Course Overview & Instructions
Course Overview
The purpose of this course is for graduate students to explore a variety of career options (industry, academia, national labs, policy), and the skills that can lead to strong career success and technical leadership. The course covers Career Development, Research Development, and Network/Mentoring Development and is variable credit, allowing students to select assignments from each area to best fit their interests and needs. Career Development includes creation of an Individual Development Plan (IDP), team and leadership skills, preparation for career fairs, interviews with stakeholders to explore career options, and more. Research Development is based on the Lean Canvas approach which encourages research students to explore their research area not only in the traditional way (professional literature) but also business and patent literature, and direct interviews/visits with professionals working in their field who may later be users of their research output. Network and Mentoring Development helps students develop a formal mentoring plan, find people to help guide their individual areas of growth, and learn skills to effectively engage with mentors and their professional network throughout their careers.
Instructions
The course is divided into four modules, listed below. Recommended weeks for doing each module are included, and this is when we will be posting each module. Each week emphasizes one of the areas of Research, Career, or Mentor development), with subtopics in each of the other two areas. You may pick any combination of the assignments in this course to earn the variable number of credits (0.5 to 3.0) that you signed up for. Students receiving 3 credits will need to do most of the assignments in each area. Students receiving less credit can emphasize one area more than others, or do a survey (with less depth) of each of the areas. We encourage you to select assignments that seem most relevant to you.
If you haven't already, please read the GRADING section of the SYLLABUS.
Thanks for letting us join you in your professional development journey.
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