Graduate Student Success Coaching

Name One Thing: Advice for graduate students from those who’ve been there.

Welcome to Name One Thing the interview series where I ask academics, researchers, postdocs, and other professionals what they wished they’d known when they were in in graduate school. Today’s guest is Dr. Valerie Forman Hoffman, a Psychiatric Epidemiologist and Intervention Scientist, who shares her wisdom with current graduate students on enjoying the time in graduate school, advice on entering the job market and maintaining perspective on graduate school, research, careers, and life in general.

About Today’s Guest

Name: Dr. Valerie Forman Hoffman
Degree: Ph.D., Psychiatric Epidemiology and MPH, Chronic Disease Epidemiology
Current role: VP of Intervention Science at Woebot Health. I lead a team studying how our relational agent-guided digital mental health support tool works (nongenerative AI); and for whom it does and doesn’t work, in order to improve the product and subsequent outcomes.
Find her on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-hoffman-92088b83/

1) Given that hindsight is 20/20, name one thing you would do differently in graduate school.

To slow down and enjoy it more!!! The whole time I was in grad school I was in such a rush to get to the defense and be done with school forever to “start my life”. I didn’t realize that “my life” was going on right around me and, despite the hard work and late nights, there was a lot to enjoy. I met some wonderful lifelong friends (one introduced me to my now husband of 21 years!), got to immerse myself in topics I love, and live a relatively “simple” life.

2) Name one thing you wished your advisors had told you when you were in graduate school.

I wish my advisors would have prepared me a little bit more for the job market, how to land an opportunity that’s a good fit, how to navigate different types of career trajectories, and how to manage work politics such as dealing with difficult colleagues. So much of that had to be “winged” blind when I was coming out of grad school. I think schools likely do a lot more in preparation for this nowadays but I still think there is an opportunity to educate graduate students about these topics. I realize grad students are already overwhelmed and adding another layer of stress is probably not advised, but I do think maybe there could be optional seminars on these topics for those interested. Also, I wish my advisor would have told me that my dissertation would just become another “study” I had done years ago and not the “be all, end all”! It doesn’t have to be perfect as long as you do your best at the time.

3) Name one thing you would tell new graduates as they prepare to enter the job market.

I would tell new graduates to enjoy the ride as much as possible and not to put so much stock on the very first job or “space” where you land–you likely will change jobs many times over the course of your career (I’ve changed 5 times in my 22-year career, for example!). There are always ways to make the jump, for example, between academia and industry, between public and private sector jobs, etc.–reach out and ask others who have done it for advice in these situations, and understand what value you bring to the table in your target sector of employment. Also, and this is totally cheesy, but don’t forget to follow your heart! Doing something meaningful that you enjoy is the greatest predictor of work success and longevity and can bring you a sense of fulfillment at the end of every day.

Thank you for sharing your experiences and advice with us, Dr. Hoffman! The “start my life” really resonates. It reminds me of the phrase “in the real world” which always makes me bristle (if you’re a client reading this, you know my position on this so feel free to skip). These phrases are dismissive of years of hard work spent training for our careers and can lead us to forget that that is real life! No one can reclaim time so shouldn’t we treat each day as real? Those phrases need to die.

There’s also a recurring theme of slowing down and not rushing in graduate school that’s been expressed by other Name One Thing Interviewees and even myself, in my 3 Things I Regret post. Graduate students are a driven group of people and I think we can lose perspective being so goal-oriented. It’s a fantastic reminder to look up from our computer monitors occasionally and enjoy the time we have.

I think you are 100% correct in the lack of grad school preparation for careers, particularly those outside of academia. Many students feel pressured to remain in academia even if that’s not where their interests lie. I think part of it is that many faculty only have experience in academia. My advice for students who are entering the job market and want to learn more about outside opportunities is to seek advice from mentors outside of academia who are in positions similar to what they are interested in. Most of us love talking with students and are happy to take some time to answer questions and provide tips on entering the job market and building a career outside the “ivory tower.” I also recommend students check out The Cheeky Scientist Podcast for advice on using a PhD outside of academia or transitioning from academia into the non-academic job market.

Interview Disclaimer

We aim to share diverse perspectives and experiences. The views, opinions, and experiences shared by our guests in this interview series are solely their own. Their participation is not an endorsement of our services, products, or views, nor does it imply an endorsement of their services, products, or views by us.