This is first in a series of interviews with PhDs who chose careers outside of academia – hopefully will provide inspiration and an insight into possible paths after the doctorate!…
Written by Anna Gruszczynska
Dr Anna Gruszczynska completed a PhD in sociology at Aston University and has since worked in a variety of project management roles in higher education sector. She is currently working as an IT project manager at Birmingham City University where she is responsible for software projects and developing good project management standards. In addition, she is a qualified coach and brings her understanding of post-PhD transitions into her part-time coaching practice where she supports people who have big goals such as finishing a PhD or transitioning into a more fulfilling job. She is also a keen runner, with a passion for ultra-long distances and running round in loops and is training towards her first 24-hour event.
New podcasts on the blog – accounts of post-PhD transitions
When I listen to stories of post-PhD transitions, whether in the context of various communities in which I participate or in the context of coaching conversations, the theme of silence…
Confidence in personal and professional life, PhD edition
A couple of weeks ago I was called into the office of the boss of my line manager who told me that I needed more confidence in my delivery. And…
Talking about unemployed PhDs
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the post of my fellow Post-PhD life blogger, Ellie Mackin on her experiences of job insecurity one year out of PhD and the…
On being “overqualified” on the job market
Recently I’ve been reflecting on the topic of PhDs being “overqualified” after the issue cropped up in a couple of conversations with colleagues and coachees. Some of the concerns were…
Ideal jobs and the post-PhD hunt
The topic of “ideal job” seems to be coming up quite frequently in the context of the coaching conversations I have with PhD students and graduates. Sometimes it is because…
Confidence and post-PhD transitions
I was recently reflecting on a thread from the Chronicle of Higher Education discussion forum which focused on confidence after leaving academia, quite topical in light of forthcoming #withaphd Twitter…
Dispatches from 9 to 5 or post-PhD myth busting
One of the things that is really difficult about undergoing change or even contemplating change, whether environmental, political (and in the UK we’ve had plenty of that in the past…
Informational interviews in the post-PhD job search
As an IT project manager I spend a lot of time in “as-is” process mapping meetings and they are more interesting than the name may suggest. To start with, they…
Follow-up to postgraduate options hangout – Choosing a supervisor
This is second post in a Q&A format following recent hangout on postgraduate options on jobs.ac.uk where there wasn’t time to answer all the questions and so in the next couple of…