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October 30, 2020
Navigating an Academic Career: A Brief Guide for PhD Students, Postdocs and Early Career Faculty
Are you thinking about a career in academia, or navigating your way through the demands of your first few years in an academic job? Jeffrey McDonnell, AGU Fellow and Past President of the AGU Hydrology Section, recently pulled together some advice for people on the academic pathway in a short book. We asked him to share a few nuggets of advice from his book.
January 16, 2020
Mentors Have The Power To Shape Your Life: AGU Interns Share Their Experiences for Thank Your Mentor Month
January is Thank Your Mentor Month and we wanted to highlight some of the personal mentorship experiences from two of our AGU interns, Christina Martinez and Perri Silverhart. Christina I was fortunate to meet my mentor this past June during SAGE (Summer of Applied Geophysical Experience). I was on the verge of completing my undergraduate degree and she had just finished defending her PhD. I met Andy Crieghton when I …
October 11, 2019
Paths Through Science: Kristin Ludwig, Staff Scientist, USGS Natural Hazards Mission Area
Paths Through Science highlights the many diverse paths AGU’s scientists have charted across the disciplines within Earth and space science through interviews with professionals in government, academia, industry, and non-profit sectors. For International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction, we talked to Kristin Ludwig, a staff scientist in the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Natural Hazards Mission Area. Check out the full audio interview for more about Ludwig’s career path to …
August 21, 2019
Practicing Leadership as an Introvert
In higher ed, the weight of the word “leadership” has ballooned over the years, with growing pressure for undergraduate as well as graduate students to somehow demonstrate the quality. Given the challenge of breaking into the workforce after graduation, it does wonders to have a strong quality like leadership help boost a resume. Now, some people are born with leadership qualities, some get unexpectedly thrown into the position, while some people …
July 3, 2019
Workplace Etiquette
When it comes to navigating the workplace, professional etiquette is crucial. The image that you portray–particularly your first impression–is one you will carry throughout the duration of your employment at an organization. This perception that you cultivate with your looks and demeanor, as well as how you choose to represent your workplace during off hours, can serve to either hurt or help your career. Here are some helpful tips for …
July 1, 2019
How to Use Social Media Effectively for Work
In recent years, the paradigm has shifted in the way that organizations market their information and communicate with the public. Social media is a powerful tool that allows us to connect with others on a global scale. By mastering the art of social media, you hold an invaluable skillset that makes you an incredible asset to any organization. When workplace social media comes to mind, you may feel inclined to …
June 18, 2019
The Challenges of Workforce Re-training in STEM Fields
There are a plethora of reasons why one might leave the workforce, whether it be to take time off for their families, taking the opportunity to travel, or simply just to take some personal time to themselves. While the reasons for taking time off may be simple, the question of how to re-enter the workforce may not be as straightforward. Returning to the workforce after taking time off can seem an insurmountable …
May 13, 2019
Finding Jobs in the Government
Useful Resources for Finding Jobs in the Federal Government While most geoscientists are employed in academia or industry, there are a significant number employed by the federal government. Employment with the federal government is in-between industry and academia in many ways – salary, benefits, academic freedom, and so on. Many people don’t know what the federal government does, and have no idea what employment opportunities there are. If you’re …
April 15, 2019
Polishing Your Profile
These days, your LinkedIn profile is your professional public face. Often, potential employers will look through your online profile to learn as much as they can about your background and interests, before they contact you. If you don’t have an excellent profile with a compelling story, they may never call you – and you may never know why. If it’s been awhile since you updated your profile, now is a …
March 11, 2019
Soft Skills
Getting Hard Data on Your Soft Skills When planning your career, one of the biggest parts is your skill set. What do you have to sell to a potential employer? What kinds of things are you able to do? Do you have specific examples of times you used those skills, and had a positive outcome? In school, you learned many technical skills, including things like cartography, remote sensing, demography, data …
On the Job is an AGU blog, that provides career advice and workforce guidance to geoscience students, early-career and established professionals who are interested in pursuing professional enrichment.