Are you planning to finish or leave your graduate program in the next year? If so, you're probably feeling a mixture of excitement and panic. Transitioning from the grad student role to the world beyond is a big deal.

That's why the UW Career Center, with help from the Counseling Center, is sponsoring five events in May that are geared towards students who are nearing the end of their graduate studies. The goal of the events is to equip grad students with the skills and confidence they need to transition into postdoc fellowships, faculty positions, or jobs in the corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors. More information about our Life After Grad School events is below. Please direct questions to Coordinator of Graduate Student Services or call (206) 685-4139.

• Balancing Family & Career Panel (NEW)
  May 1, 4:30-5:30, 216 Denny
  • An increasing number of grad students have children and/or take care of aging parents while in graduate school or shortly after degree completion. Coping with graduate-level career expectations while nurturing a family can be challenging...but also rewarding! Come listen to others discuss how they've balanced or integrated work and family roles so you can think about how to do it yourself. No registration required.
• Career Identity Beyond the Ivory Tower
  May 9, 12:30-2:00, 230 Communications
  • Thinking about leaving the research university setting or academia all together at some point? You are not alone! Despite commonly held misconceptions, many graduate degree holders leave academia - because of personal interests, job availability concerns, family responsibilities, etc. After spending years in grad school, leaving the "Research I" faculty track represents a career change, an identity shift, and an upheaval of expectations. Come join us for a time of personal reflection, small group sharing, and large group discussion about career identity beyond research universities and the Ivory Tower all together. Co-facilitated by the UW Career Center and the UW Counseling Center. No registration required.
• Transitioning to Your First Year on the Job (NEW)
  May 15, 4:30-6:00, 216 Denny
  • Are you planning to finish or leave your graduate program in the next year or so? Want to make sure you have the confidence and skills to navigate the transition from grad student to employee? If so, this new event is for you! We'll be discussing a range of topics such as: (1) the psychological and emotional aspects of life transitions, (2) employer feedback on how grad students perform during their first year on the job, (3) and strategies for making a good impression in the workplace. Co-sponsored by the Career Center & the Counseling Center. REGISTER by emailing
• First Year as a Professor
  Mon, May 19, 4:00-5:30, 105 Smith
  • Do you hope to start a faculty job in the next couple of years? Want to "hit the ground running" so you can launch a successful tenured career in academia? Come listen to a career counselor, a new professor, and a recently tenured professor discuss strategies for surviving and thriving in your first year as a professor. No registration required.
• Crash Course in Decision-Making
  Wed, May 28, 4:30-6:00, 401 Schmitz
  • Trying to pick a career path or make other important decisions? Struggling to choose between two or more good alternatives? Feel scared about making the "wrong" decision? Come learn about fears common to the decision-making process; recognize factors that may influence you as you make decisions; identify your personal style of making decisions; apply the basic steps of planful decision-making; and identify helpful resources. Co-sponsored by the Career Center & the Counseling Center. No registration required.