Reshaping Your Career Through Change and Uncertainty with Katie Wedemeyer-Strombel

Hi! Before introducing today's guest, and to celebrate two years of Papa PhD, I'd like to extend an invitation directly to you.If you have a question about one of the episodes of Papa PhD, or if you'd like me to connect you with the people you hear on the podcast, or if you'd like to contribute in any way to Papa PhD, with suggestions or even content, email me at david@papaphd.com.I'll be happy to reply and, eventually, discuss your ideas with you. I'm currently thinking about Season 3, and it's time to brainstorm, so don't hesitate!Now - talking about things changing, In this week's episode, my guest – Katie Wedemeyer-Strombel – talks about all that has changed for her in these last two years professionally, and about how she dealt with the sudden change and uncertainty the COVID pandemic brought onto the industry she works in and onto her career journey.  What you’ll learn about in this episode: What led Katie to do her PhDWhy you shouldn't accept emotional abuse in graduate schoolHow she dealt with switching labs during her PhD, looking for a better learning environmentThe importance of having a support network and of looking for help if graduate school is affecting your mental healthHow having academic mentors outside the lab can help you navigate difficult timesHow Katie's resourcefulness and will to help helped her navigate to a new position within her company, during the pandemic Thank you, Katie Wedemeyer-Strombel! If you enjoyed this interview with Katie, let her know by clicking the link below and leaving her a message on Twitter:Click here to thank Katie Wedemeyer-Strombel on Twitter!Click here to share your key take-away from this interview with David! Support the show on Patreon ! Or buy me a coffee :) Katie's pearls of wisdom: “I had a lot of grief and resentment towards my PhD, and I've most recently just even gotten over it, now. It's taken therapy and a lot of self-reflection, and a lot of realizing that I did learn really valuable skills that just in academia aren't highlighted as much. Right? I have published papers, I have grants to my name... People where I work now don't care. But I'm really resourceful. If you need something figured out, I know how to do the research, to figure out what the best way to do it is. You need me to jump in somewhere. I mean, I did a lot of field work in remote locations where I had no Internet access, very little contact with my mentors or  anyone outside of where I was located. So I had to McGyver or a lot of stuff. All these different skills, writing, editing, research, networking, collaboration, thinking on your feet. Those are all skills that you've learned, that you kind of underplay in academia, because it doesn't necessarily... you know, it's not your research record.”“One of the things that was tough for me to do, that I wish I would have started doing in grad school was putting together a portfolio of syllabi I had created, any  guest lectures, any outreach lectures that I had done, maybe to K12 or up to undergrad classes. At a lot of places, at least in what I do, they want a portfolio – "What content have you created? - Well, I've published papers" – that's not what they want.”“Because I always liked teaching, I did seek out extra teaching opportunities and curriculum development opportunities as a PhD – that all counts as professional experience. I was in charge of developing a curriculum, four courses, as a PhD student. On my CV or on my resume, I can write: I have curriculum development experience and I've been doing it for the last five years. Was my job title learning experience designer, like it is now? No, but that's exactly what I was doing in that role. So many of the other tasks that we do have resume line items that are a big deal, and really valuable in the corporate world.”Katie Wedemeyer-Strombel loves to spend time outdoors with her husband and dog and believes t...