Three ways PhD students can prepare for future careers
To support the careers of current and aspiring PhD holders, we need a better understanding of their career pathways and professional preparation. ASU's Graduate College is proud to participate in the PhD Career Pathways project led by the Council of Graduate Schools, a national organization that supports graduate education and research and is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The goal of the project is to gather information about the professional aspirations, career pathways, and career preparation of our PhD students and alumni in order to enable the creation of PhD programs that maximize value both to students and society as a whole.
As part of the PhD Career Pathways project the Graduate College created three videos featuring three important concepts for PhD students to consider when planning their future careers inside or outside of academia.
1. Explore Your Options
The career pathways for today’s PhD students have changed. Dr. Tamara Underiner, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for the Graduate College at Arizona State University, discusses the importance of exploring multiple career pathways for PhD students.
2. The Value of Your PhD
What is the value of a PhD degree in today’s world? Dr. Tamara Underiner, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for the Graduate College at Arizona State University explains why we need PhDs now more than ever.
3. The Importance of Transferable Skills
PhD students need to be strategic in pursuing transferrable skills like leadership. Dr. Tamara Underiner, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for the Graduate College at Arizona State University, stresses the importance of acquiring transferrable skills for PhD students.
On March 31, ASU graduate students and postdocs gathered at the University Club’s Heritage Room for an evening that proved professional development can be both practical and a little fun.
Skylar Grayson is a fifth-year PhD candidate in astrophysics at Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration and a recipient of the nationally competitive National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.