By fixing the PhD, we can benefit the entire educational system and the life of our society along with it.

An upper-level degree is a prized asset in the eyes of many employers, and nonfaculty careers once considered Plan B are now preferred by the majority of science degree holders. Melanie Sinche profiles science PhDs across a wide range of disciplines who share proven strategies for landing a rewarding occupation inside or outside the university.

Everything you ever need to know about making it as a scientist. Despite your graduate education, brainpower, and technical prowess, your career in scientific research is far from assured. Permanent positions are scarce, science survival is rarely part of formal graduate training, and a good mentor is hard to find. In A Ph.D. Is Not Enough!, physicist Peter J. Feibelman lays out a rational path to a fulfilling long-term research career. He offers sound advice on selecting a thesis or postdoctoral adviser; choosing among research jobs in academia, government laboratories, and industry; preparing for an employment interview; and defining a research program. The guidance offered in A Ph.D. Is Not Enough! will help you make your oral presentations more effective, your journal articles more compelling, and your grant proposals more successful. A classic guide for recent and soon-to-be graduates, A Ph.D. Is Not Enough! remains required reading for anyone on the threshold of a career in science. This new edition includes two new chapters and is revised and updated throughout to reflect how the revolution in electronic communication has transformed the field.

How to Survive Your PhD is your insider's guide to avoiding mistakes, choosing the right program, working with professors, and just how a person actually writes a 200-page paper When you're getting your PhD, you never know what surprises to expect. But now, you can be prepared! How to Survive Your PhD is your step-by-step guide to the right way to tackle every part of the doctoral process. Getting your PhD is not an easy process, and the decisions you make before and during your doctoral work can mean the different between having a PhD in four years or eight, Jason Karp has been there – and made the mistakes – and he shows you just what to avoid, what you should be doing, and how to make the best use of your time and resources. Plus insider tips on: Choosing Your School Dealing with Finances Picking the Right Academic Advisor Researching the Dissertation Managing Your Time The Exams Tricks of the Trade The Defense And so much more

Long seen as proving grounds for professors, PhD programs have begun to shed this singular sense of mission. Prompted by poor placement numbers and guided by the efforts of academic organizations, administrators and faculty are beginning to feel called to equip students for a range of careers. Yet, graduate students, faculty, and administrators often feel ill-prepared for this pivot. The Reimagined PhD assembles an array of professionals to address this difficult issue. The contributors show that students, faculty, and administrators must collaborate in order to prepare the 21st century PhD for a wide range of careers. The volume also undercuts the insidious notion that career preparation is a zero sum game in which time spent preparing for alternate careers detracts from professorial training. In doing so, The Reimagined PhD normalizes the multiple career paths open to PhD students, while providing practical advice geared to help students, faculty, and administrators incorporate professional skills into graduate training, build career networks, and prepare PhDs for a variety of careers.

Are you stuck in your PhD? Is progress imperceptible to the naked eye? You’re feeling overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done and there’s no clear path. The more you worry, the less work you get done; the less work that gets done, the more you worry: it’s a vicious cycle. With the help of this practical book, you’ll take a new approach to your thesis. I’ve coached thousands of PhD students through to the finish line. I also managed to complete my own PhD when it seemed vanishingly unlikely. Some people breeze through their PhD, knowing exactly what they’re doing and never giving their supervisor a moment’s worry. That probably isn’t you. For most of us it’s tough – that’s why relatively few people get to call themselves Doctor. It’s hard, but not impossible. I want to help make it possible for you. I’ll help you understand why you’re stuck and what you can do about it. By the end of the book, you’ll have the clarity and confidence you need to finish your PhD. Together we’ll create an action plan that’s right for you. Each chapter includes activities and downloadable resources. You won’t find anything about theory, methodologies, or epistemologies here. There are plenty of other books on how to write a PhD – this book is on how to finish it. Take a look at the outline below to see what we’ll cover. CONTENTS 1. What’s the Purpose of PhD? Why are you doing a PhD? (I’ll help you remember) What on earth is a thesis, anyway? How can you set some limits and avoid doing too much? 2. Getting Ready to Do Things Differently Forgetting the past and focusing on the future Adopting a growth mindset Overcoming imposter syndrome and defeating your inner critic 3. Making a Plan You’re the project manager! Who’s on your team? What needs to happen and when? Anticipating problems and solving them in advance Breaking everything down into more manageable chunks 4. Working with Your Supervisor What type of supervision do you need? Managing the supervisory relationship Resolving conflict Agreeing plans with your supervisor Soliciting effective feedback 5. Managing Competing Priorities Understanding your circle of control Managing your time effectively Saying no Choosing the best time to write Looking after your health 6. Becoming a More Productive Writer Protecting your writing time Finding the right place to work Improving focus and eliminating distractions Making writing easier for yourself Defeating procrastination 7. Building Routines and Keeping Going Meeting your monkey sidekick Creating startup and shutdown routines Developing good habits Measuring progress Avoiding perfectionism 8. Getting Ready for Submission Thinking about your examiners Breaking down the editing process How much time do you need for editing? Knowing when to stop Your submission checklist

"There was a time when Elaine Richardson was one of 'the Negroes everybody pointed to as the Negroes you didn't want to become.' The title of this book is no metaphor or allusion, but a literal shorthand for a remarkable, unpredictable journey. She inherits a plain way of talking about horrific pain from a mother who seemed impossible to shock. The way too fast way she grew up was and is too common, but her will to remap her destiny is uncommon indeed. To call her story inspiring would be itself too plain a thing, hers is a heroic life." -dream Hampton, writer and filmmaker