Your Career: Objectives, Actions and Obstacles
Taking place Online on the 8th and 9th June 2021, both sessions 9:30am-1pm over Zoom.
This workshop gets PhD students to think openly, imaginatively and rigourously about their working futures. It culminates in all participants identifying a set of short and long-term objectives, the actions they will take to achieve those objectives, and the obstacles that stand in their way. Additionally, participants articulate how LAHP can support them to achieve their objectives.
The workshop is divided into 3 sessions.
Session 1: Creating an open and safe environment
Icebreakers
Games and structured exercises
Frames of reference: objectives, actions and obstacles
Session 2: Identifying and expressing objectives – first and second drafts
Mapping out the future by reflecting on the past
External forces and internal drivers
Plotting and alternative career
Session 3: Refining ideas and articulating a career path – final draft
Stating final objectives, actions, obstacles
Setting out a timeline
Identifying specific support from LAHP
Participants work both collectively and individually – we design the activities to ensure that there is time and space to think in new ways about career paths. Key to the workshop is that participants challenge their own and each other’s thinking. Playful interaction is integral to the atmosphere and success of the workshop. Doing a PhD is often lonely, so this is also a social experience, which we emphasise right from the get-go.
We use interactive games, storytelling techniques and self-reflective exercises to guide participants through the day, which is built around them creating a narrative for their career. We cast the participants as writer, director and central character of their narrative.
Participants both speak and write their ideas, constantly re-drafting, refining, distilling and sometimes completely re-thinking. It is not an easy, smooth path through the day, but all participants come away with one chosen set of objectives, actions and obstacles, along with an articulation of support they could ask for from LAHP.
This is a two-day workshop for up to 12 participants.
Bookings will close on Thursday 3rd June at 12pm and places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.