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Pursuing passion projects: One way to make the most out of postdoc training

In the December 2019 newsletter, we shared why and how we can pursue our passions. Here, we introduce one way of pursing your passion without burning you out – through passion projects.

Passion projects refer to projects that you pursue, typically in your spare time, to enrich your life. There are many reasons to start a passion project during postdoctoral training. You can utilize passion projects to learn or enhance certain skills (see 7 essential skills that recruiters are looking for in PhDs), apply your strengths and/or talents (for example, your current research project might not require you to dance, but you are a great dancer), or to establish new skills and experiences as you set out on a new or different career path (see story about Postdoc Brewing Company). Ultimately, passion projects help to keep you motivated. If you didn’t have an opportunity to pursue passion projects while in graduate school, now it’s a great time to start. Here is some advice as you explore your passion.

  • Passion projects need to be time-bound.

Research projects tend to take a long time. As postdocs, you shouldn’t take on a passion project as a second job. Once you identify something you’re interested in, these short-term projects need to be much less time demanding, with a defined start and end date. Besides, you will experience gratification by accomplishing your goal sooner. For example, if you are interested in strengthening your Python coding skills, enrolling in an online course or following a YouTube channel with a structured course can be time-bound options.

  • Passion projects encourage collaboration with people outside your area of expertise.

It’s easy to spend all your time with your lab mates during work hours and your family or friends during spare time. Try starting a passion project with people outside of your normal circle, such as colleagues from a different lab or outside of academia entirely. Consider meeting some fellow postdocs from your postdoc association (reach out to UW Postdoc Association) – this is a wonderfully supportive community, and you have more in common than you think!

  • Passion projects expand your network.

Networking is very important in the job search process. In support of your long term success, it is helpful to start networking early. Passion projects provide opportunities for you to connect with people outside of your normal network. Stay in touch with the people you meet in the process, and reach out for an informational interview if you are interested in learning more about their different career paths and life decisions. Finally, pursue your passion projects intentionally to help you transition throughout your career. Passion projects may not be related to your current research interests, but you are sure to learn something new. Importantly, keep a record of challenges you faced and the solutions that supported your success. You will find countless opportunities to apply these skills and lived-experiences later in your career and life. Dr. Dan Moseson, a member of Graduate Career Consortium, shared his insights about pursuing passion projects on Inside Higher Ed. This might inspire you to initiate or collaborate on a passion project soon, “Being an academic made me a better DJ, and being a DJ showed me a fluid, improvisational side of myself that seems to be the source of my best professional work.”


Additional Resources: 

How do you find your passion?

As we transition into the holiday season in 2019 and spending more time with beloved ones, you’re likely to be asked some variation of the following question: “what are you going to do after you finish your postdoc?” As we reflect upon what comes next, we are often encouraged to “follow our passion.” This mantra gets a great deal of attention during commencement season… and when you are about to start a job search. As we’ve shared previously, your formal job search starts well before you read a job posting or submit your application. It starts with a critical assessment of your acquired knowledge, your skills, engagement with your network of colleagues and personal champions, and possibly and more importantly, a reflection on what really excites you. In other words, what is your passion, and what do you see yourself doing for the next phase of your career?

As suggested by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness in The Passion Paradox,

  • “A better approach to finding your passion is to lower the bar from perfect to interesting, then give yourself permission to pursue your interests with an open mind.”

Many of us are perfectionists. However, when exploring different jobs and career paths, it’s OK to focus on something that excites you, if only for the time-being. Your passion for the job, the specific activity, and ultimately, the company’s overall mission may develop over time. If you find that you can get 100% on-board with this vision, great. If not, do you see enough that excites you to fulfill your career goals? And if not, that’s OK too… as long as you’re growing your skill set and your network, and gaining something to apply to your next career move. We like to draw the comparison to a research experiment. The best experiments are those that, no matter the result, give you actionable information. Can you use the info you learn in one career step to make a more impactful decision next time? As we noted last month’s newsletter, you will likely change jobs a number of times (an average of 12 times). Those transitions allow you to have multiple opportunities to re-evaluate your decisions and to make different and better-informed choices.

Additional advice comes from Dr. Jon M Jachimowicz in 3 Reasons It’s So Hard to “Follow Your Passion”,

  • “Don’t wait to find your passion.”

You should focus on developing a passion in parts of your job, understanding your colleague’s passion, and working together to pursue your passions together. This can happen either as part of your daily work or outside the confines of your research group or the larger university. If you focus on the people, the mission and the values, your passion will follow.

  • “Focus on what you care about, not just what’s fun.”

Aligning your efforts around what you value and the impact you can make will be more fulfilling than simply focusing on what’s fun. Clearly, you shouldn’t dread what you’re doing on a daily basis. However, if you’re committed to the company’s mission and values, then your passion with shine through.

  • “Take time to reflect.”

Your passion and motivation will change over time (and definitely throughout your careers). You should be open to these changes. Be sure to take time to re-evaluate what drives you… and look for new opportunities to evolve. With this mindset, you’ll be able to weather challenging situations and adapt to hardships.

As we enter a slower time in academia around the holidays, it’s a good time to spend some time focusing on YOU! In January 2020, we’ll share some ideas on how you can start to explore your different ‘passion projects’ while being a postdoc. For now, make time to recharge and reflect upon your success of the previous months, big or small. In addition, dedicate some time to think about what you want to do next… what is your passion? And how will you find what drives you?

Is the job right for me?

Postdocs are often so busy trying to complete the next experiment or write the next draft of a manuscript (and hopefully get it published!), that we don’t have sufficient time to plan for the next stage of our careers. Usually, we start with reading job announcements, preparing our application materials, and then hoping to get invited for interviews. However, the preparation tends to stop there. What are the next steps after receiving an interview invitation or a job offer? How can you assess whether or not the job would be a good fit before making a final decision?

The easiest way to start learning about what a company or academic department really stands for is by performing an extensive on-line review of their website, specifically focusing on their mission and values statements. Do they match with your values? Importantly, you need to determine if these statements are simply the product of a leadership retreat or are engrained in the day-to-day operations of the company or department. To delve deeper, you can either reach out to people working at the company (e.g., connect via your LinkedIn network and ask for an informational interview) or ask specific questions during your interview to get an understanding of the real culture of the group you’ll be joining. As outlined by Robert Walters (How to tell if a company’s culture is right for you), consider asking the following questions during your interview:

  • How would you describe the company culture?
  • What would a typical day-to-day look like?
  • What’s your favorite part about your job? What is the least?
  • Do people engage in team activities together?
  • Who would I be working the closest with and would it be possible to meet them?
  • What key traits are essential for filling this role?

Finally, the average US worker changes jobs 12 times in their career (Doyle, 2019, How often do people change jobs). Therefore, when evaluating a particular job and setting up your pros vs. cons list, the expectation that this job will be “your forever” job is unrealistic. It is simply “your next” job – a place where you will continue to grow, learn, and prepare for future impact and opportunities. In fact, doctoral degree holders should think of their career as a book with multiple, yet to be determined chapters (Golde, 2019, Careers go in chapters). In the future, when we look back on the totality of our career, we will likely be able to tell a nice, linear story. However, as of now, the individual chapters of our career and life have not been predetermined … the best we can do at this point is to be prepared when the next new and exciting opportunity presents itself. Therefore, do your best to learn new skills, look for new directions, and be prepared for the future.

Staying Motivated

Graduate school can be one of the most challenging experiences of your life. Not only are you working on multiple projects, putting in lab hours, or completing research, you may also be juggling additional roles as parents or caregivers, employees, leaders, or community volunteers. With everything you have to do, it’s no wonder that it can be difficult at times to stay motivated and on track. Below are just a few strategies to help you cultivate—and recuperate—motivation while you are in grad school.

Focus on what you can change. Losing motivation in graduate school can be a result of feeling like you have no control over your life. While it’s true that you can’t change things like a professor’s feedback on your assignments or internship and funding application deadlines, you do have agency over how you spend your time during the week. 1) Prioritize only the most important tasks you need to do throughout the day. 2) Break down large projects into smaller, manageable tasks. 3) Block out times of the day (or night) that you are most alert; use these 15 or 30 min. to free write, in order to chip away at a final paper draft. 4) Finally, work where you work best. Is this at your desk at home, in the library, or at a café with a study peer or two?

Recognize that you are not a failure. You are in graduate school because you are brilliant, intelligent, and have much to offer to your discipline or profession. At the same time, one of the biggest hurdles you can face in graduate school is the fear of failure. For some folks, this can be emotionally and psychologically taxing and reduces motivation. But there’s hope. You can acknowledge that failure is a result, not who you are as a person. Practice reframing failures as learning moments. As our colleague Gino Aisenberg (Associate Dean of Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity in The Graduate School) asserts, “You wouldn’t yell at a toddler for stumbling as they learn how to walk. So be gentle with yourself, while you learn, make mistakes, and grow in graduate school.” Read this article for additional tips on learning from failure.

Make time for you. Other times, lack of motivation can result from not getting your needs met as a whole person—because believe it or not—you are not just a graduate student. Also, it’s neither realistic nor healthy to be “constantly productive.” It’s important to invest time for wellness, hobbies, and connection. These may include a weekly chat with a friend or loved one, watching your favorite movie, making a nice meal for yourself, seeing your therapist, or individual time for self-reflection (e.g. journaling or practicing self-kindness and compassion). We do our best work, when we dedicate time in our lives to relax, recharge, and participate in non-work activities that engage our interests and bring us enjoyment.

See the bigger picture. Part of the challenge of completing a graduate degree is that incentives and rewards are delayed. This is why it’s especially important to stay focused on all the reasons you entered graduate school in the first place. Maybe you’re wanting to land that dream job in industry, interested in providing more financial stability for your family after completing your degree, or passionate about influencing policy that promotes social equity. All of these are valid reasons to stay motivated while working towards your degree. If you need to, jot down all the positive reasons why you are in graduate school. Revisit this list as a reminder of your bigger purpose, whenever you’re lacking motivation. 

We hope these strategies resonate with you, and feel free to share with us your tips for staying motivated!

Best,

Core Programs—Office of Graduate Student Affairs

UW Graduate School

Elevator Speech: An Effective Way to Communicate Your Work

Have you heard about the concept of an “elevator speech”? It’s a brief summary of who you are, what you do, and your career or project goals—with an emphasis on brief. Imagine running into the CEO of the dream company you’d like to work for, while waiting in line for coffee or taking an elevator: you will need a well-planned “pitch” that you can deliver concisely, clearly, and with confidence. Your elevator speech is an abbreviated version of your response to the common job interview question, “Tell me about yourself.” Having a well-prepared pitch to share at a moment’s notice is essential to grabbing your audience’s attention—and to leave them wanting to learn more about you. An elevator speech is also easy to tailor to different audiences, once you have your first draft done.

Basic rules to follow:

  1. Keep it short (30 seconds to 2 minutes).
  2. Capture the person’s attention early and state your goals clearly.
  3. Focus on the WHY. It conveys the big picture and the importance of your work.
  4. Consider the audience: don’t use jargon or acronyms that your listener may not understand.
  5. Tell your story with enthusiasm.
  6. Make it personal: it is about you, your work or research, your strengths.
  7. Leave some room for the imagination. People will definitely ask follow up questions, if they are interested in learning more about you.

Invited by the Office of Postdoc Affairs, Dr. Mike Matrone, Associate Director for Office of Career & Professional Development at the University of California, San Francisco led a workshop on this topic in late August 2019. To help you get started on drafting your elevator speech, below are example prompts from the workshop.

An easy way to start drafting your elevator speech:
Example 1: You’re interviewing for your dream job, and are expected to answer, “Tell me about your research”.

Background

  • I am a ______/ I study_____

Supporting Details

  • My question is…
  • My approach is…

Findings & Conclusion

  • I discovered that ___
  • This is important because ___
  • In the future___

Example 2: You’re a speaker at TEDx Seattle.

Bottom line

  • My name is ___ and I am a ____.

So what?

  • Did you know___? / Every year___
  • I found that___
  • This is significant because ___

Supporting Details

  • I did this by___
  • Nuggets of what’s next.

Last but not least, the elevator speech is not something you can make up on the spot. It’s important to think ahead, prepare a draft, and practice your delivery. Practice is always the key to success. Practice with peers or mentors, or come to our office hours for feedback. In addition to the examples above, check out the following informational resources on crafting an elevator speech.

Use an Elevator Pitch to Effectively Communicate Your Work

Have you heard an “elevator speech”? It’s a brief summary of who you are, what you do, and your career or project goals—with an emphasis on brief. Imagine running into the CEO of the dream company you’d like to work for, while waiting in line for coffee or taking an elevator: you will need a well-planned pitch that you can deliver concisely, clearly, and with confidence. Your elevator speech is an abbreviated version of your response to the common job interview question, “Tell me about yourself.” Having a well-prepared pitch to share at a moment’s notice is essential to grabbing your audience’s attention—and to leave them wanting to learn more about you. An elevator speech is also easy to tailor for different audiences, once you have your first draft.

Basic guidelines

  1. Keep it short (30 seconds to 2 minutes).
  2. Capture the person’s attention early and state your goals clearly.
  3. Focus on the why. This will convey the big picture and the importance of your work.
  4. Consider the audience: don’t use jargon or acronyms that your listener may not understand.
  5. Tell your story with enthusiasm.
  6. Make it personal: it is about you, your work or research, your strengths.
  7. Leave some room for the imagination. People will definitely ask follow up questions, if they are interested in learning more about you.

Invited by the Office of Postdoc Affairs and Core Programs—Office of Graduate Student Affairs in The Graduate School, Dr. Mike Matrone, Associate Director for Office of Career & Professional Development at the University of California, San Francisco led a workshop on this topic in late August. To help you get started on drafting your elevator speech, below are example prompts from the workshop.

An easy way to start drafting your elevator speech

Example 1: You’re interviewing for your dream job, and are expected to answer, “Tell me about your research.”

Background
  • I am a ______/ I study_____
Supporting Details
  • My question is…
  • My approach is…
Findings & Conclusion
  • I discovered that _________________
  • This is important because _______________
  • In the future______________

Example 2: You’re a speaker at TEDx Seattle.

Bottom line
  • My name is _____________ and I am a ____________.
So what?
  • Did you know___? / Every year___
  • I found that___
  • This is significant because ___
Supporting details
  • I did this by___
  • Nuggets of what’s next

Last but not least, the elevator speech is not something you can make up on the spot. It’s important to think ahead, prepare a draft, and practice your delivery. Practice is always the key to success. Practice with peers or mentors. Check out the following resources below on crafting an elevator speech.

Best,

Core Programs—Office of Graduate Student Affairs

The Graduate School

Use an Elevator Speech to Communicate Your Work Effectively

Have you heard of an “elevator speech”? It’s a brief summary of who you are, what you do, and your career or project goals—with an emphasis on brief. Imagine running into the CEO of the dream company you’d like to work for, while waiting in line for coffee or taking an elevator: you will need a well-planned pitch that you can deliver concisely, clearly, and with confidence. Your elevator speech is an abbreviated version of your response to the common job interview question, “Tell me about yourself.” Having a well-prepared pitch to share at a moment’s notice is essential to grabbing your audience’s attention—and to leave them wanting to learn more about you. An elevator speech is also easy to tailor for different audiences, once you have your first draft.

Basic guidelines:

  1. Keep it short (30 seconds to 2 minutes).
  2. Capture the person’s attention early and state your goals clearly.
  3. Focus on the why. This will convey the big picture and the importance of your work.
  4. Consider the audience: don’t use jargon or acronyms that your listener may not understand.
  5. Tell your story with enthusiasm.
  6. Make it personal: it is about you, your work or research, your strengths.
  7. Leave some room for the imagination. People will definitely ask follow up questions, if they are interested in learning more about you.

An easy way to start drafting your elevator speech:

Example 1: You’re interviewing for your dream job and are expected to answer, “Tell me about research.”

Background

  • I am a ______ / I study ______

Supporting Details

  • My question is…
  • My approach is…

Findings & Conclusion

  • I discovered that ______
  • This is important because ______
  • In the future ______

Example 2: You’re a speaker at TEDx Seattle.

Bottom line

  • My name is ______ and I am a ______

So what?

  • Did you know ______? / Every year ______
  • I found that ______
  • This is significant because ______

Supporting details

  • I did this by ______
  • Nuggets of what’s next

Last but not least, the elevator speech is not something you can make up on the spot. It’s important to think ahead, prepare a draft, and practice your delivery. Practice is always the key to success. Practice with peers or mentors.

Best,

Core Programs—Office of Graduate Student Affairs
UW Graduate School

Mastering Out — How and When?

“Mastering Out….What’s the best way to do this? Who do you tell first? Your advisor? An administrator in the program? When is the right time?” –Anonymous

The following people and online forums were invaluable in writing this blog post:
Elba Moise, Ph.D. candidate, College of Education
Jaye Sablan, assistant director, Core Programs
Rebecca Aanerud, former dean, the Graduate School
Reddit/r/GradSchool // GradCafe // YCombinator

Hi, there!

Thank you so much for writing in. I know this is a big decision that likely carries a lot of emotional weight. I hope this post will help you think through your options and make a decision that is best for you.

It seems there are two parts to your question: How do I know if I should master out? And, if I decide to master out, how should I go about it?

Let’s tackle the first part — when is the right time — first.

The truth is that there are no right or wrong reasons, or right or wrong times, to master out. But there are resources and strategies to help you figure out your motivations for mastering out, and whether you want to act on them.

1. Consider whether your frustrations with graduate school are temporary or fixable. Is your interest in mastering out due to frustrations about something that you might be able to change — for example, the projects you’re working on or the classes you’re T.A.ing? If so, consider approaching your advisor to discuss some of these issues. If you think it might be a difficult conversation, the Office of the Ombud is a great place to help you prepare.

Making healthy changes for yourself in your program before deciding to master out will help you feel more confident down the road that you made a thoughtful decision. If possible, you might consider taking a leave of absence so you can take time away from graduate school to reflect.

2. Chat with trusted people in your circle (friends, family, mentors) about why you are considering mastering out. Reach out to individuals whom you know will listen without judgement and support decisions that work best for you and your needs. You might find it helpful to process this decision with a counselor in the Counseling Center, and/or a career coach in the Career & Internship Center (Jon Olivera has expertise specifically in grad student development). 

3. Read blogs and articles written by people who made the decision to leave their doctoral programs. See if their experiences resonate with you. In our own research, we found this post and this one (and many others) to be helpful. Hearing from these folks may help you think through your own motivations. One insightful post is even written by a UW alumni!

You might also consider the book Work Your Career: Get What You Want from your Social Sciences or Humanities Ph.D. by Loleen Berdahl and Jonathan Malloy. It presents information for making informed decisions about graduate education, including leaving graduate school prior to the Ph.D.

4. Reflect on your own definition of success. Is it a job title, a salary, the impact of your work, having work/life balance? Will getting a Ph.D. set you up for success in the ways YOU define it? Success can mean staying in your program despite challenges, and it can also mean knowing when it’s no longer the right path for you.

Remember: Getting varied perspectives on the pros and cons of this decision for your health and wellbeing, for your career, and other factors is important — but try not to let too much input cloud your own voice.

Say you’ve made up your mind to leave with your master’s. What should you do?

Check the Master’s Degree Requirements and dates and deadlines for submitting paperwork for the Graduate School to make sure you are on track to obtain your master’s. You also need to connect with your Graduate Program Advisor to discuss the details of your program requirements. If you have further questions about the requirements, please contact the Graduate Enrollment Management Services.

Who to approach first – your advisor or an administrator – depends on you, your situation and reasons for mastering out. If you think you may be met with pushback from your advisor, it might be helpful to speak with an administrator inside or outside your department and have a set plan for mastering out before approaching your advisor. That way it is not so much of a question – “Should I master out?” – as a statement, “I’m mastering out for these reasons and here is what I need.”

Start applying for jobs. This is an opportunity for you to explore workplaces where you can try new things and apply the skills you’ve built in your program. This blog details how a former graduate student (and UW alumni) used informational interviews to explore career options before mastering out – and may be a source of inspiration for your own job search. Handshake is a great resource for finding jobs and internships.

Please know that there is no shame in leaving a program with a master’s degree. This is your decision to make and you have every right to make it. Remember to take your time, show yourself compassion, and to trust your instincts.

Wishing you the best,

The Grad School Guide

Welcome All Graduate Students

Welcome all new and returning graduate students across the University of Washington tri-campus! You bring rich and unique experiences to the university, whether you have recently moved to Washington state from another part of the U.S. or the world, have just completed an internship, fieldwork, a fellowship, or are further along in your capstone or research project. And your lives are not just about your studies or putting in lab or teaching hours—many of you also have families and strong connections with your communities, work off and on campus, and enjoy varied hobbies and interests. You are all a vital part of the university ecosystem. As you enter the new quarter, consider the following strategies to help you get started on the right foot.

What you’re feeling is normal. Graduate school can bring up feelings of excitement, anxiety, fear, or homesickness. You are definitely not alone in this, as many of your peers have experienced similar feelings. Academia can also make you feel like you are not smart enough or capable enough (aka imposter syndrome). This is simply not true. Whenever you’re in doubt, remember that you do belong at the University of Washington. You are in graduate school to enhance or change your career, provide for your family, or make important contributions to your discipline or industry. 

Find your people. Graduate school can open up positive opportunities for your intellectual, professional, and interpersonal growth, yet it can also be challenging, stressful and isolating at times. With this in mind, we encourage you to seek out ways to connect with peers in a variety of settings. Network with peers at departmental and campus events. Join or start a local meetup group based on shared interests and connect with peers on the UW Graduate Students facebook page. Consider co-organizing a potluck with members of your cohort—you end up saving money and food always brings people together.

Take it one step at a time. For the past few weeks, you have participated in orientations, received lots of information about student resources and program requirements—and if you’re new to the Puget Sound region—navigated finding a place to live, while managing any number of daily living errands. When you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, pause for a moment to take a few deep breaths. Get in the habit of reminding yourself that it’s neither sustainable nor realistic to do it all right now. To organize your days and weeks, use a time management tool such as a paper planner, app, or online calendar. Break down big projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. And remember to reward yourself when you finish a task.

We hope you find these tips useful, and let us know what has worked for you!

Best Regards,

Core Programs—Office of Graduate Student Affairs

The Graduate School