixar's computer animation technology to the creation of spectacular Walt Disney park attractions and my own journey in building my personal blog, website, and professional network are highlighted in this post.
This report from Third Way found, among other things, that graduate students' employment situation post-degree influences their view of the value of their graduate education.
A fantastic, practical guide for a 21st Century job search by the always engaging and knowledgeable Jeremy Schifeling. In this eBook he covers using ChatGPT and other generative AI tools to help in your career exploration, crafting useful text for LinkedIn profiles, optimizing your resume, preparing for interviews, and negotiating offers. With provided digital workbook and other templates it is definitely a great investment for a current job seeker!
The NIH OITE is pleased to offer this online series for faculty, staff scientists, and administrators who mentor students and postdoctoral fellows in the biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences. A variety of topics will be covered with a specific focus on communication and shared problem-solving to help trainees deal with the inevitable setbacks experienced in high knowledge environments. The goal of the Raising a Resilient Scientist series is to promote the mental health and well-being of the academic research community by supporting faculty and administrators to develop self-management, relationship-management, and mentoring skills.
The Spring 2024 series begins on February 1st runs through June 13th. Each of the five monthly units consisting of a 75-minute lecture followed by a 1-hour facilitated discussion with peers.
Topics to be covered include:
1. Communication Skills to Build Trainee Resilience 2. Promoting Trainee Resilience 3. Building a Welcoming and Inclusive Research Group 4. Difficult Conversations, Conflict, and Feedback 5. The Mental Health and Well-being of Your Trainees
National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) Programming & Resources
The NPA's SmartSkills program returns in 2024 featuring webinars on a variety of topics related to postdocs' career and professional development and well-being.
And check out the NPA's Resource Library for more guides and resources including a guide to the postdoc timeline, mentoring, and more.
Time is our most precious resource. We often seek to "optimize" it but to enjoy our finite lives requires us to think carefully about what is really important to us.
Working hard doesn't always lead to the measurable, external outcome of "winning". Gaining internal clarity that we are improving and growing each day or keeping an "internal scorecard" is critical.
