Degrees of Freedom Blog
Our blog discusses the swings and roundabout of professional life. From academic nonsense, to career changes, and insight into everything in-between.
![Rejection: Your Unwanted Academic Best Friend](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/608793c626c0955ddc5843ec/1718621730218-5OROH4P69D6V5MWVBG69/image-asset.jpeg)
Rejection: Your Unwanted Academic Best Friend
Rejection is an inevitable part of academic life. So, you have to get used to it. In this blog, I discuss rejection, some positives of it, and how to deal with it.
![Metrics Rule Everything Around Me](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/608793c626c0955ddc5843ec/1718361042353-OL6CLHGYO5VT6H0RKNBM/image-asset.jpeg)
Metrics Rule Everything Around Me
In academia, metrics are omnipresent. They can dictate funding decisions, job prospects, and even the perceived value of one's research. So, you need to understand them. This blog is aimed at contextualising the common metrics that academics are measured on.
![Reading Papers: A Cheat’s Method for the Busy Academic](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/608793c626c0955ddc5843ec/1716592692059-XQ1Y5E5WW9R8ZCC4EAN5/image-asset.jpeg)
Reading Papers: A Cheat’s Method for the Busy Academic
Reading academic publications can suck – but you cannot avoid it. Today, we chat methods to maximise your engagement with the literature.
![Should you do a PhD?](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/608793c626c0955ddc5843ec/1630222026775-J7ZA21FKJ986LFJKY5ET/unsplash-image-1VqHRwxcCCw.jpg)
Should you do a PhD?
Are you considering whether to enrol in a PhD? It’s a difficult decision with many pros and cons, and ultimately it will depend on your individual ambitions and circumstances. In this blog, we discuss some of the things you should consider, from the perspective Degrees of Freedom team who have each leveraged their PhDs into different career paths.
![Leaving Academia: How to Plan Your Escape](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/608793c626c0955ddc5843ec/1629529424099-O8MYBYBLR7YXID97CUTB/unsplash-image-MmGGmj0wzXM.jpg)
Leaving Academia: How to Plan Your Escape
Are you thinking of pursuing a non-academic career but don’t know where to start? Leaving academia doesn’t have to be hard – here we provide some tips for how to pivot from an academic to a non-academic career.
![Academia: A Survival Guide (Or: Things I wish I had known) – Part 2](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/608793c626c0955ddc5843ec/1627783465771-8GZTWDI6O5KX3YMRSO3P/unsplash-image-9wWX_jwDHeM.jpg)
Academia: A Survival Guide (Or: Things I wish I had known) – Part 2
I was recently asked to give a talk to PhD students on how to be successful in academia. It made me think of all the things I wish that I had known when I started. In this blog post, I have tried to summarise some key pieces of advice that I would have liked to have had and will hopefully help you find your way through academia.
![Academia: A Survival Guide (Or: Things I wish I had known) – Part 1](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/608793c626c0955ddc5843ec/1627181767417-742PAHDYRTM4TOUPTDMW/unsplash-image--2vD8lIhdnw.jpg)
Academia: A Survival Guide (Or: Things I wish I had known) – Part 1
I was recently asked to give a talk to PhD students on how to be successful in academia. It made me think of all the things I wish that I had known when I started. In this blog post, I have tried to summarise some key pieces of advice that I would have liked to have had and will hopefully help you find your way through academia.