Over the last few years, JHU has substantially increased its commitment to the career development of its graduate students. There are numerous opportunities for you to grow both as a researcher & teacher and to prepare yourself for careers beyond the academic path. You need to take the initiative to make use of these resources though, and the first step is to make yourself aware of the programs that are available.

1. Prof. Kevin Schlaufman is the Physics and Astronomy Department non-academic career advisor.  The non-academic career advisor is a faculty member dedicated to the preparation of both undergraduate and graduate students for careers outside of academic physics and astronomy. The non-academic career advisor serves as a first faculty point-of-contact for students interested in exploring non-academic careers, searching for internships, or seeking full-time employment after graduation. The advisor works closely with the Life Design Lab at Homewood (i.e., the career center), the JHU chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS), and the Physics and Astronomy Graduate Students (PAGS) association to organize physics and astronomy-specific career development activities. The advisor also serves a liaison between the department and its advisory council on issues related to non-academic career development.
2. The Life Design Lab at Homewood (i.e., the career center) offer a comprehensive suite of career development resources for PhD students.
3. The Whiting School of Engineering’s Center for Leadership Education has a Professional Development Program offers an ensemble of career development modules each academic semester. You can register for these modules in SIS and they’re free of charge to currently enrolled PhD students.
4. The School of Medicine’s Professional Development and Career Office offers a large number of career exploration and development opportunities. They even provide internships exclusively for JHU PhD students in the Baltimore-Washington area in intellectual property, science communication, and science policy.
5. The JHU Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation offers a credential-bearing teaching academy program. The program leads to a certificate that can be listed on your CV that can establish to hiring committees that you’re serious about teaching effectively.

All of these programs are valuable resources. You should take some time to explore these offerings and decide if any of them are right for you and your own career goals. Please contact the department’s non-academic career advisor to talk one-on-one about any of these programs or anything else related to non-academic career development.