At GRADUCon, network of alumni has words of wisdom, career advice for students

Eugene Chan, AM’15, graduated from the University of Chicago’s Master of Arts Program in the Humanities in 2015 and works as a brand manager at Everspring, an edtech company. Speaking alongside fellow alums who also pivoted into tech after acquiring an advanced degree in a humanities field, Chan shared that “you are never too old or too far along your career to pivot to a different industry, and never too young or inexperienced to take on a new challenge.”

Although pivoting in your career doesn’t happen overnight, the panelists emphasized that humanists already possess skills that are of value to almost any employer in any sector.

According to Blumenthal, “Communication—particularly in writing—is valuable and doing it well is a genuine talent. The same goes for being a great researcher.”

One GRADUCon attendee, Rivky Mondal, a Ph.D. candidate in English literature, said she has learned “not to underestimate the portability of research skills I developed during graduate study. Don't underestimate the wider application of your ideas just because they've been living inside the dissertation box.”

Panelist Lauren Silvers, PhD’10, praised humanists for being able to digest large amounts of information and share it with stakeholders in a clear way, but she cautioned that “their first impression is made in mere seconds. Communicate the relevant pieces.”

Panelist Sara B.T. Thiel, who has a Ph.D. in theatre studies and gender and women’s studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2017 and is now a senior associate editor at Built In, an online community for national startups and tech companies, relayed her personal mantra that applying for jobs is free—in other words, job searchers should consider a range of positions.

Sena Agawu, AM’16, a graduate of the Master of Arts Program in Social Sciences who now helps Salesforce hire and retain diverse candidates, advised attendees to “negotiate any offer you’re given, because an applicant never has more negotiating power than when they’ve received an offer and are considering whether to accept it or not.”

Silvers concurred and added: “When negotiating, think about more than salary and negotiate on total rewards. Signing bonus, stock options, vacation time, benefits and promotion terms are all up for negotiation up front.”

Panelist Sarah Welch-Larson, AM’16, a graduate of the MAPH program and now a lead digital strategy analyst at McMaster-Carr, noted how crucial and beneficial it can be to stay curious and network with people at your own career stage. Her recommendation: “Find like-minded people and nurture those relationships.”  

“Even if you choose to leave academia,” said Welch-Larson, “there will always be a part of you that is an academic. Nurture that curiosity and keep learning, even if it’s outside a formally structured environment.” Agawu agreed, saying, “Always take time to talk to others who are interested in similar topics.”

Another piece of advice heard across GRADUCon this year: Ask the oddball question. Whether you are conducting an informational interview or in the final stage of a hiring process, be your authentic self and ask questions that will help you learn about the personalities of your prospective colleagues and the company’s work culture.

Agawu suggested asking “Do you eat lunch every day?” because the answer can provide a sense of whether having a midday break is typical in that workplace.

On the Careers in UX Research panel, Jake Butts, a UX Research Associate at JPMorgan Chase who is expecting to graduate with his Ph.D. in psychology from UChicago this spring, encouraged interviewees to ask the hiring manager “What do you do for fun?”

Chan framed it this way: “Ask that weird question; people at UChicago are really good at that.”

Whether or not a job is right for you typically comes down to the people. It pays to be curious about the office culture. Dana Gilmore, PhD’18, a senior scientist at Chroma Medicine who earned a Ph.D. in immunology, shared that though the work is interesting, it was the sense of the people and the culture that clinched her decision to accept Chroma Medicine’s offer.

On another panel, focused on careers in media and publishing, television writer/producer Bob Daily, AM’86, quipped: “Be fun to work with! Let your personality come through in your job search.”