The Carpe Career blog at Inside Higher Education recommends a handful of books that all Ph.D. candidates should consider reading. I thought I'd take a look to see what we have at Penn so that, should you be interested, you can get right to them.
"So What are You Going to Do With That?": Finding Careers Outside Academia by Susan Basalla and Maggie Debelius. University of Chicago Press, 2007. HF5382.7 .B374 2007
If you're wondering if you might find peace and contentment beyond academia, this book is a good place to start. (And be sure to check out the Alt-Acadamy Media Commons Project.
The Academic Job Search Handbook by Julia Vick and Jennifer Furlong. University of Pennsylvania Press. 2008. We have many copies and multiple editions of this book across the libraries. Seems like the editors at the Penn Press knew what they were doing when they published this book. Find the print here: LB2331.72 .H45 2008 and the electronic edition here (for you folks with a Pennkey that is). The Carpe Career blogger, Natalie Lundsteen, calls the advice in this book "tried and true," and recommends reading it from "cover to cover."
The Professor Is In: The Essential Guide for Turning Your Ph.D. Into a Job by Karen Kelsky. Three Rivers Press, 2015. This one is so new, it isn't yet available in the library, but look for it soon. Some of our BorrowDirect partners do have it in, so if you'd like to get a head start, you can investigate that route. Lundsteen recommends pairing this title up with the Penn Press title. It rewards careful and critical reading, but hold on to your hat.
Give and Take by Adam Grant. Viking, 2013. BF637.S8 G6855 2013. Lund rates this title as one of her type five career books, although it is not just for academics. She recommends it especially for international students looking to become more effective networkers.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. Crown Publishers, 2012. BF698.35.I59 C35 2012. Introverts, gather strength and succeed; extroverts, learn more about some of the people you may be working with. Check out Susan Cain's blog, Quiet Revolution for more. There is information and ideas there for introverts and extroverts, and those who fall in between.
Networking for Nerds by Alaina Levine. Wiley Blackwell, 2015. Perhaps written with the science Ph.D. in mind, Lunsteen gives this out as a prize at the career talks she gives. HD69.S8 L475 2015
Zen and the Art of Making a Living by Laurence Boldt, Penguin, 2009. MIT and Harvard have this title in their collections. Penn will soon, so check back in a week or two. Perhaps something like the famous What Color is Your Parachute (Hey! There is a 2015 edition of this book--still going strong), Boldt seeks to help you find what will bring you the most joy. Lundsteen recommends this for Ph.D.s who like to "ponder and philosophize."
How to Negotiate Your First Job by Paul Levy and Farzana Mohamed. Lundsteen keeps several copies of this on her office bookshelf and it can be read in an hour. You may need to investigate your favorite bookstore to get your hands on this one.
Do you have a favorite career title that isn't on this list? Leave us a comment. In the meantime, take a look at one of these books. These books are in demand, so be prepared to make use of interlibrary loan our your favorite bookstore.
"So What are You Going to Do With That?": Finding Careers Outside Academia by Susan Basalla and Maggie Debelius. University of Chicago Press, 2007. HF5382.7 .B374 2007
If you're wondering if you might find peace and contentment beyond academia, this book is a good place to start. (And be sure to check out the Alt-Acadamy Media Commons Project.
The Academic Job Search Handbook by Julia Vick and Jennifer Furlong. University of Pennsylvania Press. 2008. We have many copies and multiple editions of this book across the libraries. Seems like the editors at the Penn Press knew what they were doing when they published this book. Find the print here: LB2331.72 .H45 2008 and the electronic edition here (for you folks with a Pennkey that is). The Carpe Career blogger, Natalie Lundsteen, calls the advice in this book "tried and true," and recommends reading it from "cover to cover."
The Professor Is In: The Essential Guide for Turning Your Ph.D. Into a Job by Karen Kelsky. Three Rivers Press, 2015. This one is so new, it isn't yet available in the library, but look for it soon. Some of our BorrowDirect partners do have it in, so if you'd like to get a head start, you can investigate that route. Lundsteen recommends pairing this title up with the Penn Press title. It rewards careful and critical reading, but hold on to your hat.
Give and Take by Adam Grant. Viking, 2013. BF637.S8 G6855 2013. Lund rates this title as one of her type five career books, although it is not just for academics. She recommends it especially for international students looking to become more effective networkers.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. Crown Publishers, 2012. BF698.35.I59 C35 2012. Introverts, gather strength and succeed; extroverts, learn more about some of the people you may be working with. Check out Susan Cain's blog, Quiet Revolution for more. There is information and ideas there for introverts and extroverts, and those who fall in between.
Networking for Nerds by Alaina Levine. Wiley Blackwell, 2015. Perhaps written with the science Ph.D. in mind, Lunsteen gives this out as a prize at the career talks she gives. HD69.S8 L475 2015
Zen and the Art of Making a Living by Laurence Boldt, Penguin, 2009. MIT and Harvard have this title in their collections. Penn will soon, so check back in a week or two. Perhaps something like the famous What Color is Your Parachute (Hey! There is a 2015 edition of this book--still going strong), Boldt seeks to help you find what will bring you the most joy. Lundsteen recommends this for Ph.D.s who like to "ponder and philosophize."
How to Negotiate Your First Job by Paul Levy and Farzana Mohamed. Lundsteen keeps several copies of this on her office bookshelf and it can be read in an hour. You may need to investigate your favorite bookstore to get your hands on this one.
Do you have a favorite career title that isn't on this list? Leave us a comment. In the meantime, take a look at one of these books. These books are in demand, so be prepared to make use of interlibrary loan our your favorite bookstore.
