Thank You! 2013 Year in Review

As we approach mid-January—the days are already passing so quickly!—I want to take a moment to thank you for joining PhDs At Work and helping to build our vibrant network.  It’s particularly rewarding for me personally to see how the site has grown from a small passion project into the thriving, growing community it is today. PhDs At Work has already gone through several iterations, and I’m sure it will continue to evolve as all good resources do. But what a pleasure to see how far we’ve come and the good work we’ve already accomplished!

Highlights from 2013 include more than 24,000 visits from 87 countries. Not bad…  Our busiest day was November 2^nd when Adam Capitanio’s introduction to his work at Berghahn Books topped the charts. No doubt that was a direct result of our mention in the New York Times.

Another point of interest: Among our five most-viewed posts (viewable to the right), several were originally published in 2012. For me, that statistic highlights the value delivered by our Week in the Life guest bloggers. Their generosity in sharing lessons learned and personal reflections on the period during and after their transitions is not only invaluable; it stands the test of time.

I also want to give a big thank you and shout out to our top referrers from 2013. It wasn’t much of a surprise to see Twitter as a top referrer, but I confess I did not expect to see Facebook make the list. Barbie Decker mentions in her Monday post that Facebook is where the magic happens. I guess she was right! It’s a well-used resource, but still not enough to outpace the always terrific Chris Humphrey over at Jobs on Toast.  A very special thanks to Chris, as well as Jennifer Polk, and the team behind How To Leave Academia.

Looking ahead, 2014 should be an equally exciting year. We are continuing the Networking Happy Hours we launched in New York last fall while expanding to meet the needs of our Bay Area community. (If you live in either location, we hope you will join us for 2014’s inaugural events week after next. Be sure to register for either New York or San Francisco.)

I’m also pleased to announce that thanks to a new partnership with LinkedIn, we will be hosting “Learn from the Experts” workshops in 2014. Join us for our first event at LinkedIn’s New York offices on Wednesday, February 19^th: LinkedIn for the PhD Career Changer: Building Your Personal Brand. Register before the 13^th and it’s free!

As a follow up to that workshop, our fantastic partners over at the New York Council for the Humanities will host us for some informal networking and peer-to-peer LinkedIn profile review sessions on Saturday, March 1^st. We’ll have coffee and a little breakfast nosh to keep everyone energized. Plus, if you’re interested in the role of Public Humanities, it will be a great opportunity to chat with Sara Ogger, Executive Director.

We want to make sure you have the best LinkedIn profile possible, and that means you need a professional head shot. We will continue to offer ridiculously discounted photography sittings on that same Saturday. Reservations are required and available on a first come, first served basis. You can sign up for a spot here.

2014 will also see the launch of our Expert Guide series, beginning with financial literacy, written by Amy Salo, CFP. Amy is Senior Vice President at Wealth Advisory Group and herself a career changer. (She was a professional musician in an earlier life.) Amy is well-positioned to understand and speak to the concerns of our network, and her posts will address your questions directly. Let us know what you would like to learn by completing this form (no personal information required).

And finally, I’ve begun working on the 2014 guest roster for Week in the Life. If you know someone who would make an excellent contribution, please let me know. In the interim, beginning Monday, I hope you will enjoy our first guest blogger of the new year, Jessica Collier. Jessica transitioned from a PhD in American literature and culture to an in-demand writer and content strategist for the tech industry. Needless to say, our 2014 Week in the Life series is off to a great start!

Thanks again for your support and a great 2013. Here’s to an even more amazing New Year!