‘Non-academic jobs’: more ‘academic’ than you think?

In this post, PGR Careers Adviser Dr Holly Prescott shows us how academic research and teaching aren’t the only jobs that can let you ‘keep’ the bits of academia that you really enjoy. You can find a more detailed post on this on Holly’s PhD Careers Blog, PostGradual.

In academia, we’re often taught to value our ‘outputs’ (papers, theses, grants etc.) over the processes that went into achieving them. Saying that we ‘do research’ or ‘do teaching’ can often ‘hide’ the things we actually do to manage and execute those things, and the things that we get good at in the process. Hence, we can often forget this important nugget that Australian geneticist Joel Huey tweeted a few months ago:

The take home message? Research/academia is not one job, it’s many. If the package deal isn’t for you, look for the bits you enjoy and find rewarding work with them. I was lucky, you may be too. 8/9

— Dr Joel Huey (@JoelHuey4) July 6, 2020

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Online groups for international networking and collaboration

In this post, Joanne McCuaig, a distance learning PGR in the College of Arts and Law, explains how and why she set up online discussion groups using Twitter.

I’m a part-time, distance student in my 2nd year, in the department of English Language and Applied Linguistics. I’m a Canadian, living in South Korea, studying with a UK institution; I wanted to take advantage of any networking opportunities. First, I set up my Academic Twitter account – regular Twitter but used as a research profile to share about your skills and work.

I then decided to start two different student groups. I got the idea after attending an online conference that had breakout sessions for PhD students. It was energising to be able to share about our research, ask questions to others, and offer suggestions for literature, methods, or approaches.  A few months after the conference I contacted, via Twitter, a few of the students I’d “met” at the conference to ask if they wanted to continue the conversation. 

Taking on a challenge

The Universitas 21 & PwC Innovation Challenge is an annual international competition exclusively for postgraduates. PricewaterhouseCoopers set a current workplace challenge and participants record a 3 minute video pitching their solution. In 2020, University of Birmingham Philosophy PGR Eugenia Lancellotta did fantastically well, getting into the top 10. Her video was judged by high level staff both within PwC and their client companies, and she won careers training and mentoring from PwC. Here, she tells us about her experience.

Eugenia Lancellotta – University of Birmingham from Universitas 21 on Vimeo.

It felt great and completely unexpected to be in the Top 10, especially because I realised I was one of the few students of Humanities there! I felt really proud of representing the category and of doing it for the University of Birmingham.