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Navigating Graduate School and Beyond

Navigating Graduate School and Beyond. Sundar A. Christopher Professor and Chairman Department of Atmospheric Science Associate Director, ESSC UAHuntsville. (sachristopher.wordpress.com). Outline. How did I get to this point? Advice that helped me? The best/worst parts of my job? My book.

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Navigating Graduate School and Beyond

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  1. Navigating Graduate School and Beyond Sundar A. ChristopherProfessor and ChairmanDepartment of Atmospheric ScienceAssociate Director, ESSCUAHuntsville (sachristopher.wordpress.com)

  2. Outline How did I get to this point? Advice that helped me? The best/worst parts of my job? My book

  3. 2) Rapid City, SD 44N, 103W (MS) 6) UK Met office Exeter, UK, 50N, 3W 6 2 3 4 1 3) Fort Collins, CO41N, 105W(PhD) 1) COIMBATORE INDIA, 11N, 77E(BE) 4) Huntsville, AL 35N, 87W(MA) 5 5) Sydney, Australia 34S, 151E My Journey Global Aerosol Distribution from Satellites

  4. Career Progression M.S. > PhD > Assistant Professor Typical career progression after that Associate Professor > Tenure > Full Professor and now the chairman Also serve as Associate Director for ESSC - research center

  5. Advice that helped me Do good research Stay on top of state of the art Publish like crazy Communicate effectively Don’t get too big for your britches!

  6. Why Psychology degree? Industrial/Organizational Psychology has always been fascinating for me I studied motivation and job satisfaction Helps me in my current job to deal with students and faculty better – I think!

  7. Best part of my job I thoroughly enjoy teaching Light bulbs went on in my head during the radiation budget lecture (M.S) and I still do research in that area Writing papers/proposals I get excited when students succeed at the highest levels including winning awards (One of my students is a PECASE award winner, $1M for research!)

  8. Worst part of my job Encountering leadership in academic chain of command who do not have a vision and serve primarily as wet blankets (OK, I got that out of my system) Needless meetings/Administrative trivia Seeing students/faculty perform below potential Not being able to stop and smell the roses!

  9. Why the book? • Primarily written for graduate students and their advisors • I teach this as a 1 credit course in the ATS department every Fall semester • Students often do not know how to effectively navigate graduate school and beyond • Advisors have a professional obligation to empower students beyond classes and research

  10. Without vision there is chaos Need to know where you are going – while in graduate school Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat (SWOT) analysis is a must Where do I want to be? Where am I now? How am I going to get there?

  11. Huge vision A resume should only be a place holder If you did the right things in graduate school, jobs should come looking for you!

  12. Manage your advisor (Boss) Know what your advisor expects of you – especially if you are on a research assistantship Do you know their strengths and weakness? Mentor versus advisor – beware!

  13. Work ethics Time management – Stay organized Project Management Life management Become a resource center TAKE OWNERSHIP/BE PROACTIVE Grad school is a fantastic time in your life

  14. Writing There are smart ways to ditch a formal dissertation Write peer reviewed papers Yes, you can write a proposal while in graduate school – ATS 782 provides a complete experience for proposal writing

  15. Communicating You need to learn how to communicate in formal and informal ways while in graduate school Attend a conference and learn how to network Work in teams (all of this is preparation for your real job to come)

  16. Advice Know where you want to go and then diligently prepare for that goal – Without vision there is Chaos! Learn how to serve various communities (local, regional, national) while in graduate school Private organizations? If that is your goal, know what skills they need

  17. Navigating Graduate School and Beyond 7. Proposals Why Write a Proposal Budgets/The Actual Proposal Top Ten Dos for Proposal Writing Proposal Review Process/Proposal Evaluation 8. Communicating Learn to Talk/Conferences 9. Teams Pick your team/Become a Team Player 10. Jobs Danger of Not Finishing Staying on/Postdoc Get a Job/Job Interview 11. Career Exercises Job Hunting and CV Exercises Proposal Writing Exercises 12. Concluding Thoughts: The Final Word “Really 1. Introduction 2. Sowing Cast a Vision/Do a SWOT Avoid the Resume 3. Your Advisor and You What Your Advisor Expects from You Manage Your Advisor 4. Skills Work Ethics for a Graduate Student Take Initiative: Becoming a Resource Center Take Ownership Work Hard and Smart/Be Whole • 5. Organize. Manage Your Time/Beat the Stress Don't Get Weary 6. Writing Ditch the Dissertation/Write a Paper

  18. Final Slide Shameless plug : Read my book on Navigating Graduate School and Beyond sundar@nsstc.uah.edu sachristopher.wordpress.com

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