Hosted by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy
This summer, we will be featuring blog posts written by PhD students who participated in Career Services’ Career Exploration Fellowship (CEF), a program that helps doctoral candidates explore their career interests through networking opportunities with advanced degree professionals. Click here to learn more about CEF.
Describe your experience working with your host.
I simply could not be happier with my experience working with Lindsey. She was keen from the start on tailoring the CEF to my career interests, and was more than willing to facilitate my building connections with her colleagues. Beyond being extremely responsive to my questions and requests, she welcomed my engagement with the Kleinman Center, inviting me to events, a staff meeting, and encouraging me to write a post for their blog. Her professional support, however, was only one part of my positive experience. Lindsey also made the effort to connect on a personal level, something that I deeply appreciated, and which went above and beyond the requirements of the CEF. I am so grateful for being connected, and look forward to keeping in touch.
What did you learn from this opportunity (about yourself, potential career fields, the job search, etc.)?
My biggest takeaway from the CEF was that, though my academic focus has become quite specific, my work in graduate school has armed me with a number of valuable skills that are still appreciated—sometimes even greatly so—in non-academic fields. My opportunity in the Kleinman Center through CEF made me feel more capable and confident in continuing my career trajectory beyond the scope that I previously thought possible.
How did your CEF experience benefit your future career plans?
My academic foci are art history and Mediterranean archaeology; beyond genuine interest in a career combating climate change, I had no practical experience in anything close to the work of the Kleinman Center, and no idea how to begin to explore it. My CEF experience therefore provided me the critical first step in moving toward this career path, and as such has been invaluable. I learned so much about the myriad fields relating to energy policy, and each and every event I attended and meeting I had was generative. I view this experience as benefitting my future career plans greatly, by giving me a better lay of the land and a better understanding of how my abilities and strengths might fit into this previously foreign professional landscape.
What was the most valuable part of your CEF experience?
The CEF provided numerous resources to support my steps into the job market, including interactive Q&A panels and information sessions aimed at addressing questions students have about navigating their transition from academia to other professional pursuits. I also enjoyed meeting my CEF cohort at social events, and had several fascinating conversations with fellow grad students I never would have met were it not for the CEF. However, the part of the CEF experience that I most cherished were the interactions I had with my host and the employees at my host center. I cannot speak highly enough about the team that comprises the Kleinman Center, and I genuinely enjoyed my meetings with each one of them. Everyone there gave me so much of their time, and shared so much of their experience and expertise. These human connections were what I valued most.
Top reason PhD students should apply to the CEF program?
As we proceed through our PhDs, it is easy to feel shoehorned into the specific focus of our degree or dissertations. In the humanities, it is still common for faculty to have little or no professional experience outside academia. This makes consideration, let alone pursuit, of a non-academic job seem daunting; it is often difficult to know whom to solicit advice from on where to look for opportunities, how to market oneself, and especially how to make the transition following graduation. The CEF offers a path forward. It provides both a support network and resources to make the possibility of a non-academic job feel more within reach. If a student is interested in other career paths, related to their academic work or no, the CEF is a wonderful place to start.
