Title: 9 Ways To Beat Academic Stress And Transition Into Industry
Headings: 9 Ways To Manage And Overcome Academic Stress And Transition Into Industry
9 Ways To Manage And Overcome Academic Stress And Transition Into Industry
I felt overwhelmed.
I said no to networking events and other social engagements.
“When are you graduating?”
Academia is stressful for everyone, not just you. This is what I would tell myself.
Why Academic Stress Is Increasing
50% of self-reported suicide attempts are made by STEM PhD candidates.
Academia is no longer able to provide PhDs with jobs, funding, or even support.
If this isn’t depressing, I don’t know what is.
9 Ways To Manage Academic Stress
There are many things you can do to avoid academic stress.
1. Incorporate more anticipation into your life.
The best part is this enjoyable event does not have to be big.
2. Do regular exercise.
If you hate the idea of going for a run, try yoga.
3. Surround yourself with supportive people.
The conversations with colleagues over lunch or at coffee break are filled with complaints and gossip.
Yes, there are positive PhDs out there. You just need to know where to look.
4. Stop comparing yourself with others.
Every PhD remembers the sting they felt when they learned that someone in their program graduated in three years.
The problem is that comparing yourself to others is subjective.
It’s foolish to only value your accomplishments based on how your accomplishments stack up to others.
How much more do you know than five years ago?
5. Learn to be assertive and stand up for yourself.
It is up to you to set strong boundaries and communicate those boundaries to your advisor.
They will wring you completely dry until everything you have inside of you is used up.
6. Understand your working environment and your advisor’s expectations.
Don’t even assume they like you personally.
Most importantly, find out as much about your advisor from former students and postdocs as you can.
At the same time, don’t have unreasonable expectations.
7. Avoid isolation.
This isolation is a breeding ground for negative, self-limiting beliefs.
At the same time, feeling helpless makes you want to be alone.
Instead of closing off your lines of communication, open them up.
8. Put first things first.
There will always be more work to do in the lab.
But it’s equally important to realize that you’ll never be finished.
Taking the next step in your career must be your number one priority.
9. Find an industry mentor.
This kind of mentor can provide you with the wisdom you need to advance your career and leave academic stress behind forever.
Someone who has never worked in industry cannot give you intelligent career advice in today’s world.
You don’t know what you don’t know.
To learn more about transitioning into industry, including instant access to our exclusive training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, transition plan, and private online network, get on the wait list for the Cheeky Scientist Association.
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Content: Stop being weak. Academia is stressful for everyone, not just you. This is what I would tell myself. But my anxiety grew and grew. The more I pretended to be strong for fear of being called weak, the more anxious I became. Eventually I sunk into a deep depression. I did my best to hide it but everything in my life started to sink with me. Why Academic Stress Is Increasing
A recent UC Berkley report on graduate student mental health showed that 45% of graduate students have had emotional or stress-related problems in the past year. The report also showed that 50% of self-reported suicide attempts in graduate school are made by STEM graduate students. Can you believe that?