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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

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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 [email protected] 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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected]

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 [email protected].

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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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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.