Career Development

Figuring out your career path

• This is an important part of your education here, too: Good science and good research is our ultimate goal, but you need to set yourself up first in order to get there. Set aside a small amount of time periodically for your career development. This can include going to career development seminars, setting up writing appointments, doing a mock interview, etc.

• It’s never too early to start thinking about your next career step: planning early gives you time to explore, collect information, mull, and anticipate opportunities. Even if you don’t know or are unsure, having a direction can help you think strategically about your time and energy

• Do informational interviews /talk to people in that career track: Informational interviews are a great low-stakes way to make connections and learn more about someone’s career path. Cold emailing works, though having even a tenuous connection to the person is better. To increase the likelihood of someone agreeing to do an informational interview with you, find people who are already active in career development/exploration (e.g., department alumni, at a conference)

• Find mentor(s): Having mentors is such a useful thing! Identify who can be your mentor(s), and aim to find ones that cover different aspects and stages of your scientific and general development

Links:

• UT Austin Texas Career Engagement

• Engineering Career Services

Where to look

• Professional society boards: MRS, APS, ACS, AICHE, IEEE, TMS

• word-of-mouth

• Psi K: https://psi-k.net/jobs/

What can I do with a PhD?

• Map out a career plan, e.g., Versatile PhD: for humanities and STEM fields; has example application materials

• Beyond Academia: Berkeley, UCSB: many example topics and profiles of people who did cool things in their post-PhD life.

Preparing a job application

• Have a master CV: with everything you have ever done/accomplished (publications, activities, awards/honors, etc.) and update it regularly throughout the year. Having a master version makes it easier to create tailored CVs/resumes when applying for positions

• Keep all versions of your statements: You will be writing many statements (personal, research, service) throughout your career!