by Stefani Yee
New courses often contain an element of serendipity. Ask Professor Michael Ranney, whose special topics seminar, "Planning a Postdoctoral Life: The Professional Development `Big Picture,' " evolved one day during a lunch time conversation.
"I was discussing future job options with a few postdoctoral and graduate students," he said. "It became increasingly clear to me that many students in the Graduate School of Education could use more career support." The result was his new course, which he offered for the first time last fall.
Although Professor Ranney's class covered a broad scope, it focused on how to find jobs. Topics included a discussion of the types of jobs available to graduates in academia, industry, and the government; finding out where the jobs are; writing a polished curriculum vitae; and interviewing successfully.
In addition, students also learned more about practical life skills needed following graduation. Included were ways to move smoothly to a new location, deciding whether to rent or buy a home, and finding child care. An additional aim of the course was to provide extra support to graduate and postgraduate students from groups traditionally underrepresented in various post-Ed.D. and post-Ph.D. positions, and to provide them with additional strategies to insure that they complete their doctoral and postdoctoral programs.
Students had an opportunity to hear a number of guest lecturers, most of whom are professors in the school. Lily Wong Fillmore spoke about the benefits of having an academic job, Rogers Hall talked about the challenges in looking for jobs and making the transition from student to professor, and Alan Schoenfeld discussed organizational strategies in the workplace, a subject of future interest for the students.
The class also visited the Career and Graduate School Services Office on campus to take advantage of the resources there, such as job listings. Students, both in and outside of the class, also contributed directly to the course sessions. For example, GSE student Bernadette Guimberteau Wilkin explained how to find out about job possibilities on the Internet, and led a computer- and manual-based laboratory on the topic.
Most importantly, however, Ranney stressed that the course functioned as "a support group for graduate students who often lose perspective on themselves." Students were able to discuss their insecurities and fears about their futures and learned ways to increase their self-confidence.
According to Professor Ranney--and corroborated by subsequent course evaluations--the course proved very popular with students and faculty alike. He hopes to be able to offer it again in the near future and perhaps expand it so that more graduate students from different departments can enroll.
Stefani Yee is a second-year student at Berkeley majoring in molecular and cell biology. She eventually hopes to become a pediatrician.