Tag Archives: University

10 years of ‘What’s Next’, I’m ready for the next chapter.

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Richmond Bridge, Tasmania, with my favourite person

As I prepared to retire from the professional service firm I’d been privileged to be a partner of for more than 20 years, I embarked on a program very much assisted by Tim and Michael.

Michael made me think, and Tim actively challenged me about what’s next. Through many sessions, initially with my favourite person joining me and then just one-on-one, Tim forced me to challenge myself. Amongst the many moments, one sticks in my memory. We were at a retreat ( my firm referred to it as Pinnacle, but for me it was always God’s Waiting Room) for partners and spouses designed to prepare us for leaving the firm and my favourite person and I were sent off to discuss an aspect of my leaving the firm. As usual, we defaulted to discussing the children. Tim checked in and said he’d be very annoyed if we were discussing the children the next time he came by instead of what we were supposed to be chatting about. It was a wake-up call and set me on the ‘What’s Next’ path.

I’ve been on that path for more than a decade. This blog, started in 2013, is just one element. Like my reading of Herminia Ibarra’s Working Identities, it came out of one of the many coaching conversations with Tim.

So, as I click through more than ten years of ‘What’s Next,’ I feel like another change is before me.

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Contemplating What’s Next – My thesis is nearly done!

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I’m nearly there. My PhD thesis is with the copy editor for the second time. I know there will be yet more typos to fix and references to correct. I know my supervisors will make a few more suggestions, but I’m nearly there. In a few weeks my PhD Thesis will be in the examiners hands.

It’s almost six years since I started my PhD journey and eight since, in contemplating what’s next, that I commenced an academic journey. At that time I was exiting my career as a partner in a global consulting firm and I had to think about what I’d do next.

With the benefit of some wise counsel from two colleagues and after reading Herminia Ibarra’s Working identities I had a plan. I didn’t want to pursue the non-executive director route or remain in the corporate space. I thought I’d be an academic and explore a completely new path.

That was the and this is now.

All of those years later, I am close to completing that journey and I’m feeling a bit lost. What’s Next?

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So it’s been 6 months and where am I – my PhD

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Menotti’s Coffee Shop -Venice Beach, LA

I have just submitted my first milestone document in the PhD program at my University; a document that took many weeks (months actually) to prepare that I doubt will ever be be looked at!

The document is a compliance step, due 6 months into the program. It is the first of two important milestones along the way to moving from being provisionally accepted into the program as a PhD candidate.

My lodged (and I suspect now filed completely unread) document  included a

  • basic Research Proposal  (which has raised more questions with me than it has answered),
  •  Gantt Chart of how my PhD journey will look (my I have a lot to do),
  •  Data Management Plan (I can’t tell you how often the message of back up and safe storage has been rammed home. It’s a message I don’t need having nursed my laptop with a failing hard drive to the end of my Honours Program), and
  • minimum resources document (the minimum resources the Uni will provide – generally pretty good including unlimited fast internet access on campus, 24/7 IT support and I think the world’s only steam powered desktop – it’s still running Vista!).

The  process while procedural provided me with the opportunity to order my thoughts and get feedback from my supervisors. Continue reading →

It’s time for Study!

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In recent weeks as our time away recedes to a very lovely memory its been back to study. Days spent walking the Island of Ortigia with the only concern being where to find a coffee have been replaced with meetings with my Supervisors, the research librarian  etc, all part of the early stages of my PhD.  Sure I have high levels of motivation but these are matched by even higher levels of anxiety.

Its time to settle down Continue reading →

Setting sail for my next challenge

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It’s now nearly three weeks since I checked my email after waking early to see that I had received my results for my Honours. It was a genuine feeling of pleasure and exhilaration to see that I’d achieved my goal of First Class Honours. It seemed surreal to have received my result in Florence, where so many scholarly activities had taken place.

Basilica - Duomo Florence

Basilica – Duomo Florence

Most importantly achieving the grade level made entry into the PhD program at my preferred institution highly likely. In the following days as we continued to enjoy the amazing sights of Florence, I waited somewhat anxiously to hear about my scholarship application.

Much to my delight an offer arrived.

This post is not, however about my receiving the offer that I’d wanted or to show-off about my results. That said I’m pretty chuffed. This post is actually about setting sail for the next challenge.

“What’s Next” is truly before me now.

Working Identity - the most important book I have ever read

Working Identity – the most important book I have ever read

As I considered “What’s Next” nearly three years ago, I realised that I wanted to do something different. At that stage I wasn’t quite sure what that would be. In my mid-fifties I knew it was not going to be time to sit in a comfy chair with my feet up. I also knew that I was not going to leave my firm to continue in a similar vein, Continue reading →