PhDNet Blog – Your Online Graduate Student Community

I write a biweekly Q&A blog on Benchfly.com, and I frequently get questions from desperate students who believe they are not “smart” enough for graduate school (to read the Q&A blogs go to: http://www.phdnet.org/deardora.html). They all think they are the only ones who do not belong there. Graduate school is just way over their heads, and they never should have applied in the first place.

Graduate school can indeed by an intimidating and frustrating experience. What if the admissions office made a mistake by accepting you and now they are stuck with you? Believe it or not, these feelings are so common among graduate students, that they actually have a name. Dr. Valerie Young, a life coach with a Ph.D., named this the “impostor syndrome.” (www.Impostorsyndrome.com). The “impostor syndrome” refers to the feeling that you are not good enough, and that other people might soon discover that you are not as intelligent as they thought you were.

Sounds familiar? I hope not, but if it does, you are certainly not alone. When I heard about the “impostor syndrome” (years after I graduated), I smiled immediately, because there were times when I wondered whether I could ever finish. At the time, what helped me the most was to talk with other students, because it helped me to understand that I was not the only one feeling frustrated, or rather, super-frustrated with no idea what the next step should be.

If you ever experience these feelings, remember that a Ph.D. is meant to challenge you. Professors will grill you (and possibly embarrass you as well), but this is considered the “rite of passage” to the Ph.D. world. Consider the following statistics. Each year, over 40,000 students earn a Ph.D., and more than 1,300,000 people have earned a Ph.D. since 1920-all in the United States alone. If they can do it, why not you?

Of course, there are cases where students make a decision to leave graduate school for reasons such as finances or change in career plans. But these decisions should not be based on not being “smart” enough. If you are ever frustrated, feeling alone, remember how many students have earned their PhD’s before you, and many of them probably faced the same challenges as you. Most of the time, a candid conversation with your peers and supervisors can help you make decisions about your thesis and career plans so you can move forward more confidently.

Wishing you the best,
Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet
Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”
www.phdnet.org
dora@phdnet.org

When we think of social networking and job searching in the same context, LinkedIn immediately comes to mind. While LinkedIn is the number one professional networking site, there are several others that can be very useful for job seekers. In this blog, I would like to introduce you to two new networking sites for life scientists. Both of them were founded by Clifford Mintz, a life scientist himself, a former Professor (University Of Miami School Of Medicine) and industry Research Scientist.

The first site is BioJobBlog (http://www.biojobblog.com/), which focuses on training and career development issues that are facing scientists and other bioprofessionals. The blog offers career development ideas and advice for bioprofessionals and also provides insights into hot topics and debates taking place in the life sciences industry. Clifford started the blog because of the career difficulties he faced while making the transition from an academic scientist to freelance science writer. Cliff hopes that by sharing his experiences with others they may be able to more easily navigate their own career paths which is often difficult, frustrating and emotionally- draining!

Clifford created a second site, with co-founder Vincent Racaniello, called BioCrowd (http://www.biocrowd.com/), which is online networking site for scientists and other life sciences professionals. Built on a flexible and highly interactive social networking platform, BioCrowd was designed to foster scientific and business relationships between its members. While science is the main driver of our community, it takes a host of other bioprofessionals in addition to scientists to create successful life sciences ventures. To that end, BioCrowd provides its members with immediate access to world class academic researchers, industrial scientists, consultants, recruiters, venture capitalists and other life sciences professionals. The goal is BioCrows is to provide a socially-interactive “one-stop-shopping” solution for bioprofessionals who are interested in advancing their careers or seeking new business opportunities in the life sciences industry.

If you decide to try either one of these sites (or have tried them already), we would love to have your feedback. Simply click on the orange “Reply” button (must be logged on to see the button).

Wishing you the best,
Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet
Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”
www.phdnet.org
dora@phdnet.org

The average American consumes 1-2 cups of coffee a day, and it is not going out of style anytime soon. Coffee has become part of the standard American diet due to its energy boosting effects, which is much needed in our sleep-deprived society (including graduate school). Yet, we sometimes wonder, is coffee good for us?

The answer is a surprising…..yes, but….

Coffee, much like chocolate, is actually loaded with antioxidants. In fact, it has the highest concentration of antioxidants of any food that in the “standard” American diet (e.g. sugary cereal, bagel, eggs with bacon, donuts…you get the idea).

The “but” part is due to a few reasons. First, the more processing coffee goes through, the fewer antioxidants it retains. Regular coffee was actually shown to reduce the risk of certain diseases such as Dementia and Alzheimer’s. But how many people drink regular coffee when triple-chocolate and caramel lattes are available? Besides the added calories, these drinks have lost a significant portion of their antioxidants effects.

The other reasons for the “but” are due to caffeine sensitivity in some people. Even small amounts of caffeine can cause gastrointestinal discomfort for sensitive stomachs, and coffee is contraindicated for those with GI problems. Others might not get a GI reaction, but the effects of caffeine might be so strong that it interferes with their sleep. How much coffee is too much? It turns out that the beneficial effects of caffeine have their limits.

In a scientific study volunteers were asked to consume caffeine corresponding to 0, 2, and 4 cups of regular coffee. While those who consumed 2 cups of coffee performed better on cognitive tests than those who consumed none, 4 cups of coffee actually weakened cognitive abilities compared to placebo (Kaplan et al. J Clin Pharmacol. 1997 Aug;37(8):693-703). The lesson? If coffee helps you to stay awake (but does not interfere with your stomach or sleep) you can now feel better about drinking it. But it is important to pace yourself and not drink too much, else your judgment could be impaired.

To read more about the benefits of coffee and other brain foods, visit:

http://www.brainready.com/blog/thetop5brainhealthfoods.html

Wishing you the best,
Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet
Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”
www.phdnet.org
dora@phdnet.org

Now Available in Kindle Edition!

It is no secret that jobs don’t fall in your lap these days. “A few years ago, one only needed 1 to 2 interviews to get a job. Now you need 5 or 6,” a PhD-level scientist commented after his recent job offer. If you want a job, you need to pursue your job search very assertively and confidently. The problem is that most graduate students are not trained in job searching and, in fact, many of them never had to write a resume or C.V. beforehand.

Newly minted Masters and Ph.D. students face a challenge in the job market for two reasons. First, there are fewer positions due to downsizing. Second, the laid off people are also looking for jobs, and they have more experience than recent graduates. Furthermore, if a position opens up in their own companies, they have priority as internal candidates. The pharmaceutical industry alone laid-off more than 100,000 people in the last few years. Imagine the competition for those few jobs that do open up.

Ideally, employers are looking to hire someone who can solve their problems tomorrow. Generic cover letters and resumes will no longer do the trick – they will probably end up in the recycling bin. Instead, you need a laser-focused application package where you highlight what you can do for the employers.

Not to worry, others have done the research for you. Jay Conrad Levinson and David Perry share their job-searching strategies in their recent book “Guerilla Marketing for Job Hunters.” For those of you who are newcomers to guerilla marketing, this unusual method relies on unexpected and creative ways of marketing yourself to potential employers. What does guerilla job marketing entail? Recruiters typically review hundreds of resumes a day. Standard resumes are typically tossed aside in favor of the unique ones that get employers to reach for the phone. In their book, Levinson and Perry show you how to draft outstanding resumes and cover letters specifically for each job.

Even if you become an expert at guerilla marketing yourself, resumes and cover letters alone are probably not be enough to secure a job. First, you will need to convince a reliable convince a reliable contact to get your resume to the right person. For this reason, establishing an online presence and networking in person and over the Internet are crucial elements of your job search. This book probably has more tips that can follow, and it is a great start to get into the mindset of joining the outside world. What I liked most about Guerilla Marketing for Job Hunters” was that it shows you not only how to pursue a job, but how to get (and even create) a position that will be a great fit for you.
Wishing you the best,

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

Now Available in Softcover and Kindle Edition!

Mark Levy shares a fascinating story in his book “Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content”. The story is about a coach named Robert Kriegel, who was training runners for the last few spots in the Olympics. After he noticed that the runners were tense, he performed an unusual experiment. Instead of telling them to try harder, he advised them to relax and run at about 90% of their normal speed. The results were amazing. Each runner ran faster than previously, and one of them set an unofficial world record!

How does this story apply to graduate school?

Let’s think about the path of a typical graduate student. Most first-years are enthusiastic and committed to making the next big discovery or designing the most innovative tool of the century. By the time students enter their fifth year, however, they are itching to graduate. They try to work harder, but many of them have lost their motivation. What happened?

In graduate school it is easy to get caught in the work hard-burnout-fall behind cycle (see diagram). Students have such expectations from themselves (or maybe their supervisors do) that they try to give everything 110% until they are too exhausted to work anymore, and burn out. Repetitive strain injury from excessive typing is a perfect example. If you type so much that you injure your arms, you will probably need to take a break from typing for several weeks. This will actually set you back more than typing less (or slower) because then you would not need down-time. When you are caught in this hamster-wheel, you try to work beyond your limits to catch up, but in the end you make little progress and have no social life either.

When I wrote my thesis, someone advised me to submit it when I felt it was 95% done. If I expected it to be done 100%, I would never finish, because there is always more to do. Whether you work at 90% or 95% efficiency (which is subjective anyway), your mentality shifts immediately from the self-defeating “I always have to give everything 110%”. Suddenly, you give yourself time to take a break, to talk to your friends and family, and to exercise, all of which foster creativity and enhance your productivity overall. You are now aiming for excellence instead of perfection, with the permission to make some mistakes and to learn from them.

This principle also applies to writing papers and dissertations. Writing blocks occur when we are afraid of making a mistake on paper so we write nothing instead. If you let your guard down and just start writing, the ideas will come. Set your timer to 30 minutes, start writing freely and you will be amazed at your own creativity!

Wishing you the best,

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

Now Available in Kindle Edition!

After the hiatus in hiring during the summer, employers are once again posting job ads and leafing through piles of desperate resumes. The lucky candidates will get interviews either because they sent in an outstanding resume, or (more likely) an acquaintance got them through the door.

The initial excitement of landing an interview is sometimes dampened by the overwhelming preparation phase. Most PhD interviews include a 1-hour job talk followed by technical and behavioral interview questions. Technical questions are usually not the problem. We were trained in graduate school, and possibly during a postdoctoral fellowship, to answer tough research questions. The behavioral questions, on the other hand, can make candidates nervous especially if they did not practice the answers in advance. With so many types of interview questions, who can be prepared for all of them?

Rather than trying to memorize answers to all possible interview questions under the sun, remember the following truism: Employers hire people to solve problems. The purpose of the interview is to find out whether you are the solution to the employer’s problems. In today collaborative environment, solving a problem translates into more than just technical expertise. You will need to demonstrate your ability to work in teams, and also motivate other people. While the list of possible interview questions is endless, most of them fall into the following three categories.

1)      Do you have the necessary technical expertise?

2)      Do you work well in teams both as a contributor and as a leader?

3)      Do you fit into the work environment? (e.g. work hours and collaborative vs. competitive environment)

Many interviewers are friendly and will make light conversation with you. While it is acceptable to relax a little bit, keep most of your answers relevant to the job. In particular, when the interviewer asks you “Tell me about yourself”, summarize your technical background that led you on this career path. Also let them know about your experience in mentoring and working in teams, even if they are not directly related to work (e.g. volunteering, student organizations).

Also make sure you send a follow-up email within a week after your interview, to thank the interviewers for their time, and reinforce how you can contribute to their organization.

Wishing you the best,

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

Now Available in Kindle Edition!

A few years ago I met Jenny (not her real name) at a friend’s BBQ party. Jenny was the mother of two young children and an Adjunct Professor in the Humanities. “How do you like your job?” I asked her. “Well, it has its ups and downs,” she said. “I love working part-time as a Mom, but I get paid very little. Plus, I always have to look for new positions.” Overall, Jenny was satisfied with her job. Her friends who held tenure-track positions worked much longer hours than she could have imagined for her lifestyle as a parent, and she enjoyed teaching very much.

Adjunct positions are usually not the top priority career paths for PhD’s because they offer low salaries and are not permanent. Yet, many PhD’s apply for adjunct positions because of the flexible schedule and the teaching experience that come with the job. If you interested in testing the waters in academia and developing your classroom proficiency, begin with the following:

• Talk to your adviser, professors in your department, as well as alumni to help you decide which institutions to apply for and which ones to avoid,
• Discuss teaching opportunities with your career services office,
• Think about the types of institution and the courses you are interested in, and
• Look at job postings in the online resources at the end of this post.

The end of the school year is usually a good time to look for adjunct positions, because that is when many universities look to fill positions for the upcoming semester. Adjunct positions do open up during the school year as well, and if you submit your C.V. mid-term, the department will keep it on file until something opens up. Since adjunct faculty are paid less than full-time faculty, schools with tight budgets and expanding enrollments are more likely to hire them. You might find also openings in evening and weekend continuing education programs, and possibly museums and local libraries too. If you have no teaching experience, you can still outline your course plan in your application, and highlight your public speaking experience.

The Adjunct Advocate is an excellent online magazine with job listings, blogs, forums, and online tools. I have also listed other online resources, as well as a link to an excellent article by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Online tools:

http://chronicle.com/section/Jobs/61/

http://www.insidehighered.com/career/seekers

http://www.adjunctprofessoronline.com/

http://www.adjunctopia.com/

http://www.adjunctnation.com/jobs/search/

http://www.adjunctadvocate.com/

Article from the Chronicle of Higher Education:

http://chronicle.com/article/Finding-Useful-Adjunct-Jobs/46325/

Wishing you the best,

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

I never heard about repetitive strain injury (RSI) until I was in graduate school. One of my friends complained about pain in her arms following long periods of typing, so she began wearing arm braces and took several weeks off from work. Although her condition improved, her arm pain recurred after extended periods of typing.  Less than a year later I developed similar symptoms soon after I switched from a desktop to a laptop.  Looking back, this should not have come as a surprise since it is very difficult to type in a comfortable position while using a laptop. I loved my laptop, because it was so light and convenient, but I had to let it go in order to be able to type without pain. (In the references below, you will find advice on how to use a laptop more comfortably, in case you must use one.)

During my recovery I learned quite a bit about the importance of stress management and ergonomic typing habits. I also learned that RSI was a “silent epidemic” in graduate school. Of the 100 people I interviewed for my book, 28 experienced RSI to some extent (more than 1 in 4). A few students were unable to type for weeks or even months due to extreme pain. Others were not diagnosed with RSI “officially”, but they felt pain in their backs, arms and shoulders after many hours on the computer.

Probably most of you readers have heard about RSI, but here are a few things you might not have known:

1. If you feel pain persistently in your arms, those symptoms can turn very quickly (overnight) into severe pain and inflammation in your joints. The best strategy way to avoid serious injury is to seek medical advice as soon as you experience pain or discomfort from typing.
2. Pain from typing frequently does not develop until after you have stopped typing. That is why it is important to take frequent breaks (every 15-20 min) and stretch your arms.
3. Activities other than typing (e.g. swimming, playing instruments) can aggravate RSI, and you might need to cut back on these activities until you recover.

Fortunately, there are many resources about RSI in books and on the Internet. Of course, you should always seek medical advice first, but here is some additional information:
www.rsi-relief.com/
www.selfcare4rsi.com/
www.tifaq.org/
www.safecomputingtips.com

www.handhealthresources.com

http://www.phdnet.org/phdnews/april09_phd_rsi.html

Breaktimer software:
RSI Guard: http://rsiguard.com

Books about RSI:
Dr. Pascarelli’s Complete Guide to Repetitive Strain Injury: What You Need to Know About RSI and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by Emil Pascarelli

It’s Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! RSI Theory & Therapy for Computer Professionals by Suparna Damany and Jack Bellis.

If you are experiencing symptoms of RSI, remember that recovery can be slow, but most people are able to restore complete function to their arms and hands with proper therapy and ergonomic typing devices.  We know this is a topic that many students care about and we would love to hear your stories and experiences. Simply click on the “Reply” button below to post a comment (you need to be logged in to see the “Reply” button).

Wishing you the best,

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

It is no secret that men earn more than women for the same jobs. But is the gender wage gap closing and how does it affect faculty salaries?
In March, 2010 The Institute for Women’s Policy Research published an article (http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/C350.pdf) that showed that the gender wage gap was still very significant. The nationwide ratio of women’s and men’s median annual earnings was 0.771 in 2008, compared with 0.778 in 2007. While the wage gap has narrowed during the last 50 years (the ratio was 0.6 in 1960), there has not been much change in the last ten years. The gender wage gap is also significant among people with advanced degrees. According to a study in 2001, the women to men ratio of annual earnings was 0.72 for those with Master’s degrees, and 0.75 for those with Doctoral degrees. (http://www.womensmedia.com/new/Lips-Hilary-gender-wage-gap.shtml).
There is good news for those who are intending to go to academia. The following chart was adapted from the Chronicle of Higher Education (http://chronicle.com/article/Chart-Average-Faculty/64999/) and it shows the average faculty salaries for the 2009-2010 school year.

While there is still a gender wage gap in universities, it is much lower than the national average. I also thought it was interesting that there was no significant gap for Instructors. If you are interested in teaching (and I know many students are) this could be a great career path for you.

There is an excellent book by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever called Women Don’t Ask. In this book Babcock and Laschever show that women are four times less likely than men to negotiate their salaries, and this contributes very significantly to the gender wage gap.  In fact many women do not even know that salaries are negotiable. In their sequel, Ask For It, Babcock and Laschever show you specific techniques to sharpen your negotiation skills in all areas of life, including the salary negotiating table.  What I enjoyed most about these books were the stories that showed how much women can achieve by preparing well and asking the right questions.

Wishing you the best,

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

When I was a graduate student diet was the furthest thing from my mind. I had a busy schedule and a tight budget, and I ate food (a lot of which was free at the dorms and department seminars) just to get me through the day. Towards the end of my graduate years I decided to start paying attention to the quality of the food I ate so I went to a “Nutrition Seminar”. I received well-meaning and sound advice, but it seemed nearly impossible to implement. Eat five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables a day? (Who has the time?) Increase the amount of dark leafy greens in my diet? (How do I even prepare those?) Choose lean sources of protein? (Pizza, anyone?)

As a scientist, I knew that eating better would be good for my body and my mind too. Healthy diets improve your thinking skills, which are incredibly useful when you are trying to wrap up your thesis. The problem was that I did not know how to incorporate healthy eating habits into my busy and frequently unpredictable schedule (e.g. my experiment did not work, again).

What finally motivated me to switch my diet was my weight-lifting class, which was held early in the morning. I did not want to have anything heavy in my stomach before heading to the gym, but I did need to eat something. Shakes are fantastic, because you can pack a lot of nutrition into one glass, and they go down quickly. All you need is a blender and healthy ingredients. There is no cooking, and the cleanup is minimal.

The picture you see is of a shake I prepared myself, called “Pick-Me-Up Anytime Fruit Shake”.  The recipe if for 2 people, but if you drink the whole thing, you will have 3 servings of fruit in your body, including berries. Need a refresher in this hot weather? Here we go:

• 1 cup of vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup of apple juice
• 1 banana
• 1 cup of fresh or frozen berries

This might sound strange, but I have also added a handful of spinach or salad greens to this shake and it is still delicious (and we got a cup of dark leafy greens into our system too!). Try it, and you might be pleasantly surprised.

Since we are on the topic of weight-lifting, I also wanted to share with you a recipe that really helped me build and define muscle tone. This delicious chocolate shake also includes flax seed oil, which is packed with brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids.

Super-Charged Muscle Smoothie (1 serving)

• 1 cup milk or soymilk
• 1 scoop soy powder (15 g)
• 1 banana
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp. flax seed oil

Initially it will seem like a lot of extra work to make these smoothies, especially if you need to invest in a blender. In the long run, however, this time, energy and money will give you a very nice pay-off as you will feel healthier and more energetic.

For more shake and smoothie ideas, visit:

www.smoothieweb.com/

www.smoothierecipesonline.com/

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Drinks/Smoothies/Main.aspx

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/cat/216/

Wishing you a healthy and fun-filled August,

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org