Career Related Topics
This is an important conversation. It’s good for your faculty adviser to know what direction you want to go in so he/she can direct you to relevant resources and contacts.
Your professor has obviously made a successful career in academia. S/he has devoted their life to their research. If you want to follow in their academic footsteps, that’s great! If you’re interested in other careers - that’s ok too. It’s your life, and you’re entitled to use your Duke education in the way you want.
However, if you have very different ambitions to what your supervisor expected or hoped, this conversation can be difficult. Be respectful of their work and passion, and stress that your alternative direction does not mean you’re not interested in their work or in your studies.
Before you have the conversation, think about how your goals are linked to your graduate school activities and be prepared to explain these. For example, perhaps you won't be your advisor’s fellow academic, but you could end up being his/her key contact in government or business.
In such cases, you might want to consider finding an informal mentor to help you with the process of alternative career development.
Remember that universities now recognize that preparing students for non-academic careers is just as important as preparing students for academic careers. This is a conversation that takes place in almost all corners of Duke University administration, so it will not be new to your adviser, even if s/he retains some preference towards one sector or the other.
The information above is summarized from Vitae. Check out the link for a professor’s perspective on students who wish to pursue non-academic careers.
Academic Related Topics
Researchers and graduate students may spend a lot of time working individually on their research, but communication is a vital skill to get you through graduate school or a post-doc.
If your concern is about your work or research, try to be frank and professional. Delivering bad news is never pleasant but it’s much better than ignoring it. Be assertive, acknowledge your mistakes if relevant, and try and move your conversation to a positive, solutions-oriented mode as soon as the relevant facts and feelings have been expressed.
There is much advice written about how to do this, and different approaches will suit different people. Some general principles, however, include:
Don’t be afraid to ask your adviser for what you need. Do you want to attend a conference? Buy new equipment? Do you need an introduction to a senior colleague in the field? These things may not be offered, but a polite request is probably more likely to be granted than you realize.
The information above is summarized from Next Scientist. Click the link for additional information on how to communicate effectively with your PhD adviser.
This is an important conversation. It’s good for your faculty adviser to know what direction you want to go in so he/she can direct you to relevant resources and contacts.
Your professor has obviously made a successful career in academia. S/he has devoted their life to their research. If you want to follow in their academic footsteps, that’s great! If you’re interested in other careers - that’s ok too. It’s your life, and you’re entitled to use your Duke education in the way you want.
However, if you have very different ambitions to what your supervisor expected or hoped, this conversation can be difficult. Be respectful of their work and passion, and stress that your alternative direction does not mean you’re not interested in their work or in your studies.
Before you have the conversation, think about how your goals are linked to your graduate school activities and be prepared to explain these. For example, perhaps you won't be your advisor’s fellow academic, but you could end up being his/her key contact in government or business.
In such cases, you might want to consider finding an informal mentor to help you with the process of alternative career development.
Remember that universities now recognize that preparing students for non-academic careers is just as important as preparing students for academic careers. This is a conversation that takes place in almost all corners of Duke University administration, so it will not be new to your adviser, even if s/he retains some preference towards one sector or the other.
The information above is summarized from Vitae. Check out the link for a professor’s perspective on students who wish to pursue non-academic careers.
Academic Related Topics
Researchers and graduate students may spend a lot of time working individually on their research, but communication is a vital skill to get you through graduate school or a post-doc.
If your concern is about your work or research, try to be frank and professional. Delivering bad news is never pleasant but it’s much better than ignoring it. Be assertive, acknowledge your mistakes if relevant, and try and move your conversation to a positive, solutions-oriented mode as soon as the relevant facts and feelings have been expressed.
There is much advice written about how to do this, and different approaches will suit different people. Some general principles, however, include:
- State the facts first. Explain the situation clearly, both what is working, and what is not.
- State your thoughts about this situation. Why are you concerned? Is it taking too long? Is it too expensive? Is it difficult to get along with someone on the project?
- Propose some options and alternatives. Think about what these could be, and the pros and cons of each.
Don’t be afraid to ask your adviser for what you need. Do you want to attend a conference? Buy new equipment? Do you need an introduction to a senior colleague in the field? These things may not be offered, but a polite request is probably more likely to be granted than you realize.
The information above is summarized from Next Scientist. Click the link for additional information on how to communicate effectively with your PhD adviser.