PhD Career Exploration Spotlight: Catie Apgar

Hosted by the RLD Foundation

This fall, we will be featuring blog posts written by PhD students who participated in Career Services’ Career Exploration Initiative (CEI), a program that helps doctoral candidates explore their career interests through networking opportunities with advanced degree professionals. Click here to learn more about CEI.

One of my biggest anxieties before CEI was not knowing how to approach networking, from making a connection on LinkedIn to asking the right questions in informational interviews. At my first meeting with Dr. Elizabeth Bynum Sorrell, we strategized the best ways to handle these anxieties and how to work around them. She and I met about once each month over the course of the program, and while I did not take on a specific project, she suggested I take time to explore different types of research (e.g., UX, policy research, evaluation research, data analysis) and consider where I might like to end up. Throughout this process, she was generous with her time and honesty, opening up about her recent transition to a new job, and reflecting on her own time as a CEI participant.  

As I narrowed down what types of research I might be interested in, I also felt drawn to non-profit or governmental roles. Liz pointed me to email lists and job boards that aligned with these interests, and I searched through job postings to identify the most relevant skills for positions I might consider in the future. In addition, Liz connected me with people from her own network who were exceedingly generous with their time and thoughtfulness, carefully considering the questions I asked and returning with curiosity of their own about my path. Their honesty and kindness were so valuable and have eased my anxieties about reaching out to other potential connections in the future.   

Perhaps the most surprising thing I learned through CEI is just how accessible people in industry are and how genuinely willing they are to help. I expected emails to go unanswered and informational interviews to feel transactional. Instead, the connections I made felt like real conversations. One of those conversations also gave me the most valuable piece of advice I received during the program: it’s okay not to be an expert in a specific policy area when applying for jobs. My expertise is in data handling, analysis, and communication, which are skills I can adapt to any problem, and are valuable in and of themselves to employers. 

With this networking foundation, and with the skills I learned through CEI, including maintaining a more active LinkedIn profile and crafting an industry-forward resume, I have confidence that I will continue making meaningful connections and learning more about what jobs are out there and for which I am most suited. This whole experience has opened my eyes to how much freedom there is, and how much is expected, in industry, and I am even more excited now than I was a few months ago about where I may end up after graduation. 

CEI gave me the space to ask questions I had been putting off until the panic of the job market set in. Any PhD student who has any interest in exploring industry roles should consider CEI before they graduate, even (and especially) if they think they don’t have it all figured out.