Hi, I’m Jen Polk, your career coach for PhDs.
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.
“It’s possible to build a meaningful, values-aligned career beyond academia.”
Who I Work With
Or are you wondering whether the job you took after leaving is actually right for you? You’re in the right place.
A familiar moment
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.
Navigating the transition from academic identity to the next chapter.
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. 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?”
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.
Sound familiar? That’s where I come in.
Reframing the Challenge
Many PhDs assume their challenge is resume, LinkedIn profile, networking skills, or interview answers.
They think they need:
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:
Many people need to believe this before they can begin exploring what’s next. Figuring out what that looks like for you usually requires support, structure, and space to do the work.
The deeper inquiry
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.
Approach & Philosophy
Since 2013, I’ve helped professors, postdocs, and other PhDs step back from the pressure, make sense of their options, and make thoughtful career decisions.
“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.”
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.
Engagement Pathways
There are four ways to work together.
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.
A six-month program to help you figure out what you want beyond academia and move toward it with structure, coaching, and community.
Join a cohort of thoughtful PhDs working together through dedicated modules, live coaching, and ongoing peer accountability.
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.
Interactive online workshops and talks on career clarity, careers beyond academia, networking, interviewing, and more. Customized for your audience.
For universities and professional organizations across North America and internationally.
My Story & Mission
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?”
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:
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.
Jen Polk, PhD
Coaching clients since 2013 across North America and internationally.
My Background & Writing
Over the years, I’ve become an expert on PhD careers.
My writing on PhD career paths has appeared in
I’ve also contributed essays to several books on graduate education and academic careers.
Expert Panelist — Canadian Council of Academies (2021)
Served as an expert panelist for the report Degrees of Success, which examined the challenges PhDs face when transitioning into employment.
Not ready for coaching yet? Receive practical reflections, resources, and advice on building a thoughtful career beyond academia.
Next Steps
Have questions? I’m happy to answer them for you! Choose the pathway that matches where you are right now.
How to Get a Great Job Outside Academia. A practical place to start.
PhD Career Clarity Program: 6 months of coaching, curriculum, and community.
Bring a question about 1-on-1 sessions, talks, or program fit.