"As I academic, I never have to sell anything to anyone." Right or wrong? If you know me at all, you know my answer is a strong "wrong" here. Like, okay, you're not going from door to door asking folks to buy your wares. But, actually, yes you are. Your wares just happen to be ideas. You sell your ideas all the time, to - students (classes and office hours), - reviewers and editors (queries, manuscripts) - colleagues (presentations, articles, and books), - co-workers (committees, meetings) - funding gatekeepers (grant applications), - employers (application, tenure, and promotion packages, portfolios, and dossiers), and - others as needed / wanted / required to attain your goals for your ideas. Nobody is handing you dirty cash money... but nobody has ever handed me dirty cash money either, and I'm a business owner. Academic culture can make it seem like "selling" is beneath you, something you get to avoid by keeping yourself separate from the rest of us working stiffs. What's true about success in academia is that successfully selling your ideas is a huge part of the work you do every day. Making a case for why other people should back you -- with funds, recommendations, labour, and support of other kinds -- is critical to you getting hired, published, and gainfully employed. The world beyond academia is much the same for many of us. (Hey, that means you've got plenty of transferable skills and experiences to draw on if you want to pivot your career.) ❓ What are examples of "selling" you did or do in your work now, PhDs? --- 👋🏻 I'm Jen! I help professors, postdocs, and other disappointed, underappreciated PhDs figure out their best next career, and then launch it. 👉🏻 Do you want to land a great-fit job that lets you live where you want, get paid well, and do meaningful work with supportive colleagues? Except you don't even know what that job is, or if it even exists? ✋🏻 I'd love to help! Learn more about the PhD Career Clarity Program: courses.fromphdtolife.com/bu…