CSTalks-LifeBeyondPhD-16Mar

Life Beyond PhD

Claudia [email protected]

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CS Talks16 March 2011

Disclaimer

• All points are contentious, discussion is mandatory

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Books I should have read

• Tomorrow’s Professor, R. M. Reis

• A PhD is Not Enough: A Guide to Survival in Science, P. J. Feibelman

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Outline• Permanent Head Damage

• Career Paths

‣ Academia

‣ Industry

‣ Other - the world is your oyster

• Open Discussion

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PhD, A Diagram5

Copyright Matthew Might

Elementary School6


High School7


Bachelor Degree - Speciality8


Master Degree9


Reading Research Papers10


Focus at the Boundary11


Pushing the Boundary12


And You’re Through!13


DR!14


Your World15


The Big Picture16


Why?

• To enhance knowledge

• To share knowledge

• Masochistic need to be in school until you’re at least 30-

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How• Perseverance

‣ uncertainty, rejection, frustration

• Tenacity

‣ competition is fierce

• Communication skills

‣ reading, writing, social

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PhD in SoC• The good

‣ Structured program with bounds on finishing time‣ MOE scholarship with no bond‣ Conference funding, plenty of resources (some of us have windows in our labs!)‣ SoC:

- one of the highest ranking CS/IS departments in the area- large department, ~150 profs, ~400 graduate students

• The bad‣ QE + coursework takes up around 2 years; ‣ Program details are undocumented; changes are unannounced

• The ugly‣ Funding runs out after 4 years‣ No career path counseling for SoC graduate students available

‣ Reduced teaching opportunities for final year graduate students

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Career Paths• Think about the long-term goals (20 or so years)‣ what do you want to do‣ what questions/problems will keep you on your toes

• Academia‣ Teaching & Research‣ Research & Teaching

• Industry‣ Engineering‣ Consulting‣ Researcher

• Haven’t decided

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Academic Career• Structure

• Things to do throughout PhD

• Applying for positions

• Interview(s)

• The job offer(s)

• Early career

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Structure - Research

• Post-doc

• Assistant Professor

• Associate Professor (tenure, uha!)

• Professor

• Older age

Academic Career

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Structure - Teaching

• Lecturer at research university

‣ contract-based

• Assistant Professor at teaching university

• ...

Academic Career

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Things to do• + collaborate

• Network

• Teach: tutorials, projects, lectures

• Be mentored & mentor

• Be active in your professional societies

• Avoid burning out

‣ research

‣ thesis writing

Academic Career

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Publish, publish, publish

Network• Where‣ conferences, workshops, seminars

- students and profs‣ virtually

• How‣ identify people in your area of research‣ talk about your work‣ talk about other people’s work‣ attend poster sessions, PhD colloquims ‣ hand out business cards‣ follow up with emails, send them draft papers, get &

keep their interest

Academic Career

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Where to Find Positions

• CRA announcements

• Network, network, network

‣ ask profs when you are about mid-way through writing your thesis (or early!)

‣ let people know you are on the market

- web page, conferences

Postdocs

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Where to Find Positions• cra.org

• Chronicles of Higher Education -> more towards teaching

• Ask your prof to ask

• Post job materials on your website

• Network at conference

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Assistant Professor

Applying for Positions• Usually october/november - february/march

• Ask your supervisor about:‣ contacts, appropriate schools, your cv & statements

• Establish your referees: ask & confirm‣ Give them plenty of time to write the reference letters‣ Send them your CV such that they have key details

about you available

• Make sure your first interview is with a trash school

• Have a back-up plan in case you don’t find anything

Assistant Professor

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Typical Application• Web page (easy on the personal details) +

Facebook

• CV + Cover letter (personalized)

• Teaching statement - ~ 1.5 pages max

• Research statement - ~ 3-4 pages

• Reference letters

• It’s not your skills that get tested, but wether you are a good fit for the department

Assistant Professor

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Interviews• Phone/Skype interview

‣ 10-20 minutes to establish you

- can speak Englihs :)

- are not a psychotic loony bin

‣ ask for details in advance

• Campus interview

Assistant Professor

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Campus Interview• Opportunity to meet with COLLEAGUES to

see if you are a good match• Discuss research & teaching with committee

and other colleagues• Visit department, campus, and surroundings• One or both of‣ research talk - light on the details, more on the

pressing issues/problems you have/will be solving‣ teaching talk - lecture demo

Assistant Professor

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Campus Interview - What to Bring• Yourself: focused, professional, calm (but not bored), dressed

appropriately (like a professor, not an investment banker or grad student)

• Water, mints, remote control (for slides)

• Copy of your thesis, papers, etc.

• Practiced talks

• Practiced elevator pitch: 1 - 3 minutes or less speech about your research

‣ varying levels of detail depending on audience

• How you see yourself in five years?

• Dream course syllabus

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Assistant Professor

Other Interview Tips• Other campus interviews will be light talks/

lunches: engage and be engaged

• Talk to junior faculty

• Ask about funding

• Bring up the two-body problem after you get the offer; may hint during conversations

• Follow up with emails, admins included

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Assistant Professor

Job Offer

• Start-up package

• Teaching load

• Fringe benefits

• Two-body problem

Assistant Professor

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Early Career• Research - Grant writing

‣ finding research problems

‣ writing the grant/being rejected; around 2 years

‣ find graduate, under-graduate students

• Teaching

‣ negotiate: lighter at first; teach courses you are extremely familiar with

‣ (1) awareness of teaching & learning styles; (2) course structure; (3) continual assessment; (4) communities

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Assistant Professor

Industry Career

• Saturation in academia & economic climate ensures that a lot of [computing] PhDs will eventually end up in industry

• While a fresh PhD lacks industry experience, the title will make up for it

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Things To Do• Choose a practical angle for your research

‣ hot problem, solid implementation, ample testing

• Network

‣ seek out vendors at conferences

• Focus on problem solving and communication

• Publish in trade journals

• Collaborate

Industry Career

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Things to do• Focus on your innovation

• Test, test, test

• Publish about your innovations

• Patent your innovations; write business plans

• Network

• Use start-up funds

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Entrepreneur

Things to do• DECIDE!

‣ if you positively abhor teaching & mentoring, then maybe academia is not for you?

• Do not give up on the quality of your research & writing

• Collaborate

• Network

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Haven’t decided

Conclusion

• Publish

• Network

• Don’t give up on quality research

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Take Home Message

Start thinking & acting about life after PhD as soon as possible.

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Don’t b

e like

me!

Documents

CSTalks-LifeBeyondPhD-16Mar