February 2025 | Great Expectations

gif of hellfire elmo with "book club" written across top

I don’t really have time to read for pleasure anymore and don’t worry, I would never try to add more recommendations to your endless list of content to get to one day (or never at all)… but here are some books we have been reading at the Arts Amplifier which might help orient you, especially if you are a newer graduate student, to the culture of doing humanities/social sciences work in a North American university—whether it’s the historical/social context you’re coming into or standards and style of the type of work you’re expected to produce.

What Heidi’s reading: Joseph M. Williams, Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace (2021)

An editor I used to work for assigned this book to me to understand her approach to academic editing. Nothing compares to hands-on experience when it comes to learning the craft of writing and revision, but reading this book came pretty close. Williams explains why all my academic sentences sound lifeless, convoluted, and plodding, what to do about it, and then gives me the choice to do nothing about it, for style’s sake (I appreciate craft books that ditch dogmatism for informed decisions). If you’re interested in public-facing writing, or any writing that can maintain complexity without losing the plot, Style is an excellent place to start.

On Carolyn’s shelf: Leonard Cassuto and Robert Weisbuch, The New PhD: How to Build a Better Graduate Education (2021)

I’ve been dipping in and out of this book over the past few weeks. In addition to offering case studies of different models of expansive and outward-focused PhD programs (such a huge range!), the book details a history of the American PhD (mostly in the social sciences and the humanities) as a degree that for years has been viewed by some as a one that “should not merely critique social realities but should likewise constitute them” (14). The New PhD: How to Build a Better Graduate Education: Cassuto, Leonard, Weisbuch, Robert: 9781421439761: Books - Amazon.ca There’s a lot in this book to ponder and weigh, but I keep coming back to this view that graduate education in the humanities and social sciences can and should do more than generate critique. It resonates with another quote I read recently elsewhere by an anonymous PhD holder who participated in a focus group on the experiences of PhDs who had pursued non-academic career paths. I’m not going to be able to paraphrase it exactly, but the prompt was something like “what advice would you give to current PhD students” and this person had offered, “try to avoid making criticism a default reaction.” This advice has really stuck with me because it describes so fully what I feel I learned as a graduate student, and one of the things that’s been hardest for me to unlearn. Don’t get me wrong, I know (and Cassuto and Weisbuch know) we need criticism, and there’s lots (and lots!) that warrants critique, but it’s also great to read through a book and just be excited by all the excellent people out there doing visionary and important work.

Ying’s pick: Karen Kelsky, The Professor Is In (2015)

I hear this is somewhat of a classic now, but I only first came across this book during the compulsory professionalization seminar for MAs in my department my first year here. The Professor Is In The Essential Guide To Turning Your Ph.d. Into A We were assigned a couple excerpts as a part of our week on “Considering the PhD and Beyond,” when we learned that as we were just stepping into the ivory tower, countless others who have come before us have already been trying (or struggling desperately) to exit and here was a book that could help us survive. While it was very much one big hard-to-swallow pill as a one trimester old MA fetus, I can understand now that our professor was just doing us a kindness, of showing the particularly naive and idealistic of us the nasty bits of academia that we might never have thought to familiarize ourselves with until it would feel like we were inescapably doomed.

Kelsky recently announced that a second edition will be coming out this year (ten years after the first!), so keep an eye out! Things have only been getting worse, but who doesn’t love indulging in a horror story reflecting our own personal experiences. Not to sneakily tack on another recommendation, but if you would like even more historical context for why everything kind of sucks right now, I was introduced to Bill Readings 1997 text The University In Ruins from the syllabus of another kind-hearted professor which helped make a lot of my complaints about the Arts graduate student experience more credible.

If you get around to any of these, let us know what you think!

Written by Ying Han, Master’s student in Asian Studies, Curriculum Development and Communications Assistant at the Arts Amplifier.

Published 24 February 2025.

Asya and Naomi, Hikma

Welcome to Hikma

To learn more about CCPs, check out our previous and upcoming projects.

In Summer and Fall 2024, Asya Savelyeva (MA student, Anthropology) and Naomi Maldonado-Rodriguez (PhD Candidate, Kinesiology) joined Hikma Collective, a Vancouver-based startup providing tailored consulting services to scholars and social sector leaders. During their six month tenure with Hikma, they worked with Dr. Andrea Webb, Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at UBC, on her upcoming paper; wrote posts for Hikma’s blog and created other social media content; and supported the development of a course entitled Research Impact with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

CLOSED – Research Assistant, UBC Robson Square

Research Assistant, Understanding Funding and Business Models Used By Satellite Sites of Research Universities in Canada

UBC Robson Square is hiring a graduate student to conduct, compile, and analyze research on the satellite or downtown campuses of major research universities in Canada—these are sites affiliated with a research university, but located away from the main campus. They are particularly interested in determining the funding models and mandates associated with different satellite sites across Canada.

The goal of the project is to gain a better understanding of how satellite campuses are funded, to what end they exist, and which audiences they serve so that UBC Robson Square can better understand how their own self-funded approach fits in among peer institutions.

The work: First, you’ll conduct a combination of online research and interviews (either on the phone or over Zoom) with 1-2 staff members at approximately 14 sites across Canada that have been identified by the UBC Robson Square team. The majority of the information is expected to come from the interviews themselves. Next, you’ll analyze and compile the information gathered through your research into a set of raw data and a written report to be shared with the UBC Robson Square team.

Timeline: start no later than March 10, 2025, work to be concluded by May 9, 2025.

Compensation: $4,900 (based on 175 hours at $28/hr)

Supervision: you’ll meet regularly and work closely with the Director, UBC Robson Square. You’ll also interact with other members of the UBC Robson Square team, as needed and to gain an understanding of how the UBC Robson Square operates.

Applications are due by 9am on Monday, March 3, 2025. Please note, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so apply early for full consideration.

Requirements for the job

If working remotely, you should have your own equipment (computer, phone) and a private place to work with a reliable internet connection.
If you don’t have a suitable workspace, a space to work on site can be provided.
You will be required to travel to the UBC Robson Square offices as needed to meet with the team and gain an understanding of the space.

Skills applicants should have

Communication Skills
- Positive and professional attitude and the ability to communicate with a diversity of people in a calm, courteous, and effective manner.
- Comfortable speaking with working professionals on the phone, via Zoom, and via email
- Able to engage people in conversation, listen actively and probe for information to ensure clarity
- Fluent in English with demonstrated written and oral communication skills
- Spoken French would be an asset
Research skills
- Strong reasoning and analytical skills
- Knowledgeable in qualitative research methodologies and able to synthesize information
- Demonstrated ability to generate a final report and distill key findings and insights
Project/personal management skills
- Able to work independently with broad guidance and minimal supervision.
- Organized and able to prioritize work and plan work to meet deadlines

Skills the successful applicant will gain

Research skills: you will have the opportunity to prepare interview questions, conduct interviews with a wide-range of professionals, and analyze both oral interviews and data collected through online research
Professional connections and insight: you will have the opportunity to work closely with staff in higher education at the UBC Robson site, gaining insight into the structure and function of administrative roles in the university. You will also connect with a wide-range of staff at peer institutions across Canada and gain insight into the funding structures and mandates of a wide-range of satellite sites.
Data translation: you will not only collect data, but translate it into a format easily understood by an audience of professionals. You’ll have the opportunity to learn in this role what it’s like to conduct and prepare research for a non-academic audience.
Professional communication: this role involves talking with a wide-range of professionals, allowing you to demonstrate and hone your communication skills.

If you have any questions about this position, please reach out to arts.amplifier@ubc.ca before the deadline to discuss!

Jimmy, Jonna, and Xian; FNTC

Banner with headshots of Jimmy, Xian, and Jonna, alongside logo of FNTC

This interview is part of our ongoing series profiling students and community partners who participated in a Collaborative Cohort Project (CCP). To learn more about CCPs, check out our previous and upcoming projects.

In the fall of 2024, we offered a CCP with the First Nations Technology Council (FNTC), where members Jimmy Ho (Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs student), Xian Kostyrko Rapihana (MPPGA student), and Jonna Stewart (MA student, English Literature) worked with the FNTC research and engagement team on the BC Indigenous Leadership in Technology report. As a continuation of a Summer 2024 CCP with the FNTC, these three students began the second phase of a research project analyzing Indigenous mentorship and internship in technology or digital skills training.

In this phase, they conducted a landscape scan of training programs across Canada that support Indigenous learners, interviewed experts in Indigenous mentorship and internship programs, and presented their findings to FNTC executives and provincial government officials and other stakeholders.

Jimmy, Xian, and Jonna reflect on their experiences in the following interview.

1. Tell us about yourself and the project you worked on.

Jimmy: I am a second-year student in the Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs program. I have the privilege to work with the First Nations Technology Council’s research and engagement team on the very important work of Indigenous Leadership in Technology report in BC. Together with Jonna and Xian, we worked on phase 2 of the Indigenous Leadership in Technology project. We expanded on a landscape scan of training programs across Canada that supports Indigenous learners to advance into tech or tech-enabled careers. With support from the FNTC research and engagement team, we presented our findings to the FNTC executives as well as provincial government officials and other stakeholders, demonstrating that this is very important work with meaningful impact.

Xian: I am a first-year Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs student. I am Māori, Indigenous to Aotearoa-New Zealand and whakapapa (belong to) the tribes of Te Rarawa and Ngāpuhi. Working for the First Nations Technology Council, I was honoured to lead interviews corroborating recent research on Indigenous leadership, mentorship and internship training in technology. Our targeted profiles included Indigenous experts across industries, Canadian provinces and Indigenous affiliation (Māori, various First Nations, and Métis). After completing seven 30-minute interviews with my team, I summarized those interviews, picked out impactful quotes and metaphors and produced an independent executive summary of notable connections to previous research.

Jonna: I am a third-year student in the Master of English Language and Literatures program. I and my grad student collaborators had the opportunity to work with the First Nations Technology Council in support of their mission to advance Indigenous leadership in the tech sector. Jimmy and I initially collaborated on cataloguing Indigenous-led tech training available in BC and research reports covering Indigenous pedagogies and mentorship strategies for tech careers. I primarily lead the research reports with the goal of providing the FNTC with data to help support and inform their approach to their education and mentorship programs. We were fortunate to be able to extend our work with the FNTC and work with Xian to expand on our findings with the interviews he conducted with local and global Indigenous leaders.

2. What did you expect from this project? Did these expectations change by the end of the work?

Jimmy: As a non-Indigenous student who comes with an outsider perspective, and very little awareness of the rural or remote community experience, I constantly think about my own limitations and biases and about whose voices are being amplified through my work. I expected to learn more about Indigenous and remote communities and digital inequity – and I did. However, I did not think I would be drawing on the lessons and practices of relationality and community-based research methods I learned from this work and applying it to my own life and study. Working in collaboration with my graduate student colleagues and the FNTC team was critical in this learning process.

Xian: Honestly, I entered the position not knowing precisely what to think, or which skills to target for my long-term career goals. However, I am happy to say that I strengthened skills in interview strategies, collaboration and networking. Meeting and consistently using my team as a soundboard was extremely helpful in finding a direction, and finding which of my skills I needed to strengthen the most. My expectations were cultivated and harnessed by those around me, and I am very thankful for the experience.

Jonna: I had a very similar experience to Jimmy; as a settler without much prior experience in the tech field, navigating how to present our findings while maintaining a learning mindset was at times a difficult needle to thread, but it is an important skill to learn. While I expected to primarily be doing research, in extending the internship we got the opportunity to both refine our findings into internal and shareable documents and present our work to FNTC community partners and executives along with provincial government officials. Expanding beyond our initial roles provided an invaluable opportunity to grow my skill set and see how I can use my more familiar skills to tackle diverse new projects.

3. What did you find most rewarding or challenging about working on this CCP?

Jimmy: The most rewarding experience in this CCP was building connections with my fellow graduate students and the FNTC team through working together on a project that has a meaningful impact. The most challenging part for me was making sense of my own positionality within the FNTC. It’s a bit of a strange experience making strategy recommendations to Indigenous technology education professionals who have engaged with communities directly for a long time. I learned to treat the process of making recommendations more as an opportunity for dialogue rather than as serious advice.

Xian: I found that turning a research topic that may originally seem “railroaded” can turn into an extremely fulfilling experience when you integrate yourself in all aspects of the project. Work can be fulfilling in more than curiosity, but in self-expression, introversion and building deeply personal relationships.

Jonna: While I often dreaded group work in my undergrad, working collaboratively both with my fellow grad students and the FNTC team was as productive as it was rewarding. Additionally, I did not expect my time with the FNTC to be such a personally impactful experience. Beyond confirming my fervent belief that Art degrees cultivate a number of readily transferable skills, being able to use those skills, even in a small way, to help further a meaningful cause was an honour and a privilege. I am very grateful for the opportunity to listen to the wisdom and passion of the interviewees–their teachings on leading with love and care will inform my life and work for years to come.

4. How does the CCP model compare to the kinds of work you do as a graduate student?

Jimmy: Compared to my experience with similar projects I have done in the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs or with the UBC Centre for Community Engaged Learning, the CCP model has similar elements of independent, proactive learning that are important for carrying out self-designed grant projects. However, it feels like someone actually cares about you succeeding in your project and that the work produces tangible benefits. Of course, I believe a large part of the positive experience is due to having amazing team members. Having financial compensation for 60-70 hours for the term helps as well, with classes or other part-time work.

Xian: Creating a real impact for future policies and the experiences of others was very different to run-of-the-mill coursework. Collaboration in the CCP model allowed me to build my own direction for my deliverables, rather than objectives set in stone by a professor.

Jonna: In my experience, Arts departments do not always prioritize opportunities for collaborative work, and academia can occasionally become an echo chamber with little relevance to the world outside it. Having the opportunity to not only work in an effective team, but also see that our work will have a real and positive impact for the FNTC and their goals, is not an experience I will soon forget.

5. Do you have any advice for future graduate students interested in joining a CCP?

Jimmy: The application process is designed to be very accessible to graduate students from diverse Arts disciplines and levels of professional experiences. Never doubt your own background if you see an opportunity offered by the Arts Amplifier that you are interested in.

Xian: Try everything, go beyond your assumptions, and make it yours.

Jonna: Don’t be afraid to try new things or roles that you think are firmly outside your chosen career path or comfort zone—you never know what might resonate or grow from that experience!

Entrepreneurship for Arts Graduate Students

Through interactive workshops, the support of a cohort of peers, and one-on-one mentorship meetings, you will develop the skills to translate your ideas into an an entrepreneurial venture that you can test out and receive feedback on.

January 2025 | New Year, New Network

New Year’s Resolutions for 2025:

1. Shed the weight… of needing a new job

I am an emotional eater. Whenever I feel anxious, despondent, melancholic, brooding, I will inevitably have a pair of chopsticks wrist deep into a family size bag of BBQ flavored potato chips. During what is supposedly the last year of my master’s degree, I have already polished off countless bags of said chips. But it is time to get my head out of the soft plastic and face the music. It is time to think about getting a job. I am prepared to do anything to make this process less scary and instead, easier and more interesting. And so, just as going to the gym is easier with a friend, come with me in learning how to… ✨network ✨.

2. Quit smoking… the fumes of despair over an uncertain future

“But naur, networking,” you say. I know, it feels infinitely better to marinate in the sweet juices of denial and/or despair. I also hate that I have to think about participating in job searching and any of its associated activities while I am fighting for my life trying to write my thesis, work my two and a half jobs, care about what is happening in the world, and do the dishes or something. However, getting to know and talk to folks doing cool things, connecting with strangers despite this strange pandemic world, taking an interest in what other people are doing over fixating on what I am not doing, will feel good and healthy. Just from existing in the university space, you are already laying down a network of people who already do or could support you – be it from class, RAships, TAships, GAAships, or worklearns.

3. Exercise more… of those social skills

Not to be all “tRanSfErAblE sKiLLs” or anything, but SpongeBob be damned, I do sincerely think graduate level seminars have prepared me very well for thinking on my feet, listening to and then bouncing off what other people are saying, and asking critical questions towards illuminating a bigger picture. While I am by no means good at doing this all the time, I have noticed I am more thoughtful during interviews because I have been able to draw from these classroom experiences of offering my own perspective, views, and feedback based on others’ comments. Who doesn’t love a deep, enriching conversation? Not me! Not a prospective interviewer or industry connection (probably)!

4. Spend more time with loved ones… and strangers who could potentially help guide you towards gainful employment

(bonus points if there is a Venn diagram here for you… in which case, help a brother out?)

But where can one find those prospective interviewers and/or industry connections? Well, lucky for you, the Arts Amplifier (our so-called “gym,” to stay with the metaphor from resolution #1) hosts Networking Week every year, where you can meet and talk to a line-up of strangers of your choice, doing things in areas you feel align with your own interests. Take a look at past hosts who volunteered their time to talk to students. So many fields! So many names! You might get key career advice, other folks to connect to, or even opportunities to seek out from just one conversation.

5. Eat healthier… leave no crumbs at your next informational interview

So, stay tuned for our 2025 Networking Week, scheduled for reading break in February. We will have many different professional folks prepared to meet with you, who work in all kinds of different fields that you might want to learn more about. And never fear; we will help prepare you for success (this gym membership comes with free soul cycle classes, so to speak)! Before we send you off to talk to these strangers, we will help prepare you for how to approach these conversations so you get as much as you can and want out of them. Learn more about informational interviews from our blog post on “What does networking mean to you,” and make sure to sign up for Networking Week this year!

Dog with crazy eyes looking at tennis balls with text "New Year's resolution: chase more balls"

Written by Ying Han, Master’s student in Asian Studies, Curriculum Development and Communications Assistant at the Arts Amplifier.

Published 27 January 2025.

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December 2024 | Bad Feelings

During our panel discussion event on November 21, a group of graduate and undergraduate students from last year’s Entrepreneurship Workshop Series cohorts came together to reflect on their experiences—how they came to the workshops, what they learned, and what has happened in the year since. Among the undergraduates, there was the usual youthful sense of energy and gumption to try out their own ideas: designing custom jewelry, baking the next viral cookie, making cute character keychains. On the graduate student side, there was perhaps a bit more jadedness regarding Humanities research and academia and a desire to locate other venues in which to exercise our scholastic skill sets. It was wonderful hearing their ideas for products and services I could absolutely see myself using, purchasing, and probably collecting. But honestly, what resonated most was that all of them have had to pause their momentum from the workshop or otherwise completely let go of their ideas to pursue other things (and finish school). A couple epiphanies: 1) it is totally okay to stop committing to a bit when it stops working; 2) if you have the time to go on side quests, go on ones where you learn a new skill even if it does not immediately become useful or practical; 3) many other people have capacities similar to mine and 4) trying something out (even without “succeeding”) is hustling.

In November’s newsletter, I alluded to a certain “ick” that could be associated with entrepreneurship. Now, to unpack what “ick” means in this context, studies have shown there is an entire menu of bad feelings inspired by entrepreneurship. I swear, this is not just me being a hater (usually the case). When scrolling through various credible forums (LinkedIn, Reddit, Quora…proper authorities of knowledge as you know), plenty of users can be found bemoaning the various bad feelings plaguing them around entrepreneurship, to a chorus of sympathetic voices. Cringe, either contemptuous (the cringe we feel towards the Silicon Valley dudebro feeding into the capitalist hellscape through venture) or empathetic (the knowing cringe we feel towards fully believing in and committing to one’s own idea and inevitably becoming a tryhard), is my own contribution here—shout/out to my friend who reminded me of ContraPoints’s video essay on the subject and the meme; but there is also plenty of fear (of failure), guilt (over not doing enough), and envy (for those more successful) to go around. Surely, as graduate students, we can see the Venn diagram of entrepreneurship and graduate study inching ever more closely towards becoming circle.

It should be obvious I am definitely not trying to peddle some kind of Cruel Optimism (TM) or demand we rehabilitate from what are very necessary and warranted bad feelings. Although we may have been trained out of this general worldview through the travails of academia, it is actually okay to move past, give up on, or even half-ass most ventures into anything. Any attempt to Do the Thing comes with a lot of learning—and can sometimes still end up as a line on your CV.

So, as we drag ourselves across the finish line of winter break, see if the Entrepreneurship for Arts Grad Students 2025 workshop series might fit into your schedule next term. Come with your half-to-fully-baked idea. Learn some of the approaches and transferrable skills common in the world of building business and ventures. Cringe a little bit. You might end up discovering new tasks or ways of thinking that call out to you—and where these feelings, good or bad, end up taking you.

meme of goat lying in field of grass with wildflowers, text "I am cringe but I am free"

For some more coherent reading on bad feelings in entrepreneurship:

Arreola, Fernanda. “I am scared to my bones to… become an entrepreneur.” The Conversation, 29 October 2018. https://theconversation.com/i-am-scared-to-my-bones-to-become-an-entrepreneur-105922
Bacq, Sophie, Madeline Toubiana, Ifeoma Ajunwa, Jarrod Ormiston, and Trish Ruebottom. “Stigma entrepreneurship: exploring stigma as a source of entrepreneurial motivations.” Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research (2018).
Bacq, Sophie, et.al. “Entrepreneurship out of shame: Entrepreneurial pathways at the intersection of necessity, emancipation, and social change.” Organization Theory 4, no. 1 (2023): 26317877231153185.
Huang, Karen, Alison Wood Brooks, Ryan W. Buell, Brian J. Hall, and Laura Huang. Mitigating malicious envy: Why successful individuals should reveal their failures. 2018.
Morgan, John, and Dana Sisak. “Aspiring to succeed: A model of entrepreneurship and fear of failure.” Journal of Business Venturing 31, no. 1 (2016): 1-21.
Simmons, Sharon A., Johan Wiklund, and Jonathan Levie. “Stigma and business failure: implications for entrepreneurs’ career choices.” Small business economics 42 (2014): 485-505.
Thompson, Neil A., Marco Van Gelderen, and Laura Keppler. “No need to worry? Anxiety and coping in the entrepreneurship process.” Frontiers in psychology 11 (2020): 398.

Written by Ying Han, Master’s student in Asian Studies, Curriculum Development and Communications Assistant at the Arts Amplifier.

Published 5 December 2024.

November 2024 | Boss Babes Unite

meme of child wearing funky straw glasses with text "I didn't choose the entrepreneur life, the entrepreneur life chose me" When I asked a friend recently what came to mind when hearing the word “entrepreneurship,” her exact words in response were: “A dudebro. At a Ted Talk. Saying insufferable BS”, a Six(ish)-Word Poem. Truly, what does entrepreneurship even mean outside of this image it invariably summons (something, something, signified, signifier)? This image and the ethos we might associate with entrepreneurship feels icky; and yet, in our late-stage capitalist world, nothing seems to escape this transition to neoliberal ideology. The tapping of diverse hidden markets, seeking excellence and relevance, managing stakeholders, devising strategic plans… somehow the contemporary university has become just another dudebro.

But, what if rethinking “entrepreneurship” more expansively might be one way we can start reorienting ourselves in service of a social good, or doing imaginative, creative work, or building networks of like-minded scholars/doers–now on our own terms?

In the few years since the Arts Amplifier’s inception, we have sought to persuade Arts graduate students that entrepreneurship can be a viable path, whether it be because of the shared grit needed both to finish an Arts graduate degree and to start an entrepreneurial venture, or the way entrepreneurship is already being rethought as something that could be more than just one more evil manifestation of colonialism. Indeed, there have been studies done on the decolonial potentialities of entrepreneurship (although, of course, it is difficult to ignore the pitfalls that come with trying to resist from within a system). Becoming an “entrepreneur” does not necessarily mean betrayal or selling out, but rather exploring another path—perhaps like digital, public, or applied humanities by a different name—creating ways of disrupting colonial structures, developing more ethical community-engaged approaches to knowledge production, exploring new entanglements with different perspectives and epistemologies. It might also just be a way of creating a job for yourself when there seems to be nothing else.

If you indeed cannot come up with a product that can help with “reclaiming cultural heritage” or if “challeng[ing] the hegemony of Western capitalist models of economic development” (to cite the aforementioned study) feels like too lofty a goal, it is still possible to use your academic skills to work towards a mode of economic being that does not fall back on the stereotypical soul-sucking 9-5 corporate job. In fact, you might find in an entrepreneurial venture a career that is as fulfilling as any tenure track job, teaching position, or research fellowship. For examples, as Arts grad students, entrepreneurship can look like a consultancy, in which you help artists and academics with grant writing. It can look like a platform where you help build teams through volunteerism in local causes. It can be working at the intersection between social justice and sustainability. Entrepreneurship can take many forms, depending on how you deploy it.

Whether you are still skeptical or are ready to get started, come brainstorm with us during the Winter 2025 Workshop series, Entrepreneurship for Arts Graduate Students (more info coming soon!). And if you want to learn more, join us on November 21 to hear from Arts students who have already taken steps towards their own entrepreneurial ventures

Written by Ying Han, Master’s student in Asian Studies, Curriculum Development and Communications Assistant at the Arts Amplifier.

Published: 6 November 2024

October 2024 | Playing Pretend (Dream Job Extension Pack)

meme of dog smiling while sitting in a room on fire I find myself struggling to use my imagination these days. As a Master’s student, whether it is having not read anything for fun in years, or hitting a stalemate with my thesis, or being stuck in the worst timeline ever of polycrisis and hellfire—it is difficult to imagine what the next month will look like, much less be creative about what I can do with my future after this degree. But as I approach the end of my program, how can I prepare for what comes after? The following resources can be helpful for grad students like me, as we are forced to stare into the big, scary void (of our “infinite potential”).

Odyssey Planning. Construct three different alternative realities: your current plan/trajectory, a back-up plan, and a “perfect world” plan. This one can be a fun journaling prompt in helping parse your professional goals and desires. It also apparently led this PhD to realize they wanted to go into consulting instead of academia (and they made it happen!).

5 Exercises from “Designing Your Life.” This exercise gives you a framework for how to think through an open-ended question (e.g., “What should I do when I finish graduate school?”). If you are a mind map type of person, this one is good for linking together different kinds of solutions.

Imagine PhD. As someone who has not been exposed to many professional pathways, this was a great resource for just becoming aware of all the “job families” that are possible, the different skills most recognizably tethered to each, and how that might align with my own values. Good for learning about what can be put in the search bar for “jobs.”

Meaningful Work Kit. This guided reflection asks you to identify core values, compatible work cultures, and desirable skills. While the most speculative of all the exercises, it did provide me with useful language to articulate what I seek in a workplace and gave me a way to ruminate on past work experiences (which will also come in handy for interviews and such).

It might feel burdensome to try to use these tools. Like me, you might approach them with a jaded lens that reads them as selling the very same pipe dream that academia once offered—that I can find work which will give me a sense of purpose and fulfillment. It can be hard to square that hopeful view of the future with the “challenging” (euphemistic) job prospects that currently exist in a world that can feel upside-down. However, these four tools have forced me to begin imagining, within bounds of reason (rather than doom or fantasy), what skills I have and how they can be put to use. At the very least, they have helped me to amass a vocabulary of useful words that carry meaning in the job market and could be used in a resume/cover letter.

Let us know if you try them out, what your thoughts are, and we can talk (or complain) about them together at the next Career Design Conversations session.

Written by Ying Han, Master’s student in Asian Studies, Curriculum Development and Communications Assistant at the Arts Amplifier.

Published: 11 October 2024