Let’s get clear on your career after academia.
I help PhDs (and other long-time academics) figure out what they actually want next in their careers and build a thoughtful strategy for getting there.
In other words, I help people move from feeling stuck and second-guessing themselves to making thoughtful career decisions and moving toward work that’s a better fit.
Three straightforward ways to start:
Jen Polk, PhD
Career Coach for PhDs & Academics
“It’s possible to build a meaningful, values-aligned career beyond academia.”
Who I Work With
Professors, postdocs, and other PhDs across Canada, the United States, and beyond.
Most people who find me are at a turning point.
Are you a professor, postdoc, or PhD who’s wondering whether academia is still the right fit for you? Are you wondering whether the job you took after leaving is actually right for you? You’re in the right place.
They know something needs to change. But they’re not yet clear on what they want instead, or how to move toward it without making a costly mistake.
“You open LinkedIn for the first time in months. Your old ‘Assistant Professor’ title is still sitting there like a ghost of your former life. Your finger hovers over the edit button. Deleting it feels like erasing yourself. But keeping it feels like a lie. So you scroll past your publications, feel that little jolt of nostalgia… and close the tab.”
That’s where a lot of people are when they first reach out.
They’re not just trying to change jobs. They’re trying to figure out who they are now, professionally, and what kind of work actually fits.
Sound familiar? That’s where I come in.
These are thoughtful, capable people. They don’t lack skills.
What they’re lacking is clarity, structure, and community to help them make thoughtful career decisions and move forward with confidence. They might be thinking things like:
I know I don’t want to stay where I am.
I’ve followed the standard advice, but I’m still not getting anywhere.
I should be able to figure this out on my own, but I’m stuck.
What if I’ve outgrown academia but don’t belong anywhere else?
Core Insight
What I think the real problem is
Many PhDs assume their challenge is resume, LinkedIn profile, networking skills, or interview answers.
PhDs often jump straight to tactical fixes:
- • A better resume
- • Stronger networking skills
- • Insider knowledge about “industry jobs”
And, sure, you might be right. Those things can certainly help. But in my experience, those usually aren’t the biggest obstacle.
It’s much harder to run a focused job search when you don’t yet know what you’re looking for. You don’t yet have clarity about what you want.
You may not yet know how your values, interests, priorities, and experience translate into work that’s a better fit for who you are now.
Without that clarity, it’s easy to:
- × spend months thinking about leaving without making progress
- × search broadly because you don’t know what you actually want
- × jump at the first available role, only to discover it’s another mismatch
- × lose confidence because nothing seems to fit
- × wonder whether the problem is you, when it may actually be your approach
Academic careers often encourage people to focus on external markers of success. What it rarely teaches is how to ask questions such as:
Those answers matter far more than any job title.
My Philosophy & Approach
Since 2013, I’ve helped PhDs step back from the pressure and make sense of their options.
I don’t prescribe career paths. I see my role as a facilitator: I help people think more clearly, notice what they might be missing, and learn how to make good career decisions for themselves.
Together, we focus on:
- ✓ clarifying what you actually want instead of what you think you should want
- ✓ identifying career paths that genuinely fit your strengths, interests, and priorities
- ✓ developing a practical strategy for exploring opportunities and moving forward
- ✓ communicating your experience and value with confidence
- ✓ staying accountable through coaching and a community of thoughtful PhDs
The goal isn’t just to escape a job that no longer fits. It’s to help you move toward work where you can contribute, keep learning, and feel proud of what you’re doing again. What that looks like for you is going to be different from the next person. That’s the whole point.
1-on-1 & Group Video Coaching
A dedicated, thoughtful space to step back and do the work.
Services & Programs
Ways to work with me
Whether you want a self-paced start, intensive 6-month guidance, 1-on-1 strategy, or an institutional workshop.
Free Webinar — How to Get a Great Job Outside Academia
A practical introduction to my approach to career clarity and job searching beyond academia. A great place to start.
In this training, I walk through the biggest mistakes PhDs make when trying to leave academia—and the process that helps people gain the clarity they need to move forward.
(even if you have no idea what you want to do next or why anyone would hire you)
It’s a practical place to start, and a great way to see whether my approach resonates with you before thinking about us working together.
1-on-1 Consultation
1-on-1 Career Clarity & Strategy Sessions
Bring one focused question, challenge, or decision related to leaving academia or building a career beyond it. We’ll work through it together, one on one.
People enquire and book with me directly. Ideal when you have an immediate decision to make or need tailored, high-touch strategic direction.
PhD Career Clarity Program
A six-month program to help you figure out what you want beyond academia and move toward it with structure, coaching, and community.
Includes lessons, group video coaching, community feed, worksheets, and direct support.
Workshops and Speaking
Interactive online workshops and talks on career clarity, careers beyond academia, networking, interviewing, and more. Customized for your audience.
This option is specifically designed for graduate faculties, post-doctoral associations, universities, and professional organizations across North America and internationally.
Mission
Why I do this work
Over more than a decade of doing this work, I’ve seen the same pattern again and again.
Brilliant, thoughtful people who pursued advanced degrees and academic careers because they cared about ideas, teaching, research, and making a difference… slowly find themselves feeling stuck, undervalued, or unsure how to move forward.
Academic culture often pushes people toward narrow definitions of success—prestige, publications, tenure—even when those things no longer align with what they actually want from their work or their lives.
When that misalignment grows, people start asking difficult questions:
• Is this really the career I want?
• If I leave, what would I even do?
• Do my skills actually matter outside academia?
I believe that when PhDs reconnect with their strengths, values, and priorities, incredible things can happen—both for them and for the organizations and communities they go on to serve.
My work is about helping people do that thinking deliberately, make thoughtful career decisions, and move toward work where they’re valued, engaged, and able to make the kind of impact they care about.
Background & Expertise
About Jen Polk
I earned my PhD in history from the University of Toronto in 2012. Soon after finishing my degree, I started From PhD to Life, which has grown into a career coaching practice focused on helping professors, postdocs, and other PhDs navigate career transitions beyond academia.
Since 2013, I’ve worked with professors, postdocs, and other PhDs across Canada, the United States, and beyond who are trying to answer a deceptively simple question: “What should I do next?”
Today, I primarily help professors, postdocs, and other PhDs who are considering careers beyond academia—or wondering what comes next after leaving—through my PhD Career Clarity Program, one-on-one consultations, workshops, and speaking.
Writing & Industry Experience
- • Writing on PhD career paths in University Affairs, Inside Higher Ed, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Globe and Mail, and Academic Matters.
- • Contributed essays to several books on graduate education and academic careers.
- • Served as an expert panelist in 2021 for the Canadian Council of Academies report Degrees of Success, examining PhD employment transitions.
Ready to take the next thoughtful step?
Have questions? I’m happy to answer them for you!
Direct Email
Jen@FromPhDToLife.comWant practical insights and updates in your inbox?
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