It’s that time of year almost – not necessarily back to school, but we are just about a week away from the AEJMC Conference. Of the communication and PR academic conferences I go, AEJMC is one of my favorites. Plus, this year it’s in Montreal, so that is very fabulous!
I have two presentations to do in Montreal – one is a paper and another is a panel session. Along with these two presentations, I will be working with a great social media team to keep everyone updated on what is happening in Montreal. However, one of the other tasks I will be doing as well is spending some time mentoring some colleagues of mine at the conference. I have been mentoring a few doctoral students virtually over the years on a variety of topics ranging from research ideas to perspective strategies on how to do well on the job market circuit.
It is amazing to know it was only four years ago I was also in this same position applying for my first tenure track job and imagining what it would be like not only to have those nice three little letters after my name (not ABD) and think about how life would be different as an assistant professor versus just a doctoral student.
I just finished my third year at the University of Louisville as an assistant professor and will be entering my fourth year at UofL in just a few weeks. As I was preparing for my presentations in Montreal, I was thinking to myself – what would be some lessons or things I would want doctoral students to know after having a PhD for three years? Here are five lessons I would want to share with PhD students on the job market to know what to expect as they enter into the academic area as assistant professors:
- What you did in your doctoral studies is good, but you have to be your own boss now: It’s good you had a chance to be on all of these research teams and projects as a graduate student, but as an assistant professor – you are now tasked for these responsibilities. You have to take on more of a leadership position and ownership of the work. Universities are going to expect you not to be tagged on projects but produce single authored research pieces.
- You can’t hide in the shadow of your advisor as a professor: Yes, you will always be associated with your advisor when you come into a conference – more along the traditions of “academic families.” Working with your advisor or mentor on research projects is good – but they can be all of the projects you have. You have to establish research agenda teams for various subjects or areas of interest. For example, you may have a research team for PR and one for teaching PR, and another one in crisis for example. You want to be able to collaborate with other professionals to generate new ideas, projects, and learning experiences to help grow your own knowledge bank.
- You can learn a lot about academia climate from Game of Thrones: No, I am not saying that professors get at each other like the characters in the Red Wedding, but you do have to be on your guard with your research, ideas, and points of view. In some cases, it can be pretty intense. Ideas will get stolen from you and in some cases at conferences – it may not always be about what you know, but who you know. You have to recognize the fact that there will be some researchers and fellow colleagues who will rave about what you are doing in research and teaching, but there will be others on the other side who will do whatever it takes to make sure your work is not presented or published. What do you do then? Change the rules and do the unexpected – which leads to my next point. But first, make sure you build yourself some armor and protection by being aware of this before entering the field.
- Branch out your professor wings: The landscape and expectations for a professor are vastly different from where they were a decade ago, or even five years ago. Professors can’t just do theory research and academic conferences anymore. They have to be engaged and collaborative with the practitioner community. They have do branch out and engage with others to generate ideas and form new professional relationships. Look at outside conferences to present at and invest in your future with international conferences. Don’t limit yourself to only two or three straight Communication or PR conferences – go to others that would enhance your research perspective whether it is for methods or even subject topics. You can learn some interesting things and have the opportunity to apply them in your work.
- Being a “different” professor is okay: As I mentioned in my last point, it’s key to separate yourself from others to be memorable and make an impact. Many times, PhD programs have a set cookie cutter shape they want all of their doctoral students to follow. Same goes to how professors should conduct themselves and what they need to do in terms of research, publications, and presentations. Why be like everyone else? That’s not what brings in the interest from other audiences. Think about what makes you different from others – is it your experience? Personality? Or is it the work you have done? Consider doing guest lectures via Skype. Add on some consulting projects. Blog and contribute to social media sites. Explore these outside possibilities – because you never know what opportunities are out there for you to grasp and engage in.
In summary, I don’t want to come off and scare any doctoral students on what to expect when entering academia. It’s a wonderful field and I feel like based on the experience and time I had as a doctoral student, my transition actually was very smooth and I’ve been both very productive and very happy with where I am at professionally.
However, what helped me get into this mindset was to take my last year in the PhD program at Tennessee as my first year as an assistant professor. Not only work and finish your dissertation, but teach a couple classes, be part of a service based community like AEJMC, and continue working on research projects. Yes, this sounds like a lot of work – but with the right time management skills and frame of mind – this alone will be invaluable for you as you enter your first year as an assistant professor. Trust me, it does make a difference.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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