Supporting Graduate Students' Academic and Professional Success
Summer is at its end and you’re getting ready for the coming academic year. Some of you will be starting your graduate school experience this fall. Others will be continuing in their programs, perhaps even for their wrap-up year. Whether you’re going into your first or your final year of graduate school, it’s never too early to plan for what’s next: your career!
To keep you stay informed and on track toward a rewarding career, we would like to introduce What the Heck Comes Next!?, a podcast by Dr. Vanessa Lee, Career Specialist at the UCR Career Center, and Jason Chou, Program Specialist at GradSuccess. Along with invited guests, Vanessa and Jason will introduce and discuss topics and issues relevant to a successful transition from graduate student to career professional. For a taste of what’s coming, here are answers to two questions we anticipate graduate students may have about the coming podcast.
What is the podcast about? Mostly, the podcast is about your professional success. Students may not be aware that UCR has a great deal of resources dedicated to graduate student professional development. The Career Center and GradSuccess, for example, are committed to doing what we can to reach each graduate student and offer our support. The podcast is a simple and accessible way for graduate students at UCR to stay informed about current trends in hiring, the state of the job market for particular fields, career choices, work-life balance, and networking opportunities, which are just a few of the issues impacting your future.
[Image Description: Two cats with sunglasses lying on a floor with paws out front. A white cat on the right turns and the sunglasses fall from its face.]
Pictured: The future is bright!
How often will new episodes be available? Our current plan is to have one to two podcasts each quarter, depending on the availability of guest speakers we would like to invite. We might focus on a topic that is connected to GradSuccess’ Career Pathways Week, a quarterly event with a different career focus each term:
Fall: Academia
Winter: Industry, Government, Non-Profit, and NGO
Spring: Teaching
We expect to invite guest speakers from campus including faculty, staff, and your fellow graduate students, and we are also looking to invite alumni and experts outside of UCR. Our goal is not to publish a podcast for the sake of putting one out. Rather, we want each episode to be meaningful and useful to you and your professional and career development.
[Image Description: Dr. Dre at the Grammy’s expressing the importance of quality over quantity.]
Pictured: A prescription for success from Dr. Dre - one of the most talented trailblazers in the music industry.
We hope you’ll join us for our inaugural podcast this coming fall. Let us know what you think about the first episode and share with us any ideas you have for future ones. We want each episode to be as enjoyable as it is helpful, and we welcome you to be a part of this project with us. You can be sure that the Career Center and GradSuccess are your partners in your preparation for a successful career as a future professional.
[Image Description: Anna-Kat Otto (Julia Butters) with an open book on her lap as she sits on an oversized armchair saying “You’re smart to bring in the expert”.]
Pictured: They’ll be calling you the expert soon enough!