Recovering Academic

Happy 2020, Recovering academic audience (& hello to those new to us). We hope you had a restful break and 2020 is off to an amazing start. Recovering Academic has been invited to the annual NPA Meeting in March, and we're raising money to travel there. Instead of just asking for donations (you can, if you like, however!), we're selling awesome Recovering Academic stickers for $5.00 each via Paypal link below and you can buy a Recovering Academic T-shirt at our Bonfire store for $25.00. Get your Tshirt here! Get Your Shirt Here   We are also actively seeking sponsors, so if you're interested in sponsoring us for mentioning your company, get in touch with us here! We're excited about 2020 and we're excited for our session at the NPA conference and providing insights into the complex world of career transitions and the world of possibilities that exist for PhDs!

Dr. Emily Roberts. Photo source: pfforphds.com. We spoke with Emily Roberts, PhD about their business Personal Finance for PhDs. Emily's career after academia is advising PhDs about finance. One of the key points she made was to how having a solid amount of savings enabled her to make the decision to start her own solopreneur business, making the transition easier. Financial security makes transition less stressful. Dr. Roberts also encourages PhDs with a side hustle to do one that builds and demonstrates skills they are interested in and that might turn into a new career path. Listen to the episode to hear more wisdom from Dr. Roberts about PhD's taxes, managing money, and her current career running her own businesses. Show Notes Get a financial life by Beth Kobliner

Eva Amsen, PhD. Photo from Easternblot.net. Photographer: Rannie Turingan For our series four opener, we talk with Freelance writer, editor and science communicator Eva Amsen, PhD who joined us in the middle of her night from London. Eva got her PhD at the University of Toronto where she started a blog, EasternBlot.net. During her PhD, Eva had already decided that she didn't want to pursue a faculty career. Through her blogging experience, she freelanced through the economic crash of 2008 just after her PhD. Giving herself a one year deadline post PhD to find a job, she landed a job at the journal Development to start their still-existing (and excellent) blog, The Node. While she has had full time jobs in the last decade, Eva is now a full time freelancer again and we discuss the nature of freelancing and finding work, the job that is communicating science, and her project Share Your Sci (hint: have a specific audience in mind). Eva's Bio Eva Amsen is a writer and science communicator, focused on the common ground between science and the arts. She runs a quarterly newsletter highlighting collaborations and overlap between scientists and musicians. Eva has written about science in culture and society for Nautilus, The Scientist, Spacing Magazine and other places — including the science blog she has maintained since her days as a PhD student in Toronto. Eva also runs Share Your Sci and helps researchers communicate their work. You can follow Eva on Twitter @easternblot.net. Show Notes Book Ian mentioned: Hiding in The Bathroom: An Introvert's Roadmap to Getting out there when you'd Rather Stay Home by Morra Aarons-Mele.

We've discussed our experiences regarding the struggles we faced when leaving academia. So now we want to hear from you! The recovering academic trio is on summer break, but we want to ask for your help to plan our next season! Send us questions, suggestions for topics, tell us about your specific transition struggles! Let us know if you'd prefer to remain anonymous or be credited. You can get in touch via Twitter (@RecoveringAcad, @LadyScientist, @Doctor_PMS, @IHStreet), our Facebook page, or email show at recoveringacademic dot net.  We will be back in your ears this fall! 

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field. Public Domain. Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Recovering Academics. Its mission: to explore different and new industries. To seek out life outside of academia To boldly go where no former academic has gone before! In this episode, our intrepid trio discusses the importance of giving yourself space to try out new things. The trio will also take our own advice and give ourselves some space. This is the end of season three, but don’t despair! We’ll be back for season 4 in the fall. Mentioned in this episode: Show notes for our Space ep (at least things I mentioned): Kati Morton's series on BurnoutLisa Loeb's "Stay" video.

In this episode the recovering trio discusses how to ask for more when academia train us not to negotiate/request what your time is actually worth. How do you put a dollar value on your time. Entrepreneur Amanda has so many great things to say, like researching rates charged by others in the industry, charging more for rush requests, and not falling into the trap of feeling like a constant beginner and never ending up charging for what you can do. And last: if someone comes to you with a project that might be worth doing, but would make you grumpy or stressed to do, ask for a rate that would make you not feel stressed out or grumpy and let the client say yes/no to that rate. In other words, make yourself happy. We also discuss the three P's (Passion, Prestige, and Pay). If a project or job doesn't offer at least two of those three, turn it down. We also discuss how hard it is to say no to opportunities sometimes, and how you have to feed your cat. People pleasing may be a common trait amongst academics (at least n=3 for the podcast co-hosts), and one that can lead us to not ask for our value or accept offers that are too low for our actual value. "If you've ever thought about calculating your hourly pay as a postdoc or PhD student, my suggestion is to not do that" – Amanda "...if a project comes back with a dollar amount, practicing saying "that sounds a little low" – Ian (quoting advice of science writer Kate Gammon Ian encountered at SciComm Camp). "Working on next month's pay in the current month..." – Amanda on how she works with a cushion, always working on the next month's pay in the current month.

In this week of the Recovering Academic podcast we talk with Dr. Gary McDowell and his journey outside academia. Gary is the executive director of The Future of Research, a non-profit organization created for and by early career researchers to make the research enterprise more sustainable for future generations. Their mission is to champion, engage, and empower early career researchers with evidence-based resources to improve the research endeavor. Gary tells us how even though his path out of academia was somewhat 'easy' to delineate, it was still very hard to finally take the decision and leave. "But I don't know if I'm ready yet.You come walking into this roomLike you're walking into my arms.What would I do without you?" I don't think people understand how difficult is is (to leave academia). @BiophysicalFrog He also discussed how almost everybody that leaves academia experiences the same feelings of disappointment and feelings of failure. Also how it seems most of the recovering academics have a self-imposed isolation from academia to have a 'clean break'. Unlike them, Gary is still directly involved with academia, and most of his daily duties seem a lot academic-like. I hear this a lot: "Nobody twists your arm and say you have to be a post-doc". Nobody physically does it, but psychologically, they do. @BiophysicalFrog You can read more about Gary's career in the FoR website and contact him on his Twitter account: @BiophysicalFrog Mentioned in this episode: K99 NIH grant: NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00)Love and Anger by Kate Bush: lyricsThe expanse: TV show Athena Swan: ECU and WikipediaPutting mentoring at the heart of academia: conference in Chicago in June 2019Athene Donald

On this episode, we talk about what surprised us the most about the transition from academia to our post-academic lives. What has surprised you the most when leaving academia? Was it the difference in working life? Was it the different feeling about work? Did you have a lot of free time? Was it an easy adjustment? Or difficult? Transitioning can be all of these or none of these. We'll share our stories. Mentioned in this podcast: Original surprise tweet from @drmarenw https://twitter.com/drmarenw/status/1055191449858383872

Drought Crack Life Survival Flower Desert How to avoid cynical feelings of feeling helpless. "Always wear shorts under your skirt so you can go to the monkey bar" —@ladyscientist Mentioned in this episode: Learned Helplessness: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helplessnessGrant rejection tweet: https://twitter.com/jeroenphv/status/1064579050134478848Brain pickings assay: https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/02/09/hope-cynicism/The Sunk Cost Fallacy: https://youarenotsosmart.com/2011/03/25/the-sunk-cost-fallacy/Blog Grumpy Rumblings (of the formerly untenured): https://nicoleandmaggie.wordpress.com/TV show Quantum Leap: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_LeapThe Worst Songs Of All Time? https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2014/02/06/272457460/the-worst-songs-of-all-timeVideo of us dancing: https://twitter.com/IHStreet/status/1064729957249818625

The Recovering Academic trio takes some time to reflect about the past year and make plans for 2019. We also discuss how it is hard to find motivation and focus during this time of the year, but we give some tips about how we can trick ourselves to have some work done during this holiday season! It's the season of generosity, but there's actually little time for generosity @IHStreet As recovering academics, we need to get used to the idea that the metrics used to quantify your "success" might be very different than the ones on academia, and not very well defined. Chance favors the prepared mind @ladyscientist In the end we should all aim for balance @Doctor_PMS Thanks everybody for listening, we hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and an even better 2019! Mentioned in this podcast: Forest app: https://www.forestapp.cc/en/Papyrus - SNL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVhlJNJopOQSeason 02 Episode 09: Reflections and Resolutions: https://recoveringacademic.net/season-02-episode-09-reflections-resolutions/

Have you ever felt 'decision paralysis'? With so many choices and not sure which way to go? Hesitant to put all your eggs on a single basket?  Well, you are not alone! In this week's episode we discuss how to define your career path when you leave the ivory tower. Academia has a defined career path, but that may not be the case once you leave it. There isn't a unique answer to these questions, but we discuss the importance of taking breaks to analyze and reflect about these things. Not making a decision is also making a decision - @ladyscientist    

We've noticed that a lot of new people have subscribed to the Recovering Academic podcast. Here's your chance to listen to our very first episode when we started on our path to recovery. Keep an eye on this space for our next episode!

In this week of the Recovering Academic podcast we talk with Dr. Dennis Eckmeier, his journey outside academia and his actual advocacy projects, including the Science for Progress podcast and its twitter rotating twitter account @SfPRocur. This was a joint podcast between the Recovering Academic and the Science for Progress podcasts, so we all discuss our reasons for leaving academia and realized Amanda was the only one of us that never did any experiments in the dark! There's always the transition period, but after you decide that you're going to do it, it feels good. @Doctor_PMS One of the challenges Dennis is facing is that, although advocacy is supposed to be for free, he is still trying to find alternatives of how he can proceed with this and make money with it. Some people make it sound like networking is like another skill, is like learning to act, but I've learned that it's not like that @DennisEckmeier The goal of the Science for Progress podcast is to explain how academia works to people that are not academics. What is sort of the opposite of our recovering academic podcast that tries to show what PhDs can do outside academia. You can contact Dennis through his webpage or his Twitter account: @DennisEckmeier Mentioned in this podcast: Marcha pela ciencia // March for science Lisbon EAT CHEESE LIVE FOREVER This Is Why The 2018 Nobel Prize In Physics, For Lasers, Is So Important Science Magazine article: Sunshine outside the ivory tower Science for Progress podcast: The Journal Impact Factor: how (not) to evaluate researchers – with Björn Brembs

Dr. Kristen Witte, Ph.D. We sat down and spoke with Dr. Kristen Witte, an exhibit developer at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago Illinois. They discuss their transition story, taking some time away from academia to find what's next and the challenge of getting to know yourself in an all-consuming environment that is earning a PhD. "Once I was able to release my identity as a scientist, it allowed space for understanding the other parts of myself that just didn't have space before" Kristen is a recent museum transplant with a scientific background in pipetting - er, cell biology. Having most enjoyed the literature research and storytelling aspects of their Ph.D., Kristen now spends their time in exhibit development at the Museum of Science & Industry where they discover and define the compelling and fascinating stories that resonate with the museum’s diverse audience. Speaking of diversity, Kristen identifies on the non-binary side of the gender galaxy and uses they/them pronouns. They are committed to increasing the visibility of the queer science community and to deconstructing systems that result in the diminution of the queer experience in science and science-adjacent fields. "There has been innumerable amounts of research that highlight how much better work is done when diverse voices are in the room" Kristen’s brightest moments occur when excited, young, queer museum visitors share how welcomed they feel by Kristen and their “They/Them” pronoun pin. Kristen holds a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Chicago and received a B.S. in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Wisconsin. You can follow they on Twitter @KristenWitte Mentioned in the Episode Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago Proper PPE (Personal protective equipment) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_protective_equipment Cheapest source of black nitrile gloves: Lou's Gloves The British Museum

Image by Richard Stephenson Adaptation. It’s not just a macroevolutionary term. It applies to all of us in our transitions, too. In this episode, we discuss how we’ve adapted to life outside of academia. What changes around you? What changes do you have to make? Do you have to wear sunglasses to handle all that sunshine? A lot of things do change, but most of those changes are for the better. One of the hazards in transitioning is a more sedentary lifestyle and needing to learn new life skills. “Moving to a big city means figuring out new life skills… like navigating without a car.” @IHStreet We also talk about how it is difficult to make friends in new places and finding a new tribe. But making those new friends allow us to hear new viewpoints and break out of academia bubble. “We’re not the owners of the truth.” - @Doctor_PMS It can also push us to do new things outside of our comfort zones—which isn't bad. “I enjoyed the experience of talking to someone I don’t know. I was surprised!” @LadyScientist Mentioned in This Episode Metropolitan Brewing Astronomy on Tap (in Chicago) You can also follow them on Twitter (@AoTchicago) You can Invite the Recovering Academic to a conference, and we’ll do a live show tailored to your group! Contact us at show@recoveringacademic.net or DM us on Twitter. Google form to apply for our ROCUR account (@RecoveringAcad)      

  Welcome back to the Season 3 of our Recovering Academic Podcast! We missed you, and hope you missed us as well :)" For this first episode of this season, the recovering trio discuss a very important topic: NETWORKING But what is networking? And how do you do the networking as a recovering academic? And more importantly, how do you get into the headspace of networking? What is your ultimate goal with networking?   "[Networking] It's not who you know, it's not what you know, but who knows what you know" – @Doctor_PMS Interesting to notice the differences between the takes on networking as an introvert (like Amanda and Ian) or an extrovert (like Cleyde). There are many 'alternative' forms of networking that doesn't require you actively talking to people. "I try to think about a connection of how do I think I can help them out – @LadyScientist" See if you can spot the moment when Ian's cat interrupted the discussion!   "Remember n equals 1 is success" – @IHStreet     Mentioned in This Episode Beyond the bench podcast SC 04: Engineering a Career with Family: Dr. GDale Wesson from @DrQualls Networking event mentioned by Amanda was by Dr. Thierry Dubroca, you can see the slides here and contact him at dubroca@magnet.fsu.edu Recovering Academic series 1, episode 8 on Linkedin Adam's Rib Co  Dave Shiffman's (@WhySharksMatter) tweet on how many faculty jobs people applied to before getting one   Photo Credit: Chris Potter (www.ccPixs.com). 

Flowers blooming in the snow. Out of the snow and into Spring! Could there be a better metaphor This is the last episode of our Second season! And it's packed! We answer listener question about balancing work and family in the private sector and the best advice we received that helped us during our career transitions, including applying anyway if you only meet some of the listed qualifications and the usefulness of informational interviews. We also check in with each other about our status and how we're feeling about Recovering Academics a year, a year and a half, and three years out of academia. "I watched a frog jump into a lake, and suddenly, I got it!" - Ian on how realizations occur when you're out doing other things. We talk about design thinking (have you listened to this episode of Hidden Brain?), when creative ideas land in a sudden moment. And last, we also announce a new initiative to launch ahead of series 3. We're turning our @RecovAcad account into a rocur account for fellow recovering academics to talk about their lives beyond the ivory tower and where they've found sunshine where they are.

Today InBabyAttachMode joins our hosts to discuss her transition story. Everything Was Now Open – InBabyAttachMode We know InBabyAttachMode (who we affectionately refer to as IBAM) from twitter and her Scientopia blog. She discusses her transition to industry in a Scientist position. She talks about her work in public-private collaborations and variation in job duties—even with the same job title. IBAM also shares how leaving academia can lead to a wide-open world and how she found her way. Finding her own voice and navigating this new world presented new—but not insurmountable—challenges. In the end, IBAM found a better work-life balance and the light outside of the ivory tower. You can find IBAM on twitter @InBabyAttachMode or on her blog at Scientopia.

In this episode, Chemjobber joins the Recovering Academic co-hosts to discuss his transition and his blog. Quantifying the Chemistry Job Market Since 2008 Chemjobber now works in industrial chemistry. He started his job search in March of 2008 and started his blog nine months later in December 2008. His blog aims to help chemists find jobs in a tough market. Also, he works towards a quantitative understanding of the quality of the chemistry job market. He discusses his transition story and motivations for moving away from the academy. In his discipline, Chemistry, does present industry as a viable (and reasonable) alternative. Also, Chemjobber reveals the secret behind his avatar! You can find Chemjobber on twitter @Chemjobber and on his blog at Chemjobber.

In this episode we're joined by Dr. Chris Humphrey of Jobs on Toast. You Are More Than an Academic Chris received his PhD in medieval studies from the University of York. His first post-PhD job was working as content analyst for an e-learning startup. Currently, he's a project manager at a bank in England. Chris shares with us his transition story and why he started Jobs on Toast. Chris's transition story exemplifies the transferable skills that all PhDs have in their toolkit. We just need to reframe them and translate them to the language that employers understand. You can find Chris on the web at JobsOnToast.com, where you can find information about job hunting in the post-academic market. You can also find him on twitter @ChrisHumphrey

Merriam-Webster defines PERSPECTIVE as: 1a : the technique or process of representing on a plane or curved surface the spatial relation of objects as they might appear to the eye; specifically : representation in a drawing or painting of parallel lines as converging in order to give the illusion of depth and distance b : a picture in perspective 2a : the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed  places the issues in proper perspective ; also : point of view b : the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance  trying to maintain my perspective 3a : a visible scene; especially : one giving a distinctive impression of distance : vista b : a mental view or prospect Life Imitates Art Keeping things in perspective when in the middle of a transition or just in the middle of day-to-day life is... well.. hard. Similarly, keeping a proper perspective in works of art is also difficult. In this episode, we discuss maintaining perspective and keeping what matters in focus.

How do you find your happy? Do you have to make big changes? Or can small changes be enough? In this episode, we talk about figuring out what will make us happy. Sometimes these involve big changes (like moving) and sometimes small changes (like buying a new dish rack). There's a lot of emphasis on making decisions that are right for your career or will open up opportunities for a new career. However, in the end, we're human. We need to consider our lives and overall happiness. Maybe Humans Are Like Orchids? However, sometimes the grass isn't always greener—but how can you tell that before you take the leap? As academics, we're trained to always look for something more. Keep going to that next step. We're trained to never be satisfied. But maybe that next step won't make you happy. How do you know if you should keep going? Humans could be like orchids. They're finicky plants that have strict living conditions and their seeds must have certain types of fungus to grow. So, we all need to find our fungus to flourish. Mentioned in This Episode Orchids Are as Finicky as the Fungi That Nourish Them Satisfied from Hamilton

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Sara Langworthy of, well, just about everything. Team: Do All The Things! Sara is an author, consultant, speaker and YouTuber with a degree in Developmental Psychology. In 2013, she co-founded an organizational advancement and evaluation consulting group, The Exchange Loop, LLC to use her research skills to benefit organizations looking to grow their work. In 2015, to hone her science communication skills, she wrote an award-winning book, Bridging the Relationship Gap (www.drlangworthy.com/book), which addresses how educators can build resilience with children who experience stress and adversity in early life. During that year she also started a YouTube channel, Developmental Enthusiast, where she creates videos on a variety of subjects and research on human development across the lifespan. In early 2017, Sara took the leap into self-employment full time and now does "all the things." You can find out more about Sara at www.drlangworthy.com. Mentioned in This Episode Science Museum of Minnesota Oregon Trail and the MECC

In this end-of-the year episode each one of us reflect about our recovering 2017 year and come up with resolutions for the 2018. Thank you so much for listening to our podcast! It is really rewarding for us to feel that we're able to help you cope with your transition in some way. You are constantly transitioning. Life is about change. And change can be good. - @LadyScientist   Transition is a constant in everyone's life and no job is really forever. - @IHStreet   Don't be too hard on yourself. We can always work more, and be better. But there must be room for rest and fun without guilt. - @Doctor_PMS   We wish you all Happy Holidays and a terrific 2018!

In this week's episode, we're discussing burnout and transitioning. We all think that once we've made our decision that all our problems will be solved. We'll take all that energy we spent on fretting over leaving and put it into side projects. But it seems like it rarely works out that way... Managing Your Energy Even if you don't move locations (like Doctor_PMS and Amanda), you still have to adjust to your new situation. If you move (like Ian), then you have this extra layer of fatigue on top of adapting to a new job. Even just getting used to sitting in front of a computer all day can be exhausting. – @IHStreet You have decisions to make about prioritizing your work, learning about a new job, and finding out where to find the best coffee in a new city! If you work from home, then that can present another set of issues. From Doctor_PMS who dealt with distractions to Amanda who didn't have enough distractions, you have to work on enforcing limits. I had a hard time enforcing boundaries. Because there's always work to be done. – @LadyScientist Under Pressure Academia tells us to always be hustling—always working. If we're not working, then we're lazy. Oh, and, if you're not perfect from Day 1, then you are letting yourself and everyone down. This isn't true! Be kind to yourself. No matter how qualified you are for a new job, you are still learning. You're still new there. I do better when I work for a bit and take a break. When I come back to it, I'm better. – @Doctor_PMS Mentioned in This Episode The Quiet Branches – Ian's science writing Science Reverie – Cleyde's personal blog about her experiences Busyness as a badge of honor – A good article about how busyness can affect your life and why we should stop Busyness and creativity – A good article about why being busy isn't always helpful.

Out of the gray zone. We’re joined by Chall (@challdreams) who left academia behind as a postdoc and currently a Project Coordinator in pediatric cancer via a job in pharma quality control science. Getting out of the Gray Zone We discuss characteristics PhDs have that might lend them or not to careers beyond the bench. Academia is ostensibly creative and measurements do matter, but in pharma or other fields, precision and accuracy of claims made about products matter and quality testing has to occur. Those cannot be in a gray zone, where in academia, that gray zone may be a hint of something. Similarly, in academia it can be hard to know what your skills are and what value you have. Beyond academia, it becomes necessary to know and assert what you know and the value you bring to a team Chall talks about her career transitions, realizing that any hobbies she had as a postdoc fell away, only to be regained after leaving academia,  being professionally happier, and realizing her value and skills. Having a sense that there is real opportunity beyond academia has also been a confidence booster. Quotes: -“Be able to ask someone else, not you, and go through the experiment with you to see if there’s something you can salvage. Get a pep talk and get someone else to evaluate things” - Chall -“The other thing that makes me more happy professionally is that I see opportunity. Not feeling as unsure now that she’s beyond academia whereas as a postdoc, that was harder.” - Chall -“Believe in yourself and think that you know it” - Chall -“There are multiple paths through the maze” - Ian -“You’re testing and don’t really know what’s going to happen”.- Doctor_PMS Mentioned in the show: Chall’s post on getting promoted and the difference between contentment and complacency. PhDs in microbiology have wide applicability: sterility and environmental quality monitoring, food production, making beer, and more.

In today's episode, we talk with Jennifer Polk of PhD to Life. She's a life coach and entrepreneur and has a PhD in History. Everyone Feels This Way Sometimes We ask Jen about her transition out of academia and into entrepreneur life. She shares with us the high and low points of her transition—and how many of her clients feel (or felt) the same. She discusses her many business ventures. In addition to life coaching in her PhD to Life business, she also runs Self-Employed PhD (a community for other PhD entrepreneurs) and Beyond the Professoriate (a community that she runs with her business partner, Maren Woods, that focuses on professional development for alternative careers).   Mentioned in This Episode From PhD to Life - Jen's life coaching business Self-Employed PhD - Community for Self-Employed PhDs (full time or part time!) Beyond the Professoriate Community - Community that focuses on professional development for alternative careers S1E10: Asking For Help - Recovering Academic episode where we discuss getting help from career coach (or others) to navigate your new career path.

You always hear about transferable skills—and how PhDs have them. But how do you identify them? How do you know what skills to develop? In this episode, we discuss how you can identify them and how to develop them. What's Your Super Power? All of us have a tendency to discount things that we find easy. Is it easy for you to pick out grammatical errors? Is it easy for you to develop your own voice in writing? Is it easy for you to connect with anyone? All of those (and many more!) are skills that are transferable. Also, skills are environment dependent. Skills that you may have developed outside of your current career might be applicable in your next career.   Mentioned in This Episode* The Turnaround with Jesse Thorn: Ira Glass – Discussion of identifying skills Synesthesia – Super powers The Greatest General Ever – You have to be in the proper setting to fully use your skills. Do you know what’s your dream job? Try the Flower Exercise! – Doctor PMS's blog about the Flower Exercise What Color is Your Parachute? – Book about identifying your skills and what career would suit you So Good They Can't Ignore You – The opposite approach to the above book * I couldn't find the twitter thread where someone was translating academic skills to resume speak/transferrable skills. If anyone has the link, please send it to us! (Comment here or send us a tweet @RecoveringAcad)

This week we interview (interrogate?) Ian about his recent transition outside of academia. The Many Hats that Ian Wears... Ian shares his venture outside of academia in which he fills a bunch of roles. His current day job is a lab manager with a company that specializes in helping scientists procure lab reagents and equipment. This might seem like an unusual job for an introvert, like Ian, but he explains how it actually can suit him. He also writes for his science blog, other websites, and a magazine. On top of that, he is a volunteer associate editor for the POSTDOCket, the monthly newsletter for the National Postdoctoral Association. During his interview, Ian talks about the ups and downs of his transition _and_ if he's happier now. Mentioned in This Episode Workflowy – A bullet point-based to-do web app The Quiet Branches – Ian's Science Blog (we encourage everyone to check it out!) The Postdoc Path: Understanding the Value of a Postdoc Before You Commit – Article by Ian Street and Irina Tiper POSTDOCket: Newsletter of the NPA

In this week's episode, Ian and Amanda interview Cleyde to get the in-depth story of her experience as a recovering academic. Cleyde's Advice: Have a Plan Photo by: Steven Johnson Cleyde talks about her reasons for leaving academia, including her relationship with academia. She also talks about what her goals are for her career. We also briefly discuss if it's possible to control your productivity—that is to avoid having 100 publications in one year and only one the next. Cleyde also brings up a very important point about how your job needs to fit your personality and how your work environment can affect you. Her best advice? Have a plan before leaving if you can. If you know that you want to leave academia (or are even just considering the possibility), start planning as soon as you can. This allows you to find out all the options (there are a lot!) for PhDs and former academics. Mentioned in This Episode The Year Of Albert Einstein: His discoveries in 1905 would forever change our understanding of the universe. Amid the centennial hoopla, the trick is to separate the man from the math Zadra, Dan. 5: Where Will You Be Five Years from Today?  2009. Compendium, Inc.  Diversity Journal Club. The premise of this journal club is to discuss articles and blog posts about Diversity in academia. We choose the paper on Mondays and the discussion happens on Mondays at 2pm EST, every other week, under #DiversityJC.   

This season we will interview other recovering academics, so it's only fair that we turn the mic on ourselves first. In this episode, Amanda is interviewed by Ian and Cleyde. Revelations in Amanda's Career... She talks about the realization that money can be exchanged for goods and services, making the leap into self-employment,  and the difficulty in overcoming her introverted ways. She talks a lot about how most people are happy to help you or at least talk to you about their work. Mentioned in this episode Scientific Dispatches Consulting LLC

We're back! This season, we will interview academics and recovering academics. We're starting this season off with interviewing the hosts of Hello PhD, Joshua Hall and Daniel Arneman. Hello PhD  and the Recovering Academic share a common desire to talk about what no one talks about during your science training. We both hope that by talking about these issues out loud that people who feel isolated realize that they're not alone. When in Rome... To make our guests feel at home, we brought the Hello PhD tradition of reviewing a beer on air to our podcast. We had to find a beer that was available in four different cities in three different states. The Ballast Point Brewing Company Unfiltered Sculpin' Extra Hopped IPA (limited edition!) was up to that challenge. It's definitely hoppy, but delicious. It also had a sextant on the label, which was appropriate for our conversation. How do you know when to break up with academia? We invited Josh and Dan to talk on our podcast after Cleyde heard Episode 75: When Research Sucks. She asked (made) Amanda and Ian listen to the same episode. We all started thinking about how do you know when your research just sucks right now or if it's a sign that you should leave academia? How do you deal with the emotional aspects of leaving academia? Dara Wilson-Grant answers in Episode 27 of Hello PhD. Academia can still be the right match for you. One way to tell? If you still have the enthusiasm. To hear what that sounds like, the Tap Root podcast has a great example with Siobhan Braybrook. Sometimes your career path isn't a straight forward exercise. Sometimes it's more wayfinding than map-orienting.    

We're coming back for Season 2 on August 22nd! Curious about what this means for our podcast? Listen to our Season 2 trailer and find out!

Courtesy of @BWJones In this episode, we discuss the importance of taking breaks. Breaks come in many forms and in different durations—from just an hour to a weekend to a full week (or more!). Preventing burnout and recharging yourself are vital no matter where you are in academia—committed to staying in academia, transitioning out of academia, to fully transitioned. This episode marks the end of Season One of the Recovering Academic Podcast. We are going to take our own advice and take a break. We're looking forward to talking with you all when we return!   Discussed in this episode: NFL Coaching Culture Boosts Heart Risk TED Radio Hour: Simply Happy  

In this episode, we discuss if we regret doing a PhD and what advice we would give our younger selves. Many times we focus in on the microlevel—what results will this experiment bring, what publications will we get—and forget to look at the macrolevel—what do we want to do, where do our interests lie. Getting a PhD can sometimes encourage us to think only about the details and not about the big picture. We also discuss the importance of trying new things—even if they aren't fully planned. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one.” ― Mark Twain Also discussed in this episode: No Tomorrow—a TV series Melancholia—a Film

In this episode, we discuss the elephant in the room: Are you still a scientist after you leave academia? After spending a decade or more identifying as a scientist, deciding to leave may academia may be mean more than abandoning a culture—it may mean losing your identity. Many factors come into play with deciding who is (and who isn't) a scientist. Join us as we explore what it means to be a scientist.   Mentioned in this episode: Lenny Teytelman's post: If you're no longer doing science, are you still a scientist?

Note: This episode originally had a file error when uploaded. We've corrected it. You can re-download the corrected version now. Thanks for supporting the Recovering Academic Podcast! In this episode, we discuss how to tell your story of leaving academia. The age-old advice of staying positive about why you left your previous position can be difficult—especially because academia is held up as this ideal position. We talk a bit about how we handled or are handling telling this story through our cover letters and CVs. Telling this story isn't only about spinning it as positive—in many cases it is positive.   Don't feel like you're not doing enough.  Sometimes doing more is not necessarily better. -@Doctor_PMS Mentioned in this episode: Quantum tunnelling The Secret Ask a manager      

Courtesy of @BWJones Getting over the fear of failure. As academics, we are inherently perfectionists. There's nothing like applying for jobs to bring out those tendencies. In this episode, we discuss our fear of failure, what causes it, and how we got over our fear. And Ian makes us laugh hysterically over an extended metaphor.     Even if it's n=1... you still have to do the experiments with your life. -@IHStreet Mentioned in this episode: Dunning-Kruger Effect Dealing with Impostor Syndrome The Expanse (TV Show)

photo by Ian Street In this episode, we discuss how we use Twitter, ways to get involved in twitter, and hashtags. Twitter can be an amazing tool for transitioning out of academia. If you're wondering where we all hang out (virtually), then join Twitter. For us, Twitter is our virtual water cooler where we keep in touch with each other, talk science, and hang out.  Also: Learn the origins of @Doctor_PMS's twitter handle! I can't tell you what will happen [if you join Twitter]... but random things will pop up that are amazing. -@IHStreet Twitter Profiles: Amanda (@LadyScientist) Ian (@IHStreet) Doctor_PMS (@Doctor_PMS) Twitter Tools: Tweetdeck (For laptop/desktop) Twitter Official Twitter App for iPhone or Android

Birds networking. Photo by Ian Street. In this episode, we discuss asking for help. There comes a time in the transition process where you may want (or need!) someone's assistance. This comes in many forms: talking to friends, reaching out to your network, finding a career/life coach. We talk about what a career/life coach is (and isn't), tips on how to find one, and why you might want to talk to a coach. We also assert that you shouldn't be afraid to ask for help! Don't be afraid to ask for help because you will be surprised of how people are willing to help you. -@Doctor_PMS Links for this episode: Reading Rainbow One Hundred Years of Solitude (Family Tree) Workflowy Career/Life Coaches: From PhD to Life (Jen Polk) Lilli Research Group (Maren Wood) Entropia Consulting (Dr. Marquita Qualls)  

Making the transition requires you to take on extra work. Work in the form of side work (a new side hustle), informational interviews, going to conferences in your new field, attending workshops, making different versions of your resume, and so on. How do you stay productive during this time? How do you stay on track? In this episode we discuss our difficulties with staying productive (you're not alone!) and the tricks we've figured out along the way.   Discussed in this episode: Slap Productivity

What's so great about LinkedIn? In this episode, we discuss our thoughts about LinkedIn. We all know about it as the professional networking site. It has its upsides (at least two of us have received jobs) and its downsides (the somewhat clunky user interface). So, how do we use it? Why do we use it? What could you use instead of it?   Also mentioned: Scicurious (also known as Bethany Brookshire) wrote about LinkedIn as how you keep in touch with all the people who you don't want to friend on Facebook. We also discuss other social networking sites: Trellis Science (You can also join the Recovering Academic Podcast group when you register.) ResearchGate Academia.edu Plantae: The Digital Ecosystem for Plant Science Our LinkedIn profiles: Amanda Cleyde Ian Another Use for LinkedIn (Addendum)

Following up on our previous episode, we talk about things that many academics are not good at taking: risks. How do you know if taking a particular risk will pay off? Is academia really less risky than non-academic careers? Why do transition stories always seem really well planned? How do you deal with Imposter Syndrome?   I believe that anything you put energy into will eventually pay off one way or another. —Doctor_PMS Also, mentioned in this episode: Conan O'Brien's commencement speech to Dartmouth College in 2011. You can view the full 24-minute speech or the 4-minute highlights that Dartmouth College posted.

In this episode, we discuss when to spend (and save) your money and time to invest in your future career.

In this episode, we discuss the transition in identity when leaving academia. You've spent 10 years (or more!) inside of academia. Most of your friends might be inside academia. You likely derive a lot of your identity from your work. What happens when you decide that you're going to leave? One question that we address is: Are you still a scientist after you leave academia? Is it an intrinsic part of your identity or is it something that you do? There's feelings on both sides. We're scientists. That's what we do. We go and learn. -@Doctor_PMS

In this episode, we discuss unique skills that we gained in academia. When looking to leave academia, you might think, "What do I know outside of pipetting?" ...Just for example. As it turns out, working in academia we gain a lot of unique skills. For example, you can prioritize. You've spent years deciding what to do first—what to do to get you closer to your goal of publishing that paper or getting that grant. Also, highly-motivated and self-directed aren't just buzz words in academia—they're highly sought after characteristics in other industries. And by virtue of being in academia, you're both of those words. There are many more examples of transferrable skills that you've learned during your time in academia. What makes these transferrable skills hard to see? Why do we hesitate to put these skills on our resume or CV? We discuss a bit about getting out of our own way and sharing these on a CV/resume.  

Turning your CV into a resume feels daunting—and maybe even impossible. How do you condense a several page document into a one page resume? How do you make the change without cutting important information? And, possibly most difficult of all, how do you convert your academic accomplishments into ones that are quantifiable and meaningful outside of academia? In this episode, we discuss how we changed our CV into a resume, including how we quantified papers. We also talk about the importance of establishing a "yay me!" file, why self-promotion is ok (even if it feels strange), and that sometimes hiring a professional is the way to go. Links discussed in the show: Melissa Dalgleish, Professional CV to Resume Writer Heidi Scott Guisto, Owner of Career Path Writing Solutions    

In this episode, we talk about the difficulties with deciding to leave academia. We ask two important questions: What made the decision to leave academia difficult? Once you decide to leave, how do you know where to go? While most people with PhDs do not go onto a tenure-track position, feelings of failure with leaving academia still persist. These feelings are valid but aren't grounded in fact. Scientists can go out into the world and do things besides academia that are important to society. To decide where to go next, we talked to a lot of people (including dialog with ourselves), went on informational interviews, and read about different careers. Taking those next steps helped a bit with overcoming the fear of the unknown and the uncertainty about life outside of the ivory tower. “Your next job doesn’t have to be your last job.” “It probably won’t be.” “And that’s ok.” -@Doctor_PMS, @IHStreet, @LadyScientist It’s possible to leave, and it’s less painful than you might think.

In this episode, we discuss the reasons why we transitioned, or are transitioning, from academia. Our reasons for leaving varied, and sometimes overlapped, but we all made the same decision: leave academia. Looking at your own reasons and seeing them add up to the same decision can be a bit intimidating. We each experienced, or are experiencing, that same fear of the unknown. Taking that leap of faith in ourselves required a lot of debate (both internal and with others). We hope through sharing these reasons with you that we can normalize the experience. Because you're not alone. We've walked that same path and made it out to the light on the other side.

Leaving academia in many fields, scientific and otherwise, is the ultimate taboo. In journal clubs, seminars, and laboratories, jokes are made that scientists who left academia for industry or other jobs have turned to the Dark Side. A certain attitude persists that science is a noble calling, an avocation, that a trainee should pursue with a single-mindedness. "Academia is sticky. It's heavy. It's got lot of gravity. ...I know people make it out." –@IHStreet But what happens if you decide that academia isn't for you? Or if, despite your best efforts, your academic dreams aren't realized? Suddenly, you're left without mentors, without a community. We started this podcast to create a community for recovering academics. We will discuss the issues we encounter, the insights that we stumble upon, and topics that you suggest. Remember: there is sunshine outside the ivory tower.