Media
Laying the groundwork for multiple career paths before you graduate
ScholarStudio, January 13, 2016Online
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrDSGVsetvQ
Video interview with Daveena Tauber.
Interview with Dan Otter and Scott Dauenhauser
Teach and Retire Rich podcast, October 13, 2016Online
URL: http://teachandretirerich.com/podcasts/
Ep. 37: From PhD to Life
Help for Academics Thinking Beyond the Professoriate
Camels with Hammers blog, May 4, 2016Online
Interview with Daniel Fincke.
Hope for PhDs who want to leave the profession
History News Network, January 7, 2017Online
URL: https://youtu.be/uYHT-L7nDZ8
Video interview with Rick Shenkman. Recorded at the American Historical Association Annual Meeting in Denver, CO
Finding your dream psychology career
Monitor on Psychology, February 1, 2017Online
URL: http://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/02/psychology-career.aspx
Interviewed/mentioned by Laura Zimmerman in her article for the American Psychological Association's Monitor on Psychology. Print edition Feb 2017, vol. 48, no. 2, p. 54.
Yes, PhD grad, there is life outside the Ivory Tower
Published by The Globe & Mail
November 20, 2013
Commissioned op-ed.
What career coaches can do for PhD holders
Published by University Affairs
April 7, 2015
May 2015 print edition, p. 52.
PhD and then what? Life beyond the professoriate
Published by It's Not Academic (Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario)
April 14, 2015
Contribution to HEQCO's blog.
URL: http://blog-en.heqco.ca/2015/04/jennifer-polk-phd-and-then-what/
My Patchwork Post-Academic Community
Published by Chronicle Vitae
June 8, 2014
Second essay in 3-part series.
URL: https://chroniclevitae.com/news/485-my-patchwork-post-academic-community
Life beyond the PhD
Published by Academic Matters
November 29, 2013
My own journey thus far.
URL: http://www.academicmatters.ca/2013/11/life-beyond-the-phd/
From History Ph.D. to Life Coach?
Published by Chronicle Vitae
September 9, 2014
Third essay in 3-part series.
URL: https://chroniclevitae.com/news/695-from-history-ph-d-to-life-coach
From PhD to Life: My Post-Ac Transition So Far
Published by Moving On: Essays on the Aftermath of Leaving Academia
January 1, 2014
Chapter in an ebook.
URL: http://www.amazon.com/Moving-Essays-Aftermath-Leaving-Academia-ebook/dp/B00HOH011A/
A Ph.D.’s Path to Entrepreneurship
Published by Chronicle Vitae
February 12, 2014
First essay in a 3-part series for the Chronicle of Higher Education's new Vitae website.
URL: https://chroniclevitae.com/news/331-a-ph-d-s-path-to-entrepreneurship
Biography
Jennifer Polk, PhD, is a career coach and expert on PhD careers. Since 2013, she’s worked with graduate students and doctoral degree holders based in Canada, the United States, the UK, Australia, and elsewhere. Jen created her PhD Career Clarity Program to help PhDs navigate their career paths with confidence.
Jen has spoken on university campuses and at academic and professional conferences throughout North America on issues related to graduate education and career outcomes for PhDs. Jen regularly facilitates professional development workshops (now online) and delivers presentations for graduate students and postdocs. In addition, she currently serves on the board of directors for CAGS, the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies.
Her writing has appeared in University Affairs, Inside Higher Ed, the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Globe and Mail, and Academic Matters. Her University Affairs blog (2013–20), “From PhD to Life,” won three gold awards at the Canadian Online Publishing Awards. She’s also contributed essays to three books: Moving On: Essays on the Aftermath of Leaving Academia (2014), Reflections on Academic Lives: Identities, Struggles, and Triumphs in Graduate School and Beyond (2017), and How to Get Your PhD: A Handbook for the Journey (2021). Jen was also an expert panelist for the 2021 Canadian Council of Academies report, Degrees of Success, on the challenges PhDs face transitioning to employment.
Jen was co-founder of Beyond the Professoriate from the company’s founding until her departure in January 2020. Between 2014 and 2019 she co-produced and -hosted several online conferences attended by hundreds of graduate students, PhDs, and career education professionals. For several years she also ran Self-Employed PhD, an online network of freelancers, independent consultants, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. She hosted #withaPhD chat, a twice-monthly Twitter discussion, for three years.
Jen is actively engaged in online conversations about careers for PhDs, especially on Twitter. Follow her there @FromPhDtoLife, or interact with her on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Jen earned her PhD in history from the University of Toronto in 2012, and an MA and BA from Carleton University.
Recognition/Reconnaissance
Best Blog or Column | Professional
Gold winner in the B2B/Academic category for my University Affairs blog, From PhD to Life
Best Blog or Column | Professional
Gold winner in the B2B category for my University Affairs blog, From PhD to Life