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The Chronicle’s Career Pathways Workshop

Translating Academic Skills into Careers Beyond the Faculty
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The Chronicle’s Career Pathways Workshop

The Chronicle has partnered with Professional Pathways LLC to create an innovative virtual workshop for career-driven academics looking to pursue pathways beyond the faculty. This program has been carefully designed to support individuals at every stage of the career exploration journey and provide you with the necessary insights and tools needed to consider diverse career opportunities.

Whether you’re interested in roles outside of academia but don’t know where to be begin, you’ve accomplished all your goals in the academic space and are unsure of what’s next, or you need time, space, and guidance to begin thinking through your next professional step, this workshop can help you identify your ambitions and turn them into a fulfilling professional path. Led by expert coaches who have both academic and industry experience, this workshop will provide both a safe place to explore options available to you and key insights on how to translate your academic skills in a variety of settings.

For questions about the program, registration, or our group rate, please reach out to workshops@chronicle.com

Register

Program Leaders

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Fatimah Williams, Ph.D.
Founder + Executive Coach
Professional Pathways LLC
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Bernadette Gailliard, Ph.D.
Program Director, Professional Pathways LLC
Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, School of Communication & Information, Rutgers University
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Liz McMillen
Contributing Editor
The Chronicle of Higher Education

Agenda

Program Overview:
This four-hour crash course is designed to empower individuals with PhDs with the tools to pursue their career objectives beyond the faculty. Over the course of three carefully designed modules, you’ll receive insights on how to advance your career, pursuing an array of pathways and possibilities.

This fast-paced workshop is suitable for individuals who hold advanced degrees and are seeking guidance translating their academic success into career prospects in industry and in alternative higher-ed pathways.

Program Schedule:

This half-day program will be offered in two sessions to accommodate variable schedules.
  • Session 1: Friday, October 11, 12 - 4 PM ET
  • Session 2: Wednesday, October 30, 12 - 4 PM ET

Your registration includes:
  • One half-day virtual workshop program, facilitated by Professional Pathways LLC
  • The Chronicle’s Productivity Guide to Leaving the Academy
  • Worksheets and reflection exercises to implement lessons within the program and beyond
Program Cost: $595, receive a $100 early-bird discount with code BEYOND24 before September 20!

We offer a group rate for 10 or more registrants. Please reach out to workshops@chronicle.com for details.
Module 1 | Detox: Make Space to Explore Your Career Options
PhDs often begin considering nonacademic career options out of curiosity for new ways of working or out of dissatisfaction with their current role. Unsure about how to take on this career change, they start by jumping into online chat groups, ‘quit lit’, and industry job boards only to quickly become overwhelmed, isolated and stuck. In this session, you will start making progress toward your career path by giving yourself permission to explore your career curiosities, recalibrating your professional identity, and learning the career transition continuum.

Topics for this session will include:
  • How to make emotional space to set yourself up for a paced and focused job search
  • How to recalibrate your identity to create more opportunities in your search
  • The Career Transition Continuum/Quadrant: the four types of career transitions a PhD can take
Module 2 | Discover: Reimagine Professional Futures
The academic career path has clear, prescribed next steps but considering careers beyond the academic research and teaching track poses new challenges and questions like: Who am I now?, What do I want next in my career? How do I become a competitive candidate for those roles?

In this session, you will learn how to identify your value in the job market, take agency over your career search, and develop a holistic vision that supports decision-making for making your next career move.

Topics for this session will include:
  • Ways that hiring and work processes look different in nonacademic career fields
  • Defining your personal values and work preferences
  • Thirteen potential job families that align with your vision for professional impact
  • A Chronicle interview with industry hiring managers and recruiters
Module 3 | Assess: Uncover, Translate, and Develop Your Skills
Everyone tells PhDs that they have the skills to move into professional jobs, but little support is provided to help them identify what skills those are, what careers most value those skills, or how to effectively talk about those skills in a way that’s relevant in a business context and when networking. In this session, you will gain awareness of relevant PhD skills, key business terminology for those skills, and critical skills gaps employers witness in their staff with PhDs.

Topics for this session will include:
  • The top skills employers seek in competitive job candidates
  • PhD Skills Translation Worksheet: featuring business terminology for common skills individuals with PhDs already possess
  • Strategies for effectively discussing your career background and professional aspirations with business professionals
Register