Career Stages: Post-Graduate

We have recently featured series about surviving graduate school  from a humanities PhD and life as a faculty member  from an anthropologist. Now we begin a series about finding a postdoc in the sciences and flourishing in the process. Guest writer Kelly Seaton, currently a postdoc at Duke University, will grace the blog for the ...

This is the second in Kelly Seaton’s series on Finding a Postdoc in the Sciences. Previously: One Postdoc’s Journey. ~ Mike Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. In my last post, ...

Kelly Seaton continues her series on finding a postdoc in the sciences. Previously: One Postdoc’s Journey, Where Should I Begin? Once you have decided to pursue a postdoc position and have a reasonable idea what you would like to study or where you want to live, the next step is to find a position that is ...

Kelly Seaton continues her series on finding a postdoc in the sciences. Previously: One Postdoc’s Journey, Where Should I Begin?, Identifying the Right Position What questions do you have about the postdoc interview process? Do you have any interview experiences or advice to share? Photo credit: solarnu via Flickr Once you have submitted your applications and landed an ...

Kelly Seaton concludes her series on finding a postdoc in the sciences. Previously: One Postdoc’s Journey, Where Should I Begin?, Identifying the Right Position, Nailing the Interview. Kelly is also working on a list of resources for finding a postdoc, which we’ll publish as soon as it’s ready.   I think one of the happiest days ...

Lauri Swann reflects on listening for God's voice in unchartered territories.

Further into unchartered territories: Lauri Swann talks about obedience at #ScholarsCompass.

Faith in the middle of unchartered territories: Lauri Swann wraps up her series at #ScholarsCompass.

Since September and October in many ways start the job year (with the first MLA list for humanities people and the posts on different job wikis), if you're on the market and are not already applying, you will soon. Here are some thoughts about “the will of God” and that stage.

You have written a good letter—so good in fact that now you have some interviews scheduled. These could range from a phone call to some form of video conference. As you will learn, this means you are now in a group of roughly 15-20 people, down from the mammoth pool of 100-200 who applied. You may never have thought that Anonymous U or Nowhere U would call for an interview. And yet, here you are.

What makes for a great campus visit? How does it fit into the will of God?

You've sent hundreds of applications, done the phone interviews, and gone on the campus visits. Now you have to decide.

So you have it all done–salary, contract, even your office location. You might even have your teaching schedule lined up. What do you do now?

For the better part of a decade, my life ambition was to become a professor. I was confident that hard work and a few providential breaks would land me a tenure-track political science professor position. I believed that God had called me to a life in the academy, to be a witness pointing peers and students to Christ.

Now what? As it became clear that I would not have an academic job, I felt lost and overwhelmed. Having given no serious thought to a non-academic career, I wondered if my academic apprenticeship had any value in preparing me for life outside the academy.

When I started applying for non-academic jobs, I felt directionless and did not know how to start. Providentially, I stumbled upon the simple realization that I can leverage skills and expertise gained in graduate experience to navigate these new unknowns. By adopting familiar practices of research, replication, and resilience, I became more organized, confident, and ultimately successful in the job application process.

If I were to sum up my last five years in one word, it would be “change”. I have lived in four different houses, worked three different jobs, lived on two continents, gotten married, gone to grad school, and had a child.

Postdocs occupy a weird, liminal space in the path of the scholar.

We figured it was time for a follow-up on what to do once you've found the postdoc you were looking for.

New ESN Reading Lists Are you looking for a quick guide to some of our key starting point resources here at the ESN blog? We’ve designed a resource page that offers some great starting points for each career stage, and for InterVarsity’s Four Faculty Loves. Browse these if you’re looking for individual reading or small group conversation ...

The opportunities for postdoc spiritual support groups are liminal!