In this episode, Jim and Lauren discuss ways to build experiences outside of traditional paid work opportunities.  This topic comes up a lot since not all graduate students and postdocs can do paid work while they are in the US studying.  In addition, many people want to develop skills and gain experiences outside of their paid roles.  Many opportunities exist such as these below to gain experiences. We hope you enjoy listening. 

Reflect on why you are looking to get involved.  Are you looking to connect with people, build certain specific skills, gain exposure to new areas, have fun, or other reasons?     

Clubs on university campuses can provide various opportunities to engage and build skills

Local or national chapters of professional organizations can be valuable to engage with. Many have different committees, such as communications, programming, finance, membership etc that provide many ways to get involved

Teaching, mentoring and training are wonderful ways to build various skills and experiences

Engage with non-profit organizations in various capacities

Coach sports teams

Enroll in classes and workshops

Lauren Celano, CEO of Propel Careers and Jim Gould, the Director for Postdoctoral Affairs at Harvard Medical School, launched this podcast as a way for us to share our advice, insights, and reflections to help others navigate their careers.

As we develop new episodes, this podcast will provide insights regarding career advice to help listeners navigate career choices and become more confident in their decisions. We look forward to busting myths and providing real life, timely, and accurate advice. Jim and Lauren work heavily with Ph.D. trained scientists, but the advice we provide can be applicable to other audiences. We hope you enjoy listening!