As a PhD student you should always be thinking about what next. In this video I cover four things that helped me beyond my PhD. For me they were: 

1. The PhD itself. My line of work means I need to have empathy with researchers. My PhD helps me do that. 

2. Mentors. From across the range of life and experiences. Family and friends (not in academia) were always helpful. As well as people at my part-time work place (department store). 

3. A Job. Demonstrating that I was employable but also giving me selling skills (I had a role on the sales floor) as well as what it meant to work with "clients". 

4. Networks. I kept (keep) in touch with people from various times in my life and various careers. Its super easy with social media. And it is those networks that help me when I am looking for opportunities (and of course I pay it forward).

Transcript

So what are the some of the experiences that you can have or that you can focus on as perhaps a PhD student that might help you with your career beyond your PhD? For me, there were probably four things that I think we're really important.....

Link to full transcript, you can find it here: https://www.drrichardhuysmans.com/experiences-for-beyond-your-phd-2/

Short video about correct language to use for effective communication.

Transcript

What language do you use to communicate your work. Is it complex? Is there jargon?....

Link to full transcript, you can find it here: https://www.drrichardhuysmans.com/correct-language-2/

On this 30 second audio, Richard give 2 tips on writing thesis faster.

Transcript

Two things to help writing your thesis faster:

The first. Plan your thesis structure outline etc.....

Link to full transcript, you can find it here:

https://www.drrichardhuysmans.com/two-things-to-help-write-your-thesis-faster-2/

Four things that got me out of my academic career and onto the path of an entrepreneur. From mentors, to networks,, to work experience, to empathy with academics. Oh, not to mention a barking dog and car trying to start...

Transcript

Four things that got me where I am today. I guess the first thing to really know is that my PhD gave me the experience doing research. The credibility with researchers to some extent. I know about the life of an academic.....

Link to full transcript, you can find it here: 

https://www.drrichardhuysmans.com/four-things-that-got-me-here-2/

One of the biggest problems in a PhD program is lack of students. More students means greater peer support. More students also means many events and activities are more cost effective (or less dollars per student).

Transcript

Quick tip. If you're building a PhD program, don't be scared of having a large number of students......

Link to full transcript, you can find it here:

https://www.drrichardhuysmans.com/phd-program-failure-lack-of-students-2/

Knowing what you want to do - at any stage in life - is hard. In this video I talk about how I made the decision to switch from an academic career to a non-academic career. I also cover some of the things that made it possible/easier both as a PhD student, as well as earlier in life.

Transcript:

Suit coat or lab coat?

That was always going to be a big question for me. Looking back, I can see that from an early age I had been an entrepreneur. Bulk buying lollies and selling them at school, washing cars, mowing lawns, selling notes I took in class. I even ironed the cash I got (before it was plastic and melted which I learnt the hard way).......

Link to full transcript, you can find it here: https://www.drrichardhuysmans.com/suit-coat-or-lab-coat-2/

So someone said to you “you should be on LinkedIn”. And now that’s all you can think about. Or, all of your academic friends are on Twitter. Or perhaps you are wondering what TikTok is all about.

Funding for research is hard to come by at the best of times. But like a rubber band you want to be able to stretch your money to cover as much as possible.

Sometimes working in an academic institution can feel like a tug-of-war. With competing priorities pulling in multiple different directions. However, there are a small number of cases when you can get priorities to align. One such case is the use of international university ranking schemes. I’ll recap how various schemes calculate their rankings and then take a look at the actions individual researchers can take to make the most of the situation.

University ranking schemes are like stars – there are lots around, but we really only pay attention to the ones that are the brightest. And like stars, there are small number of ranking schemes that have a disproportionally large impact on our lives. For example – did you know some governments base funding decisions on ranking schemes? Or that certain universities are precluded from support due to their international ranking? Or that Instagram influencers are encouraging their followers to look at ranking schemes as a way to select a university to attend?