Ask Doctoral Advising

After nearly a decade of home ownership, it recently occurred to me that I dislike lawn maintenance. I enjoy maintaining the inside of my home. I don’t even mind shoveling snow, which is a bigger responsibility up here in Minnesota. But mowing my grass? Pulling weeds? Sweeping my front porch and walk? Ugh.

Maybe I should have bought a condo.

Don’t get me wrong – I love owning my home. Except for the lawn. The problem is that no one else is going to do that work for me. I could hire a lawn service, but the cost is prohibitive, and I would feel silly spending all that money when the lawn maintenance season in Minnesota is ridiculously short. And either way, I’m still ultimately responsible for committing the resources – my time or my money – to my lawn.

If I don’t assume that responsibility, the grass will go to seed, weeds will take over my garden, the porch will get dusty and dirty, and the place will become an eyesore. My neighbors will scoff at my failure to take ownership of my place. Friends won’t want to visit because my place is such a mess. But as annoyed as everyone would get with me, it’s unlikely anyone would step forward and offer to help. And they shouldn’t…I own it, and it’s my responsibility.

Learners frequently contact Capella’s Career Center for advice on job searching and career management. As a career counselor, what I often end up talking with them about is career ownership. And at some point in nearly every one of those conversations, I find myself saying, “You need to manage your career. No one else is going to do it for you.”

People usually respond to this statement in one of two ways. To some people, it’s a big revelation. They were thinking that they would be granted a promotion simply by virtue of being in their position for a while, or that they would automatically be able to teach in higher education once they earn their doctorate. They are quite surprised to hear that a lot of time and preparation, and usually some luck as well, goes into creating a great career.

Others aren’t particularly surprised to hear me say that career management is their responsibility. They know it, but they’ve ignoring it, sort of like I ignore my lawn sometimes.

Either way, though, the bottom line is the same. Career management – career ownership – is your responsibility. What does that mean? It means identifying where you want to go professionally, and then figuring out what it takes to get there. The degree you are pursuing is probably one criterion, but so is a skill set that qualifies you to do the type of work you want to do. In the same way that no one can earn your degree for you, no one can build your skill set for you. You can expand and strengthen your skill set by taking on additional responsibilities, such as new projects or stretch assignments, at work. Additionally, you can find other outlets – volunteer positions or leadership roles in a community or religious organizations – to build skills that you aren’t acquiring through your current job, but that you will need to obtain to do the type of work you want to do.

Career ownership also involves building relationships with people in your field, and maintaining that network over the course of your career. It means conducting yourself with a high level of professionalism so that people want to work with you and are willing to refer you for job opportunities in the future.

Additionally, career management is about being open to new possibilities and being flexible enough to accommodate changes in direction or roadblocks that may complicate your plans. It may also involve being open to the need to take intermediary steps between your current position and your ultimate career goal.

As a doctoral learner, this is probably resonating with you, because career ownership is very similar to the ownership you must take in your doctoral program to complete your degree. That dissertation isn’t going to write itself, and no one else can write it for you. (No matter how much you wish it would!) Similarly, your career won’t manage itself, nor will anyone else manage it for you.

That doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help. When I go on vacation, I ask someone to drop by to water my plants and cut the grass. If I was sick or had to be away for an extended period of time, I would hire a lawn service or call in a major favor and ask a friend to handle the lawn maintenance for me. At Capella, you’ve got your committee members and a whole host of resources to help you through your degree program.

Similarly, you can – and should – ask for help with your career management. Consulting the resources at Capella’s Career Center is a great place to start. Identifying a mentor within your career field with whom you can consult and on whose expertise you can draw is another great strategy. Your network of professional contacts is another source of support and assistance as you work to achieve your career goals. But ultimately, you’ve got to take the lead and seek out these resources yourself.

The great thing about ownership, of course, is the element of autonomy that comes with it. I own my lawn, which means I get to decide what flowers to plant along my sidewalk. You own your doctoral program, so you get to select your dissertation topic, do your own research and contribute your perspective to your discipline. And you own your career, which means you can take it anywhere you want to. That’s a very powerful opportunity – own it!