u/afteryourphd

I can get meeting with different team members, but they can streamline the process somehow.

For me, it was especially difficult because I was a parent with two kids. Daycare alone made the finances feel pretty tight, and there were plenty of times when I wondered how long I could realistically keep doing it. I eventually did.

I also didn't want to admit that pursuing academia might have been a bad financial decision.

I see this a lot online, where people say they are afraid that employers will think of them as overqualified because of their advanced degree. I personally think it's partly ego talking, along with sales pitches from career services organizations pushing their services.

Being overqualified isn't really the case if you don't have industry experience.

For example, if you have a PhD in journalism but have never worked at a news publisher, you're not necessarily going to have an easy time finding a new role.

For me personally, stress affected my body. I think we often think sedentary jobs would have less stress but not always the case. I grinded my teeth way too much at night because of the constant stress in my PhD program. In hindsight I should have worn a night guard but hindsight is 20/20...

If you're not going to the gym or going to therapist I strongly recommend it.

I didn't get funding in the summer months sadly so I had to work as a dishwasher. Most places didn't want to hire someone short term even in a small college town sadly. I know most colleges don't want you to work extra outside of your studies but it happens.

By the time I was working on my dissertation (short project, but it was finished), I felt completely over it. I was depressed, felt pretty hopeless about my future in academia, and spent a lot of time exploring careers outside of higher education because I couldn't picture myself staying.

I felt emotionally exhausted, became detached from my research, had a hard time finding the motivation to work, and started questioning whether any of it was worth it (which it wasn't financially). I also found myself constantly thinking about leaving academia instead of imagining my future in it. Retrospectively, that was me.

I'm curious what it looked like for everyone else. Was there a specific moment where you realized you were burned out, or did it happen so gradually that you didn't notice until much later?

I cited a few trusted sources below in case anyone is interested in reading more.

• World Health Organization. Burn-out an occupational phenomenon (ICD-11).
• American Psychological Association. Christina Maslach: The pioneer behind burnout research.
• American Psychological Association. CE Corner: Are You Burned Out?

I work with a lot of PhD and Master's students exploring AI opportunities, and I frequently refer people to Handshake AI.

For those who've completed projects through Handshake AI, how have you listed the experience, namely on your resume or LinkedIn?

• Do you list Handshake AI as the employer?
• Do you describe the client or project instead (when your agreement allows)?
• Do you include it under professional experience, contract/freelance work, or a projects section?

Overall is it seen as a plus or a negative?

Any feedback is welcome (:

Has anyone here worked with a career coach they would actually recommend? I've been wondering about this because career coaching can get pretty expensive, especially if you're already in the middle of a career transition, and it's hard to know whether the investment is really worth it.

If you hired one, what did they actually do that made a difference? Was it resume or LinkedIn feedback, interview prep, networking advice, salary negotiation, accountability, or simply having someone to build your confidence?

For those with PhDs or Master's degrees who have tried AI training/evaluation work, I’d love to hear your perspective. I often promote postings, but don't really see what happens after.

Are they mainly useful as short-term income, a way to build industry experience, or something else?

Edit: Thanks for the feedback on all this. I'm glad it's helping in some way..