Professional Development | The Graduate School

graduate students working at a table at a workshop event

Resources & Recordings from Our Annual GradFUTURES Forum!

"Broadening the Impact of the Ph.D. Within and Beyond the Academy: The Imperative of Graduate Student Professional Development"

Recordings & Resources

GradStories: Hear from Grad Students, Grad Alums, Staff & Faculty

GradFUTURES Fellowship Spotlight: Andrew Finn (GS, ENG)

"The University Administrative Fellowship Program is a fantastic opportunity to expand your horizons and see what other professional opportunities...
GradFUTURES Fellowship Spotlight: Annemarie Iker (GS, ART)

"I highly recommend participating in the University Administrative Fellowship Program. For me, working as a UAF at the Princeton University Library...
GradFUTURES Fellowship Spotlight: Rebekah Haigh (GS, REL)

"Graduate students should begin thinking about life after the PhD sooner rather than later. An experience like the GradFUTURES Fellowship is an...
Trailblazers Beyond the Tenure Track: Benjamin Sacks *18 (HIS)

"I’m currently an Associate Policy Researcher at the RAND Corporation and a Professor of Political Geography at Pardee RAND Graduate School. I...
Trailblazers Beyond the Tenure Track: Julio Herrera Estrada *17 (CEE)

"I know that some people don’t like the term “networking” but, really, it’s just about talking to people and finding out what they do. As I found out...
Trailblazers Beyond the Tenure Track: Colette Johnson *18 (ENG)

"Landing a job beyond the academy requires a whole skillset and you have to put in the work to get it. But it’s also very fulfilling - so think about...
GradFUTURES Fellowship Spotlight: Pallavi Podapati (GS, HIS)

"The GradFUTURES Fellowship program is an incredible opportunity. Students gain a broader perspective, mentorship, and opportunities to apply their...
Trailblazers Beyond the Tenure Track: John Tully *12 (CLA)

"I deeply believe in capacity building and coaching is central to everything I do, just like in academia. My role was always empowering others to...
Trailblazers Beyond the Tenure Track: Jamie Sherman *11 (ANT)

"One thing I would say is that informational interviews, talking to people whose jobs you think might be interesting, finding out more about what...
Trailblazers Beyond the Tenure Track: Andrea Morris *99 (MOL)

" You can always pivot and look for ways to reinvigorate and reinvent your career. And I think that's been the biggest lesson I thought about post-...
Trailblazers Beyond the Tenure Track: Igor Rubinov *19 (ANT)

"I think that it can be really helpful to translate what you've done for lay audiences – and often that's as simple as making your resume legible....
Trailblazers Beyond the Tenure Track: Alana Ballantyne *13 (GER)

"My job is to take commercial problems and make decisions that turn them into something a creative person would find it interesting to work on. So, I...
Trailblazers Beyond the Tenure Track: Natalie Berkman *18 (FIT)

"The biggest advice I’d give is try not to put all your eggs in that one academic basket..."
Trailblazers Beyond the Tenure Track: Elena Peregrina-Salvador *15 (SPA)

"...If you can finish your PhD at Princeton, you are more than capable of developing a new career trajectory even if it seems wildly different from...
Trailblazers Beyond the Tenure Track: Elaine Enriquez *15 (SOC)

"...Have hope and drive. It can and will happen. I have seen many people make the transition from the academy to industry, and I know you can make it...
Trailblazers Beyond the Tenure Track: Alicia Ejsmond-Frey *19 (CLA)

"...it is important to establish an actual network of people outside of academia who can help you. This is key and something that graduate students...
Summer Internship Profiles: Stephanie Pope at Reveal Digital (ITHAKA)

Stephanie Pope (GS, ENG) completed a GradFUTURES Summer Internship with ITHAKA in Summer 2020. Below, Stephanie describes her...
Building Online Archives in African American History—Together

Building Online Archives in African American History—Together
By Camey VanSant, CDH Postgraduate Research Associate
Summer Internship Profile: Cate Mahoney *19 (ENG) at Ithaka S+R

"I just wish I had done this earlier in my graduate career, it would have made me feel experienced and ready as I wrap up. I’m so grateful to...
Summer Internship Profiles: Alicia M. Ejsmond-Frey *19, Open Innovation Team, Cabinet Office (UK)

"My department was surprised but delighted to find out that I was going to pursue a career in government, and in his introduction to my FPO the...
Summer Internship Profiles: Stephanie Pope at the Huo Family Foundation

Stephanie Pope is a Ph.D.
Life on B Floor: My UAF Experience

This piece is excerpted from a post on the Center for Digital Humanities website.

Professional Competencies

Serving as the foundation of our GradFUTURES model, acquiring and honing these six core competencies will help you on the path to achieving your professional goals.

Research & Data Analysis

Research & Data Analysis
Leadership & Collaboration

Leadership & Collaboration
Written and Verbal Communication

Written and Verbal Communication
Teaching & Mentoring

Teaching & Mentoring
Career Management

Career Management
Personal Well-being & Effectiveness

Personal Well-being & Effectiveness