Merging Graduate Knowledge with Real-World Skills
Thinking your dissertation has left you with only one specific skill – an expertise in a topic that only you really care about? Maybe it feels like that Master's is not getting you to where you want to be? Think again! Graduate school leaves you with a strong and unique skill set – you just need to rethink how to use it.
Transferable Skills Checklist
How to leverage your Ph.D. outside of academia
| Situation or Experience | Skills Acquired |
| Experiment fails, and you keep trying until you find something that works | perseverance, diligence, trouble-shooting, problem-solving |
| You work with lab mates or collaborators to accomplish a research goal | team-work, collaboration |
| You balance classes, teaching, and research | time management, multi-tasking |
| You need a tool that is expensive, but instead you rig something up that works just as well | creativity, cleverness, resourcefulness |
| You mentor an undergrad or younger grad students | mentoring skills, leadership, management |
| You give presentations at group meetings, conferences, or research symposia | public speaking, presentation skills, communication |
| You write and edit a journal article or grant proposal | writing skills, communication |
| You edit and offer feedback on a peer's journal article draft | writing, editing, critical thinking |
| You had a question and you sought out a professor of expert in the field for advice | inquisitiveness, resourcefulness, curiosity |
| You perform a literature search on a new research topic | research, information gathering |
| You help organize or participate in a science outreach event | event planning, team work, organizational skills, leadership |
| You acquire a truck-load of data and then spend weeks analyzing the data and drawing conclusions | data analysis, critical thinking |
| You attend a meeting where you devise a plan for future research endeavors with your colleagues | strategic planning, team work, collaboration |
| You met a researcher from another university and discussed potential research collaboration | networking, collaboration, idea generation, creativity |
| Someone did something to get you mad, but you handled it in a professional and mature way | people skills, team work, communication, professionalism |
| You were tempted to throw in the towel but you kept at it | perseverance, diligence |
| You were tempted to throw in the towel and left grad school because it wasn't what you wanted and needed | confidence, self-awareness, exploration |