Overview

“What will I ever use this degree for?” Surviving graduate school is no easy task! Many students panic when they finish their studies because they are not aware of how the countless hours they spent writing papers, taking exams, and giving presentations—sometimes to the point of exhaustion and even burnout—will add up to a paying job and fulfilling career. 

During graduate school the focus is often on learning about specific topics in your discipline, but not necessarily what to do with this information in the real world. Some of the most sought after and marketable skills are learned in graduate school, yet few students realize just how many transferable skills they are acquiring along the way that are highly desired by employers.

For those who plan to remain in academia, the path is quite straight forward and typically involves working in a university; when you finish your Master’s degree, you can complete a PhD, after your PhD a Post Doc, and you can also work as a professor or researcher. While the transition from academia to industry is not as clear cut, there are countless options that students may not even know are available to them. Regardless of the choice to remain in academia or enter industry, there are ways to maximize your potential options and choose a career that is well suited for your skillset and ideals.

The goal of the Kick Start Your Career - Academic Skills During and After Grad School course from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is to help identify these transferable skills, and how to put them into practice in order to gain the most out of your degree. Understanding your options, potential, motivations, and ideologies can help you find a career that is well suited to you, as you make the decision to continue on in academia or transition into industry.

Excursions

Amsterdam possesses a rich Startup community and culture that promotes academic transfer—or the translation of research into successful and marketable solutions and products in industry. 

The coordinating lecturer of this course is both a PhD student in Clinical Neuropsychology, as well as the CEO and Founder of a Medtech Startup, NeuroReality, which creates virtual reality software for neurorehabilitation. Students will have the opportunity to visit and learn more about how academia and entrepreneurship can be combined to create a successful career.