Are professional development courses a smart move or a waste of time?
At the start of your PhD, many of you don’t expect that you will have to go “back to school” and take courses during your PhD.
When I say “courses”, I don’t mean courses on a scientific topic related to your PhD – no, I mean professional development courses.
Professional development? What does it mean to develop professionally?
Well, it means taking courses to improve your skills in project management, leadership, academic writing, time management, etc.
If you’re a PhD student who is passionate about research and enjoys long days in the lab or in front of the computer doing experiments, you might think:
“Pfff, courses to learn how to manage my time – haha, what a waste of time, literally!”
The problem is that PhD students often have to take some of these courses as part of their doctoral programme.
So how do you go about it? Are these courses really a waste of time?
In today’s newsletter, I’ll be covering the following important aspects of professional development courses:
🔸 Why you should take these courses,
🔸 Which courses I recommend, and
🔸 When is the best time to take them.
By the end of this newsletter, you’ll see that professional development courses are definitely a smart move and not a waste of time.
Why taking courses in professional development during your PhD?
Firstly, the skills you learn will be highly beneficial in making your PhD journey more efficient and productive.
In other words, yes, spending time on a time management course can actually save you time in the long run.
But that’s not all: these courses offer invaluable opportunities to broaden your skills and prepare you for your future post-PhD career, whether in academia, industry or elsewhere. For example, industry highly values project and time management skills, while academic and grant writing skills are very useful for an academic career. This is therefore a strategic move to improve your CV.
Secondly, these courses are usually funded by the department, faculty, or your host research group, which means you can gain knowledge without paying a cent. This is literally time well-invested. Knowledge for free, if you wish.
Which courses do I recommend to take?
Here I give you a selection of the courses that I think will be most useful during and after your PhD. For each course, I also give an example of the relevance of such a course during your PhD, to prepare for a career in industry, or for a future career in academia. Of course, my suggestions are also valid for those who choose a different career path!
Emoji-legend:
🎯: Aim of the course
🐣: Relevance during your PhD
🐔: Relevance for a career in academia
🦉: Relevance for a career in industry
Project Management
🎯 This course covers essential techniques for planning, executing, and overseeing projects efficiently. You’ll learn to use tools like Gantt charts, work packages, and milestones to manage projects effectively.
🐣 Apply these skills to streamline your research activities, organize experiments, and manage collaborations during your PhD studies.
🐔 In academia, project management is crucial for leading research initiatives, coordinating multi-institutional collaborations, and successfully executing grant-funded projects.
🦉 These skills are highly valued in industry for leading cross-functional teams, managing complex projects, and delivering results within time and budget constraints across various sectors.
Time Management
🎯 Learn strategies to manage your time effectively and boost productivity. The course covers prioritization techniques, goal-setting methods, and the use of time-tracking tools.
🐣 Develop skills to balance research, teaching, supervision, your other tasks, and personal life more efficiently during your PhD journey.
🐔 In academia, effective time management is essential for juggling research, teaching, grant writing, and administrative duties while maintaining high productivity.
🦉 Industry employers prize time management skills for their role in handling multiple projects, meeting tight deadlines, and maintaining productivity under pressure.
Academic Writing
🎯 Improve your writing skills for academic publications, focusing on structure, clarity, and impactful communication of research findings.
🐣 Enhance your ability to write compelling research papers and effectively disseminate your PhD research results.
🐔 Strong academic writing is crucial for publishing high-impact papers, crafting persuasive grant proposals, and clearly communicating complex ideas in academia.
🦉 In industry, these skills transfer to creating clear technical reports, developing effective business proposals, and articulating complex ideas to diverse audiences.
Grant Writing
🎯 Master the art of writing compelling grant proposals. Learn about proposal structure, persuasive writing techniques, and effective budget planning.
🐣 Develop crucial skills for securing research funding to support your PhD projects and future research endeavors.
🐔 In academia, grant writing proficiency can significantly enhance funding opportunities, allowing for expanded research scope and establishing you as a field leader.
🦉 These skills apply to proposal writing, business development, and fundraising in industry, particularly valuable in R&D-intensive fields and startups.
Data Analysis
🎯 Learn to analyze and present data using statistical software like SPSS and R, along with data visualization tools. Cover both quantitative and qualitative analysis methods.
🐣 Apply these skills to effectively analyze and present your research data, enhancing the depth and impact of your PhD work.
🐔 Proficiency in data analysis is essential for conducting rigorous research and publishing results.
🦉 Data analysis is in high demand across industries for informing strategic decisions, driving innovation, and solving complex problems in fields from tech to healthcare.
Communication
🎯 Enhance your ability to communicate research to diverse audiences. The course covers public speaking, presentation skills, and effective science communication strategies.
🐣 Improve your capacity to present your PhD research at conferences and engage with both academic and non-academic audiences.
🐔 Strong communication skills in academia are vital for effective teaching, conference presentations, and public engagement, enhancing your overall academic impact.
🦉 In industry, these skills are crucial for team collaboration, client interactions, and leadership roles, often fast-tracking individuals for management positions.
AI Applications in Research
🎯 Explore Artificial Intelligence (AI) fundamentals, machine learning, and data mining techniques relevant to research. Learn how AI can automate data analysis and enhance research efficiency.
🐣 Apply AI techniques to streamline your PhD research, potentially uncovering new insights and improving data processing efficiency.
🐔 AI proficiency in academia can open up new research methodologies, enhance data analysis capabilities, and position you as a valuable collaborator in cutting-edge projects.
🦉 AI skills are highly sought-after in various industries for process optimization, product development, and driving innovation across sectors from tech to finance.
Career Development
🎯 Prepare for your next career steps with courses on CV writing, job applications, and interview skills. Learn to effectively market yourself in the competitive job market.
🐣 Develop skills to confidently navigate post-PhD career opportunities, whether in academia or industry.
🐔 These skills are essential in academia for securing postdoc positions, fellowships, and faculty roles, as well as for building a strong professional network.
🦉 In industry, career development skills are crucial for standing out in competitive hiring processes, negotiating better packages, and strategically advancing your career.
Teaching and Supervision
🎯 For those interested in teaching, learn effective techniques for course design, student engagement, and providing constructive feedback.
🐣 Develop valuable skills for potential teaching responsibilities during your PhD and learn how to supervise students/
🐔 Teaching and supervision skills are critical in academia for mentoring students, managing research teams, and advancing in tenure-track positions.
🦉 In industry, these skills apply to training new employees, leading workshops, and managing teams, making you valuable for roles that involve developing talent and fostering learning.
When is the best time to take these courses?
Last but not least – is there a good time to take these courses or is it irrelevant?
In fact, I recommend that you take most of these courses during the first two years of your PhD. This is for two reasons:
💡 This will allow you to benefit from these skills throughout your PhD, and
💡 You usually have more time in the early years of your PhD.
As many of these courses are organized on an annual basis and some only take place every other year, it’s important to define your strategy in the early months of your PhD.
📢 The Take-Home Message
Professional development courses should not be seen as time lost instead of doing research: they’re an integral part of becoming a researcher/scientist.
They provide you with a toolkit that enhances your current research and prepares you for future opportunities.
Being a researcher or scientist means mastering skills beyond research!
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