Last week, we hosted the second edition of our Circle Mentoring programme, offering our seven of our PGRs the opportunity to connect with three experienced professionals and discuss their professional development.
The session was focused on science communications, marketing and people science career paths with insights from three knowledgeable and inspiring mentors, Jenna Spencer-Briggs, Karolina Urbanska and Sarah Sabir. Our mentors shared their personal journeys, both within academia and within their current roles outside of academia as well as the journey between the two, highlighting the dynamic and evolving nature of professional development. They emphasised the versatility of academic skills, which can be applied to a wide range of careers beyond academia, as well as the importance of self-belief and the value of aligning your career path with your passions and interests.
Our mentees, made up of students from YCEDE’s five consortium universities, facilitated the breakout Q&A sessions, where they gained guidance from the mentors by reflecting on their own PhD journeys and exploring their potential career interests.
We would like to thank everyone involved in the session for creating a space that encouraged open discussion and collaboration. We hope that you found the experience valuable and we look forward to running the next session later in the year!
Please note: We will be looking for mentors for future sessions, so if you have connections with individuals working outside of academia who would be willing to have an open 1.5 – 2 h conversation with a small group of our PGRs on their career and sector please get in touch via mentoring@ycede.ac.uk.