Inquiring minds want to know
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Post by Inquiring minds want to know on Jul 7, 2014 15:51:06 GMT -5
What kind of help do you expect from your doctoral advisors? Are they there just to advise you as you work on your dissertation? Or should they give specific advice about publishing, job markets, etc... Especially when specifically asked.
Just wondering because my experience is one that is less than stellar in the area. But I wonder if I am expecting something that is really not under the advisor purview?
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Depends on the school
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Post by Depends on the school on Jul 7, 2014 19:33:37 GMT -5
There seem to be three main ways this happens. 1) Programs that are really structured and so give "soft skills" and cultural capital in a formal way. 2) Programs that are unstructured, and rely on the advisor to give "soft skills" and cultural capital in an informal way. Some students get a good advisor and get this, but just as many others don't. 3) Programs that are unstructured, and rely on the advisor to give "soft skills" and cultural capital in an informal way. However, the faculty have no idea how to advise students in this way or don't care, and so virtually everyone struggles.
Based on conversations I've had, it seems like #2 and #3 are more common.
But they didn't respond well when specifically asked? That doesn't seem good.
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Post by Variety on Jul 7, 2014 21:18:04 GMT -5
It can also be helpful to have different advisors for different things. I agree that it is ideal for one's chair to provide all manner of professional advice, but for many reasons one may choose or wind up with an advisor who can't help in a particular way you need. Maybe your chair is a decades-long expert in your area, but a junior prof in your department who is more active in the discipline or has more recent job market experience would be a good go-to mentor for these other issues. Or conversely, perhaps your chair is not as closely connected to your dissertation topic, and it would be good to be getting regular advice/feedback from someone outside your department who is. This is where connections at meetings, alumni of the department, broader local university consortiums, etc. can come in handy.
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Inquiring minds want to know
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Post by Inquiring minds want to know on Jul 8, 2014 10:49:30 GMT -5
Depends on the school, I am afraid that you may be right about my department - perhaps #3. I have asked specific questions that require specific detail and always receive the same one sentence answer to those questions. It is extremely frustrating and leaves me feeling as if I am flailing my way into obscurity. I find it unprofessional and it completely shakes my confidence in the professional world, to some degree.
Variety, I think you are right. Actually, no one in my department specializes in what I am doing. The person that did left. So I am having a bit of a tough time - although my current advisor can guide me on general stuff in the area. I have a mentor relationship with someone else external to the department that is helping me increasingly as our relationship builds. It is just a bit frustrating to feel like I am paying for an education in a department that feels professional development can be boiled down to one or two sentences, even when prodded for more.
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Depends on the school
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Post by Depends on the school on Jul 8, 2014 15:10:10 GMT -5
Inquiring minds want to know: Is it too late to try somewhere else? Your department doesn't have anyone who specializes in that area, your advisor isn't helping with the other stuff, AND you're paying them money? You should take your MA (or get it) and try somewhere else. They're not setting you up for success. You'll probably have to re-take a lot of courses elsewhere, but this sounds like a bad situation.
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Inquiring minds want to know
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Post by Inquiring minds want to know on Jul 8, 2014 17:22:04 GMT -5
Oh, how I have considered that, especially over the past six months.
Sigh... A bit too late at this point, though. Just now ABD. Will be done by Spring. I am going to reach out to another person in the department who is also on my committee. While he won't be able to give me connections in my area, at least he may be willing to help me along a little better. I am likely going to lean pretty heavily on the external mentor that I mention above.
I just couldn't believe that the one sentence answers, always the same, were par for the course. Now I know, I suppose. I am going to one very big and several smaller conferences over the next six months where lots of my area will be present. I hope to really be able to really start building a network there.
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Post by Variety on Jul 8, 2014 23:43:25 GMT -5
Sounds like a plan. Good luck to you!
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Post by Multiple mentors on Jul 10, 2014 22:29:27 GMT -5
Ah yes, this is a common problem. If you're ABD, then probably too late to change advisors, but you can no doubt still add people to your committee - that's a way to branch out and establish networks in a way such that the external people are recognized for their efforts.
It's also good to remember the mentor vs. sponsor distinction - a high prestige old dude who everyone recognizes (to be non-PC) is a great sponsor, in that they can help you with name recognition and perspective in the field. But don't expect them to do much. A good mentor should be a little closer to in the trenches with you.
Also remember that jr. faculty and alumni from your program who have recently gotten jobs are probably better people to ask about the job market hell. Hiring trends can fluctuate wildly, so you want someone with recent experience to talk with. And then talk with someone more senior who can help you put things into perspective for your longer term trajectory.
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ziggy
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Post by ziggy on Feb 18, 2018 3:09:18 GMT -5
Ah yes, this is a common problem. If you're ABD, then probably too late to change advisors, but you can no doubt still add people to your committee - that's a way to branch out and establish networks in a way such that the external people are recognized for their efforts. It's also good to remember the mentor vs. sponsor distinction - a high prestige old dude who everyone recognizes (to be non-PC) is a great sponsor, in that they can help you with name recognition and perspective in the field. But don't expect them to do much. A good mentor should be a little closer to in the trenches with you. Also remember that jr. faculty and alumni from your program who have recently gotten jobs are probably better people to ask about the job market hell. Hiring trends can fluctuate wildly, so you want someone with recent experience to talk with. And then talk with someone more senior who can help you put things into perspective for your longer term trajectory. Is it that uncommon for sponsors to act like mentors? I understand why it would be better to have someone who is in the trenches with you, but I guess I had a romanticized idea about how much help a sponsor would provide me outside of name recognition and networking. I imagined that they would have enough experience with others who have had them as a sponsor to be able to answer questions about the current job market. Is that too idealistic?
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