Top Career Paths for Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics
<11an>limit:2;categories:jobs|courses|conferences;disciplines:Urban, Rural and Transportation Economics (JEL R)|Agricultural and Environmental Economics (JEL Q)</11an> Read on to find out more about career paths which are open to you: Urban Planning Urban planning involves the developing and assessment of land use within cities, looking at factors like zoning, environmental impact, housing, the preserving of historical buildings, the provision of public utilities, the creation of public spaces and amenities, and transportation. With more and more people all over the world moving from the countryside into cities, urban planning will only become more vital over the next years. Urban planners use methods including surveys, market research, census data, and environmental studies to propose policies and concepts regarding land use in cities. This work is extremely interesting for anyone who loves cities and wants to improve people's quality of life in direct and measurable ways. Regional Planning Related to urban planning is regional planning. Rather than focusing on just one city or urban area, regional planners are responsible for the planning of transport, amenities, zoning and so one over larger geographical areas. This type of role is particularly important in impoverished rural communities, where residents often lack necessities like reliable public transport, fast internet connections, accessible healthcare and education, and other community support and facilities when compared to urban residents. Many governments now hire regional planners as well as urban planners, and may even have coordinators who are responsible for the planning of these issues across an entire country. Real Estate A different career path that you might consider with a background in urban, rural, or regional economics is in real estate. With a knowledge of what makes an area desirable and what programs most improve quality of life for residents, you can predict which properties will be desirable and which will sell well. Real estate can be a cut-throat business, but at the higher end of the market, it is more customer-focused and about finding the right property for the client. Advantages of working in real estate include often flexible working hours, though being expected to work in the evenings or at weekends can be a problem for some people, especially those with young families. International Program Manager Another option to consider is working for an NGO or international organisation such as the UN as an international program manager. This role involves the administration and oversight of an entire program when it is put into place in a foreign country. For example, the UN might start a program to increase literacy in an area with limited formal education by supplying teachers and materials and by building schools and arranging for transportation for people to attend. The program manager would oversee this work, coordinating with local and government officials to make sure that the project is completed. This kind of work can be extremely personally rewarding and offers the opportunity to travel to new places and to experience the way of life in different countries. Agriculture Finally, an area to consider working in is agriculture. In some agriculture-focused countries, such as Australia, there are many programs and policies in place to support farmers and to find ways to make a country self-sustaining in terms of producing enough food to feed its population. With a background in urban, rural, or regional economics you would have the skills required for the management of such agriculture programs, and the knowledge of policy to see what works. For lots more career advice for economists, including other top career paths articles for different specialisations, plus study advice, job listings, and much more, check out our website. You'll find plenty of information about academia and careers for all areas and subjects there, with a special focus on economics.
Are you currently working on a degree in urban, rural, or regional economics? Are you thinking about what possible career path you could follow once you graduate? If so, then today's article is for you. Previously we're shared articles on top career paths for other areas of economics like macroeconomics or economic law, but today we're focusing on urban, rural, and regional economics.
Agricultural and Environmental Economics (JEL Q)
Urban, Rural and Transportation Economics (JEL R)
How to Connect With Other Economists in Your Field
Twitter Twitter is one of the most popular social networks among academics. Although the 140 character limit on tweets can be a real challenge, as it's hard to distil down complex information into simple sentences, this is part of the reason that it's such good training. Being able to describe new findings in your field or to put forward arguments in this extremely limited space and still have them be comprehensible to the public is an extremely useful skill. To get started on Twitter, you can sign up for a free account and start tweeting short thoughts about your field, or sharing links to interesting news items. The communication style tends to be quite casual, so you can feel free to make jokes or light hearted comments in between the more serious posts. Find other economists and follow them, then you can share their tweets to your timeline using the retweet function. You can also reply to tweet to engage in debate or discussion with other economists. Facebook Although it is not a professionally-oriented social network, Facebook can still be a useful resource for an economist. This is particularly true if you're a current student or recent graduate, as you can join your university group and find other people in your area who currently or previously studied economics there. You'll also find professional groups for networking, advice, or sharing frustrations. Sometimes these groups will be private, meaning that you'll need someone who is already a member to refer you in order for you to access them. But if you can gain access, you'll find benefits from immediate contact with an instant network for information and more. Blogs A different method through which you can connect with other economists is through online blogs. Many academics and researchers run blogs in which they detail their latest findings and their thoughts about the field. As well as being fascinating reading, these blogs can help you make contacts. The comment section of articles will often host lively debates and discussions in which you can raise issues you think are relevant. You could consider starting a blog of your own, which other economists and the public can read. You could also do guest posts or join a group blog if you don't have the time to dedicate to running an entire blog yourself. Networks like the Science Blogs network bring together blog writers from various disciplines to share exposure. LinkedIn Although it's mostly associated with corporate networking, LinkedIn can still be a useful network for an academic economist. You can list your places of work and your CV on your profile, so that anyone can see your work history and decide if they might be interested in hiring you. You can also make contacts in industry, which can be helpful even if you are planning to stay in academia – you might need to pass on recommendations for a student, for example, or to invite industry personnel to join you at a conference or event. Specialist academic social networks: Academia.edu, Mendeley, FrontiersIn Finally, several social networks exist specifically for academics. The one most commonly used by economists is Academia.edu, which allows you to upload your recent journal papers and connect with other academics. Another site is Mendeley, which is primarily a tool for building reference lists and bibliographies, but also includes social networking elements. And then there's FrontiersIn, which is mostly oriented towards science but may be useful for those working in certain areas of economics such as econometrics. Will all these tools, you'll be able to connect with other economists to learn more and grow your career.
So you know that getting to know other people in your field is important, and that you need to network when you attend a conference. But what about the rest of the time? What websites can you use to get in touch with other experts in your field? Here are some ideas:
5 Effective Ways Professors Can Build a Personal Brand
If you’re on social media or posted a blog, you might already have started building a brand and didn’t realize it. Now’s the time to take control of your brand’s direction. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your brand, but here are five tips to get you started. 1. Build an online presence Google yourself. What do you find? The most important thing you need to build your personal brand is an online presence. This means a developed website and a few social media pages. Your website should include your credentials, a photo of yourself, links to places your work has been published, your best content and links to your social media. Building a site can be tricky, but there are free tools such as Weebly if you need help. Various templates are available from which to choose, and chat and email support also is available. One of the first things students do when they get their class schedule is Google their professors, which is why it’s important to have a website and active social media pages. You want students to feel excited about taking your class because they know you are the authority on that topic. Having a strong online presence will help you establish yourself as a thought leader in your field, which only makes your brand stronger. 2. Be consistent It’s critical to have consistent messaging, colors and logos across all of your mediums when building your brand. Really think about your choices for color and design. Make sure your logo and other images will transfer well to social media. Sometimes, designs don’t look as good when the size is reduced to be a social media profile picture. There are many tools out there that can help with logo design, but if you aren’t sure of what you are doing, it’s best to go seek out the help of a professional. Better yet, look for a print designer who is also experienced in logo design. They’ll help you design a logo that will look great on everything from your business cards and stationary to your website and social media pages. 3. Create content It’s important to create content based on your platform and your audience. It’s likely you’ll reach a majority of your students through social media, while many of your colleagues will be reached through your website and other published work. Be mindful that everything you post whether it’s a tweet, share or status update, contributes to your personal brand. Content should not be limited to blog posts, though. You can record lectors and post them for students who might have missed class or just need to go back and hear something again. Your students are more likely to pay attention to videos or other digital experiences, which will help create a deeper connection to your brand. Always encourage your audience to engage with you at the end whether it’s by leaving a comment or taking the conversation to social media. 4. Be a guest speaker As a professor, you probably have a good handle on public speaking. Which is why it shouldn’t be hard for you take your work on the road and become a guest speaker. Speak with the same confidence as you do in the classroom, and keep an open mind when it comes time for questions and comments. The more events you speak at, the more your credibility as an expert on your subject grows. You might have to start at smaller speaking engagements first, but you could be invited to bigger events such as conferences and seminars as you continue to build your brand and get your name out there. 5. Become a guest author Becoming a guest author is just as valuable as guest speaking but with less travel. You gain credibility and increase your brand awareness when your work is shared on other sites or by other influencers in your industry. You also can write guest articles or editorials for newspapers and magazines. This could put you on reporters’ radar who will call you when they need an expert source for your field, which in turn will give you more exposure to build your brand. Be sure to share the links to your posts on your social media and website. You also should let your department head know about any of your featured work should your institution want to mention that in an alumni or student newsletter. Guest posting also allows you to network with others in your field and raises your search engine value, which extends your reach. At the end of the day, your brand needs to be authentic and reflect you. Building your brand won’t happen overnight, but if you follow these tips and keep at it, you should see results.
Brands? Aren’t those for corporations and businesses? Not anymore. Building your brand is about what people think of when they think of you. As a professor, you represent your institution, but you also want to work on your personal brand. Having a reputable brand can help you advance your career whether it’s in academia or not.
For researchers who are thinking about moving into industry, there are a huge range of employment possibilities outside of academia. The advantages of such a move may include greater job security, better pay, greater opportunities for career progression, and a more goal-oriented research culture. But the culture of business can come as a shock to those who have spent all their work time in universities. If you're thinking about making the switch from academia to industry, we're here with some advice on how to find and apply for the position which is right for you, and how to manage the transition into the industry world. Transferable skills The first step in finding the industry career options that would suit you the best is to identify the skills you've acquired in academia, and to see how these skills could be transferable to an industry setting. Those who have a background in academia almost certainly have excellent writing skills, critical thinking skills, and the ability to review research literature and write reports on it. Depending upon your specific field, you may also have data analysis experience, mathematical and statistical expertise, programming knowledge, and oral presentation skills. All of these will serve you well in an industry context, so identify you particular areas of strength and look for job opportunities which focus on these skills. Networking and advertising yourself In order to hear about industry opportunities and to let employers know that you're available for hire, you need to make use of your professional network and to promote yourself as a professional presence. Some academics can be a bit squeamish about networking or self promotion, but it is an essential part of job hunting and need not be an unpleasant experience. You should ask around your friends and colleagues about any positions which they are aware of, particularly if you've worked with them in the past and they can give you a recommendation to an employer. You should obviously update your CV, but also consider writing a blog or white paper on topical issues in your field, and getting active on social media sites such as Twitter or LinkedIn. Show industry employers that you have unique knowledge of your field which can benefit them. Finding opportunities In order to hear about the latest opportunities in industry, you'll need to expand your job searches beyond the bounds of academia. As mentioned above, networking is important to help you hear about jobs through word of mouth. You can also search online, making use of websites which post listings of job opportunities as they arise. However, don't forget to check email mailing lists as well – often being on the right mailing list will allow you to be among the first to hear about new positions. Also consider the time of year at which you undertake your job search. Summer is generally the slow season, with fewer projects being started or hirings being made. So you may have more success in your job search if you focus on spring, autumn or winter times. Business culture It's important to remember that there are significant cultural differences between academia and industry. Industry tends to be more formal than academic settings, so bear this in mind when you attend a job interview. Industry typically promotes more formal attire than academia, so leave the corduroys and trainers at home and opt for a suit or a shirt and smart trousers when meeting prospective employers. Also, don't be afraid to sell yourself. Speak with confidence and be prepared to offer evidence of your skills and abilities. Having extensive academic qualifications is an advantage to help you get to an interview stage, but you need to show employers that you can apply those skills to real-world problems. Consider putting together a portfolio of projects that you've worked on, such as the successful completion of a research project or a conference which you organized. This way you can show the concrete successes that you were able to produce and demonstrate your abilities to employers. There are some great advantages of switching to industry for researchers, so we hope these tips serve you well in your job searching.
This article was featured in the INOMICS Handbook 2017, a new career guide for Economists. Download it here.
How To Get An Academic Job After Finishing Your PhD: A Mini Guide To Academic Job Search
When you're about to finish your PhD, it can be hard to know where to start looking for a job. If you want to stay in academia, then you'll need to find a postdoc position after you've finished your thesis and defended it. Today we're sharing this mini guide to finding an academic job and some tips on how to handle the process. Fellowships, grants, and other sources of funding For maximum autonomy and security, one of the most preferable options available to those who have finished their PhD is to secure their own funding. That means that you apply directly to a governmental or other organisation to obtain funding for your project idea, and if successful, the funding is allocated to your project and to you personally. The advantage of this is twofold: firstly, you can choose exactly what topic to research, and whatever methodologies or approaches that you think will be effective. There is great intellectual freedom in being able to set the course of your own research. The second big advantage or having your own funding is the security which it offers. If you have funding, you will be in high demand and many departments will be happy to host you as a postdoc. You can pick the institution which best suits you and your project. Also, if things are not working out as you would wish at your institution, or if you decide to move to another city or country, then generally you will be able to transfer your funding with you. Knowing that you have 2-5 years of funding guaranteed frees you from financial stress and allows you to concentrate on your work. Finally, it is worth noting that having secured your own funding is highly regarded by hiring committees, as it demonstrates an ability to be successful in grant applications. Having won your own funding will be a great strength on your CV when you come to apply for other academic roles in the future. Finding a fellowship You will find fellowships and other kinds of postdoc funding offered by governmental organisations, professional groups, and charities and non-profits. However, as this type of funding is so desirable, there are often a large number of applicants per grant available. The process of applying for the funding and having your application assessed can also take a long time – up to six months in some cases. For these reasons, it's a good idea to start applying for funding early, either before you complete your PhD or soon after. The application process for fellowships generally involves you first thinking up an idea for a project, preferably a project which is a natural extension of your PhD work. That way, you can demonstrate to the funders that you have already acquired the necessary skills to perform the project during your PhD, and show that you are an expert in your topic. For most applications you'll need to produce a research proposal outlining your project idea, along with other documents like a statement of your interest in the work and a description of how your project fits into the aims of the funding organisation. It's common for researchers to think up a project and then to use that one project as a basis for applying to a number of different fellowships. So once you have done one application, you can modify the materials which you have created for your other applications too. You can find lots more information about this in our guide to applying for a postdoc grant or fellowship. Applying for advertised postdoc positions Another option for academic employment after the PhD is to apply for advertised positions. When professors need support in planning and performing their own research, in teaching undergraduates and masters students, or in supervising PhD students, they will advertise for postdoc positions. You can find advertisements for such positions on university websites and academic job portals – take a look at the postdoc jobs section here on Inomics, for example. You should also check the websites of professional organisations for your field, where there may be information about currently hiring positions. A useful way of hearing about new postdoc jobs as soon as they become available is to sign up to email mailing lists for university departments or for specific academic topics. If you're hoping to land a postdoc position, however, you shouldn't limit yourself to searching online. It's also helpful to get the word out to your professional network that you are looking for a work. Former colleagues, supervisors, lecturers, and your fellow students may know of opportunities that would suit you, and may be willing to pass your name along to the hiring professor. Having someone who knows you and your work recommend you for a position can be a great advantage in helping you to get hired. You should also be on the lookout at conferences, lectures, and other academic events. If you know that there will be someone attending who you are interested in working for, do go and introduce yourself to them and let them know about your work. Take a look at our guide to networking in academia for more tips about this. Typically, postdoc positions are fixed-term contracts of around 2 years, meaning that after the end of the contract period you will have to find another job. You may have to be willing to relocate in order to find the postdoc job that you want. If you are willing to move around your country, or even to move abroad, then your chances of securing a position will be higher. Other Types of Academic Jobs As well as fellowships and postdoc positions, there are other available jobs within academia for those who have completed a PhD. Typically such positions will involve teaching, technical work such as configuring research equipment, or possibly some amount of administrative work such as setting and marking exams. The exact nature of these jobs varies between countries, and they will vary in their title, duties, stability, and benefits. In Britain, for example, it is common to find Lecturer positions advertised. These are full-time, well-paid teaching posts and are well respected, and are suitable for exceptional PhD students who have already gained some teaching experience. These positions can be competitive as you will be applying alongside people who have already done postdoc jobs, but for the right person they can be an excellent opportunity. In the United States, on the other hand, there are many adjunct faculty positions available. These are teaching positions, but are usually poorly paid and do not have benefits like health insurance or paid sick leave. Adjunct positions may be zero-hours, meaning that there are no guarantees of how much work will be available, and that adjuncts are employed on a semester-to-semester basis. Adjuncts often work at two or more universities, teaching courses wherever work is available. The combination of low pay and poor job security makes working as an adjunct a difficult option for most people, especially those who have student debts to pay off. A further option for working in academia post-PhD is to take on several part-time roles. This is a useful compromise for those who are unable to relocate for work or who need work while they are searching for a full-time role. Part-time roles could include teaching full courses, covering lessons for other lecturers while they are away, exam marking, writing course syllabi, or acting as student support. Conclusion From these options, you should be able to tailor your job search to find the right position for you after you finish your PhD. But don't forget that there are lots of job options for academics outside of academia too. To see the latest postdoc positions available at universities around the world, head to our postdoc jobs section here on INOMICS.
7 Presentation Tools That Engage Students More Than Slideshows
Slideshows are a popular teaching technique, but they can suck the life out of students. Reading the text aloud doesn't hold students accountable for reading it outside of class. And it makes you look obsolete, since you aren't offering them anything they can't learn from a textbook. Besides, technology has gifted you with dozens of classroom tools that are way more fun for your students (and you) than a traditional slideshow. Here are a few creative options to get you started: Pear Deck Eliminating slideshows means you'll have to rewrite all your lesson plans to replace them. That's a lot of work, so rather than throwing your slideshows out all at once, transition slowly with Pear Deck. This slideshow app has cool features you'll never find in PowerPoint. Students use their mobile devices to distract themselves during traditional slideshows, so Pear Deck plays into that habit. It lets students access your slideshow from their device and follow along on their own. They can also interact with the slides anonymously, so shy students can "speak up" in class without the pressure of actually speaking aloud. The best part: you can collect the data after class to see how students interacted with your presentation and improve it for next time. Mindomo Mindomo takes classroom collaboration to the next level with software that lets you work with students to make "mind maps." Mind maps are visual representations that connect ideas and topics you've talked about in class. With its recording capabilities, Mindomo lets you add audio notes to explain a complicated concept. Students can also use Mindomo to outline group projects together. The software comes in a downloadable app, so your students can collaborate on their phones at any time. And after all that, it still has the ability to turn mind maps into slideshows if you really want. Presentation Binders Let's take a break from technology for an old school classroom tool: three-ring binders. Even the best students can be distracted; after all, it's tough for anybody to sit at a desk day in and day out. Giving them a tangible learning tool will help them harness their energy and give them an acceptable way to fidget. You can present your class with all the information they'll need at the beginning of the semester, or you can use binders as a cumulative tool. Ask them to add to the binders throughout the semester. This will encourage them to be responsible in collecting the latest handouts, and it gives them a convenient space to take notes. Twitter One problem with slideshows is they're too long—nobody wants to listen to you reading from a projector screen for three hours. Twitter is the anti-slideshow: it provides 140-character snippets that today's students love. And as it turns out, Twitter works wonders in the classroom. It's the perfect venue to remind your class about upcoming assignments and facilitate discussion. Students can also use it to ask questions or make their own observations about your class. Once you make an account and hashtag for your class, the sky's the limit. GoAnimate Today's generation is used to being fed a constant stream of video on social sites like YouTube and Snapchat. Even if the video is only ten seconds long, it's more engaging than a still picture because it requires viewers to use multiple senses. You can make your own videos using GoAnimate. This video-making app features scenes from a variety of industries, letting you edit them to be the most relevant to your class. You can even create characters that look like you or your students. WONDERBOOM WONDERBOOM is a portable Bluetooth speaker perfect for playing music in class. Its long battery life means the WONDERBOOM will work all day; you can even take it to your office and enjoy some tunes while you grade papers. Studies show that music can increase students' focus by covering up other potentially distracting noises like a ticking clock or a loud class next door. Even if you don't play music the entire time, letting students listen to one or two songs at the beginning of class will give them a boost of energy and get them pumped for the day. Wireless Microphones This tool is all about connecting with your students on a personal level. They'd rather hear from you than a projector screen—and a wireless mic makes sure they actually can hear you in a crowded lecture hall. When students can hear you better, they're more likely to interact during class. Another key to creating an interactive classroom: let your students do some of the talking. You may have the microphone, but that doesn't mean you have all the answers. Involve your students by asking them open-ended questions. You may not stick to the exact structure you had planned, but your students will bring up excellent points that encourage discussion and make them want to learn more the next day. Bonus Tool: Pranks Joe Dombrowski achieved internet stardom when he posted a video of himself pranking his students with an outlandish April Fool's spelling test. It's not the weirdest thing the teacher has done; another video shows him summoning students from recess, yelling "KA-KAW! KA-KAW!" in a giant bird imitation. The spelling test stunt landed him on The Ellen Show twice and earned him $10,000 that he spent on classroom improvements. Granted, Dombrowski is an elementary school teacher. But he might be on to something. Most college students (and professors for that matter) are secretly still kids at heart—and everybody needs a laugh to get through the rigors of academia.
College students complain about a lot of things—lack of sleep, dining hall food, and finals week, to name a few. As a professor, it isn't your job to address complaints about life outside the classroom. But if students take issue with your teaching style, it's time to listen up. One of their biggest gripes in the classroom: slideshows.
What To Expect And How To Prepare For The Assessment Centre - A Guide For Economists
Assessments may last for from a couple of hours to several days, depending on the situation. The assessments you will take part in will test your job skills and knowledge to determine whether you will be a good fit for the position you are interviewing for. Written assessments The most common kind of exercise you will have to perform at an assessment centre is a written test. This will be similar to a written undergrdaute exam, in that it is a series of questions to be answered unaided within a limited amount of time. For economists, such written exercises may cover topics such as mathematics and statistics, factual knowledge on economic topics, or logic puzzles. The tests may ask you to write long-form answers to questions, or more commonly will ask for short-form answers, and some may even include multiple choice tests. To prepare for written assessments, you should revise in a similar way to how you would prepare for a written exam during your undergraduate study. Group exercises Another form of assessment used at such centres is the group exercise, in which you must join a discussion or perform a task in a group of around three to twelve people. While you perform the assessment, assessors observe the interactions and the contributions which each person makes to the group. These are challenging to prepare for, as each exercise will be different depending on the personalities, knowledge, and skills of the other group members. One common mistake that people make in such exercises is to be too quiet and reserved, and not to show off their skills and abilities. In order to be assessed well, you have to demonstrate your skills! However, you also want to avoid being too bossy or totally monopolising the group's time, as this will make you look out of touch and difficult to work with. One very useful technique in a group exercise is to take responsibility for keeping the group on track. In discussions, for example, it's easy for the focus of the group to wander away from the most important topic. You can suggest to the group that you re-focus, and help by summing up what other people have said and pointing out areas of disagreement or concordance within the group. This is beneficial for the group, as it makes it more likely that the group will achieve its objective, and it also shows that you personally are a good leader who can listen and work with others. Presentations Sometimes you may have to give a presentation as part of your assessment. On some occasions you will be asked to prepare a presentation in advance. In this case, you should follow the usual presentation advice to use a few slides with just essential keywords on them, to speak clearly and slowly, and to make eye contact with your audience. You may want to tailor your presentation to make it more suitable for a general audience, as the people assessing you may not be experts in your particular field. So make sure that you provide definitions for any technical terms which you may use, and start off with a general introduction to your topic. In other cases, you will be asked to prepare a presentation on the day itself. In this case, the most important advice is to give your presentation a very clear and explicit structure. Don't worry about trying to put too much information into the presentation, but rather keep it simple and to the point.
When you are applying for jobs as a graduate economist, as part of the application process you may be asked to attend an assessment centre. Assessment centres are a tool commonly used in recruitment for government jobs or for joining large companies with extensive graduate recruitment schemes. Typically, you will be invited to attend such a centre after a preliminary interview and before a final decision is made.
What to Do With Your Economics Degree: Career Paths for An Economist
Researcher One appealing job for economics students is working as a researcher, either in a university setting or for a private company. This career makes use of many of the skills that you will have developed as a student, particularly if you have done postgraduate study which involved independent research. The role is to gather data, analyse it, and write reports which sum up your findings. This is a good career choice for those who have solid quantitative data skills and a high level of written communication skills. However, a disadvantage is that such jobs can be very competitive and sometimes only available as short-term contracts. You would find research jobs for economists with organisations such as the International Monetary Fund (https://www.imf.org/) or the National Bureau of Economic Research (http://www.nber.org/). Teacher If you have completed your economics degree, you could consider working as a teacher in a secondary school, or as a lecturer at a university. It's increasingly common for economics to be taught at schools, and it's important for young people to understand the way that the global financial system operates. Teaching this information can be personally rewarding as you are directly helping young people to have a more financially empowered life. The disadvantage of this type of work is that it is usually poorly compensated when compared to the other types of career which are open to economists. You could find teaching jobs at local secondary schools in your area, or at local and state universities. For example, universities which are currently hiring for economics lecturers include the University of East Anglia in the UK (https://www.uea.ac.uk/) or Charles Darwin University in Australia (http://www.cdu.edu.au/). Analyst A common career path for economics graduates is working as an analyst. This career involves analysing data, creating new solutions, and communicating these solutions to others. This would include roles such as business analyst, policy analyst, financial analyst, or market research analyst. These roles are all in different settings, but include the same fundamental skill set which you will have gained as an economics student. These jobs tend to be well compensated depending on the field, however, the work itself may be less inherently interesting than in other careers. You could work as an analyst at a consulting firm such as McKinsey & Company (http://www.mckinsey.com/). Management Consultant Another career path which offers excellent compensation is working as a management consultant. This role involves joining businesses for a short period to observe their functioning and then offering advice on how the business could be run more efficiently and successfully. For those who are full of new ideas and enjoy problem-solving challenges, this can be an ideal fit. Consultants often use quantitative analyses, so a high level of skill with statistics is desirable. Having a consulting job in which you only spend short amounts of time with a client business can be an advantage for some, but others will find it tiring to be constantly adjusting to new environments and meeting new people. Jobs as a management consultant are available at specialist consultancy firms like A.T. Kearney (https://www.atkearney.com/) or IBM Global Business Services, the professional services arm of IBM (http://www.ibm.com/services/us/gbs/consulting/). Business Reporter or Journalist One career which you might not have considered as an economics graduate is working as a business reporter or journalist. The happenings in the world of business and economics have ramifications beyond just the field, so there is a need for reporting on these events for a general audience. If you are gifted at communicating complex ideas in a simple way, and you are able to grasp business events but also to portray these events in a way which would make sense to the public, then you could be a reporter or journalist. Such work can require long hours and making yourself comfortable in a non-economics environment, but if you can deal with that, then the career can be interesting and worthwhile for broader public education. You can find journalist jobs at newspapers such as the Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/) or the Financial Times (https://www.ft.com/) and reporter jobs at media outlets such as NBC (http://www.nbcnews.com/business) or the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/).
What kind of jobs can you get with an economics degree? Today we're considering five possible careers for economics graduates and the pros and cons of each.
How to properly cite your conference paper
When you write a conference paper This one is easy – when you're writing a conference paper to present, then you should use the same referencing style that you would use for a publication in your field. Include author names and dates in parentheses in the text, then put a bibliography at the end in which you list full references for each of your citations. When you want to cite something you saw at a conference If you've seen a great poster or presentation at a conference and you want to cite it in your own work, then you may need to check up on the reference format in a style guide, as this will vary between fields. For example, here is the section of the APA style guide on how to cite material which you have seen at a conference. For papers or posters: Adams-Labonte, S. K. (2012, August). Daytime impairment due to college students’ technology use during sleep: Similarities to sleep apnea. Poster session presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Orlando, FL. Nguyen, C. A. (2012, August). Humor and deception in advertising: When laughter may not be the best medicine. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Orlando, FL. For symposia: Krinsky-McHale, S. J., Zigman, W. B., & Silverman, W. (2012, August). Are neuropsychiatric symptoms markers of prodromal Alzheimer’s disease in adults with Down syndrome? In W. B. Zigman (Chair), Predictors of mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and mortality in adults with Down syndrome. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Orlando, FL. For published proceedings from conferences: Parsons, O. A., Pryzwansky, W. B., Weinstein, D. J., & Wiens, A. N. (1995). Taxonomy for psychology. In J. N. Reich, H. Sands, & A. N. Wiens (Eds.), Education and training beyond the doctoral degree: Proceedings of the American Psychological Association National Conference on Postdoctoral Education and Training in Psychology (pp. 45–50). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. For blog posts published before, during, or after the conference: Mills, K. I. (2012, July 25). Why do people hurt themselves? [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://apaconvention.com/2012/07/20/why-do-people-hurt-themselves And here are some other examples of citations you would use for conferences papers which you have read online: For conference papers you find online, with DOI available: Author of Paper, A., & Author of Paper, B. (Year, Month date). Title of paper. Paper presented at Title of Conference: Subtitle of Conference, Location. doi:10.XXX/XXXXX.XX For conference papers you find online, with no DOI available: Author of Paper, A., & Author of Paper, B. (Year, Month date). Title of paper. Paper presented at Title of Conference: Subtitle of Conference, Location. Place of publication: Publisher. If you don't use the APA style, you may still need to cite a conference paper using a different style. Here are examples of some other citation styles for the referencing of published conference papers: Harvard style: In text: (Author, 2017) In bibliography: Author, A. (2017). Paper title. In Conference name. City of Publisher: Publisher, pp.1-3. MLA style: In text: (Author, A.) In bibliography: Author, A. "Paper Title". Publisher, Conference Name, 2017, p. 1-3. Chicago style: In text: (Author, 2017) In bibliography: Author, A. 2017. "Paper Title". In Conference Name, 1-3. City of Publisher: Publisher.
One of the great things about attending conferences is getting to learn about the latest and most cutting-edge research before its published in journals or books. You can hear authors presenting their newest work, sometimes even before their experiments or data collection are complete. This information is very interesting to have, however, it is also more speculative than published work as it has not been peer-reviewed or edited. For this reason, it's important to be clear when you cite a conference paper, so that your audience can see that the work has not been peer-reviewed. To help with this, here's a guide on citing conference papers.
5 Tips to improve your experience at conferences
2. Go and see talks on topics which sound interesting, even if they're not directly related to your work If you've planned out ahead of time which talks and posters you want to see, you've probably honed in on those topics which are directly related to your research. And this is an excellent way to get the most informational value out of a conference. But conferences are also a change to re-energise and inspire you, particularly if you're finding it hard to motivate yourself. If a talk catches your eye, or a poster sounds interesting, then go along and see, even if it isn't directly tied to your research. Getting yourself excited about your subject is always a worthwhile activity! 3. Spend some time with students of the hosting department One group of attendees at conferences who are often overlooked are the undergraduate or postgraduate students of the hosting department, who often help out with administration or support tasks during the event. If you want to get the real scoop on what it's like to work in the institution which is hosting the event, or you want information on how labs or other research groups work in practice, then you can learn a lot from these students. Have a chat to the people who are handing out badges or helping attendees find their way around the event space, and you might learn something helpful. 4. Be bold with your opinions during discussions Whether you're participating in a discussion following the keynote lecture, or taking part in a casual debate over dinner, don't let yourself be intimidated by large crowds or famous names at a conference. Be bold in sharing your thoughts and opinions, and you will learn a lot more from your conference experience and make more of an impression on others. Keep your comments professional, of course, but feel free to state your mind and don't be shy about participating – that's what these events are for, after all! 5. Get plenty of rest, water, and food We feel a bit like your mother reminding you of this – but it's important to keep yourself healthy while you're at a conference! Travelling can be exhausting all on its own, and that's before you consider the added pressure of a conference environment. With so much to do, you might be tempted to cut back on sleep, but this would be a mistake. In order to do your best academic work, you need to be well rested, so make sure you're getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night, preferably in a quiet environment. Avoid noisy, chaotic hostel room where you share with lots of other people, and try to get your own room instead. Also remember to bring some small snacks with you each day in case food isn't provided, and make sure that you drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. These tips can help you to have an even better conference experience. For more advice on attending conferences as well as extensive lists of conferences which you could attend, see our website conferencemonkey.org.
1. Talk to people you don't know as well as those you do Conferences are, among other things, a great place to catch up with friends and fellow academics working in your field. If you've been in academia for a while then it's likely that you'll bump into some people you already know at a conference, or maybe you'll even arrange a meetup with friends beforehand. It's good to keep in touch and to have an excuse to get together socially with your colleagues. However, don't forget to make time for speaking to new people too. Not only will this help you hear new ideas and new perspectives, it will also help you to grow your professional network. So make an effort to talk to some new faces as well as catching up with friends.
Economists and Entrepreneurship: Can Economists Be Good Entrepreneurs?
Good numeracy and a solid understanding of statistics One distinct advantage that you'll gain from the study of economics is an understanding of statistics, statistical tests, and statistics software. This, along with mathematics, will strengthen your numeracy skills, which are of great importance to entrepreneurs. To succeed as an entrepreneur, it's not enough just to have a great idea for a business – you also need to be able to assess whether your business will be profitable, to work out how much you should charge for your product or service, and to be able to handle complex budgets. All of these skills will be much easier to learn for those who already have a solid grasp of statistics. Basic understanding of finance Related to the importance of numeracy for an entrepreneur is that importance of understanding the basic principles of finance. Economists may well have studied finance units as part of their degrees, and they will certainly have a better than average knowledge about taxes, loans, investments, and so on. This puts economists ahead of the curve when it comes to starting their own businesses, which will require a large amount of practical financial management. Understanding risk and probability Another advantage for entrepreneurship which is conveyed by studying economics is an understanding of risk and probability. When looking at possibilities for investment, for example, an economist can call on their training to think about the likelihood of a return on their investment, how large the return could be, and whether the possible gains outweigh the risks in any given deal. Entrepreneurs do need to be risk takers, as they need to be willing to try new things even if they may not succeed, but an understanding of what is a probable outcome will allow you to run a business in a smarter and more successful way. Critical thinking and logic An under-rated skill gained from the study of economics is critical thinking and the ability to apply logic to a complex problem. Economists even more than most academics are used to uncertainty and multiple possible answers to any given question. This ability to confront uncertainty and to use logic to find creative solutions to problems is an essential skill for the entrepreneur. In business, there is rarely one correct answer which applies in all situations – rather, multiple courses of action are possible and each has different advantages and disadvantages. Academic training in economics will help build the confidence and skills to make these decisions in business. Communication skills like oral presentation One skill which is vital for an entrepreneur is the ability to present your ideas, your business's performance, and yourself to others. In order to gain investment, to attract talent to work with you, and to promote your business, you'll need solid communication skills. A high standard of written communication is important and will be well trained by studying economics, but even more important is the skill of oral presentation. Being able to stand in front of an audience and speak with confidence and poise will be required in order for people to have confidence in your business, and giving academic oral presentations is an excellent way to refine this skill. As you can see, studying economics is not just a path to a career as an economist. It can also set you up well for other careers, as it gives you plenty of transferable skills. The particular skills required to be a successful entrepreneur are often skills that you can pick up while studying economics.
If you're studying economics and are thinking about possible career options, have you considered entrepreneurship? Studying economics gives you many skills which are useful in running your own business. Here are some of the qualities which you'll gain from training in economics which are valuable for entrepreneurship:
Economic Development, Innovation and Growth (JEL O)
How to choose the right conference for me
National or international? The first factor to consider is whether you would like to attend a national or an international conference. National conferences are aimed at researchers from a particular discipline within their home country, while international conferences are for researchers from all over the world. International conferences lend to be larger and more well-regarded, so if you're looking for the biggest boost to you career then you should attend an international conference. However, there are also good reasons for attending a national conference: they are generally cheaper in terms of travel and attendance costs, so are better if you are on a tight budget. Also, if English is not your first language and you are not very comfortable with it, you might want to consider a national conference. International conferences generally operate in English, while national conferences operate in the local language, which may be more comfortable for some attendees. Large or small? Conferences can be small, with fewer than fifty attendees, or large, with thousands of attendees. These give rise to very different conference experiences. Large conferences give you the chance to meet vast numbers of people and to create a very large network, but only if you are diligent about taking note of names and contact details and then following up with people afterwards. Large conferences are also more likely to attract big names in your field, so if you want to make contact with famous researchers then they are a good option. There are advantages to a smaller conference, however. With fewer people attending, it will be easier to get to know them and the socializing is likely to be more casual. Also, you usually have a greater chance of being accepted to present a poster or to give a talk at a smaller conference, and having a talk on your CV is always impressive, even at a small conference. Specialist or general? Conferences may be focused on a very specific topic, or they may be more general. At general conferences, any topic within the relevant subject would be appropriate for presentation or discussion, whereas at a specialist conference, the presentations and discussion will revolve around a particular issue within the field. In some cases, you may find a general conference which has a theme for the year. The better your work fits to the conference's theme, the more likely you are to be accepted to present, so if you can find a conference in your particular topic then that is usually preferable. However, general conferences can also be very useful to keep you informed about the latest developments being made in all areas of your subjects. Single discipline or interdisciplinary? In addition to the specialist or general factor, conferences may be single discipline or multidisciplinary. For example, a specialist conference could be held on European economic polices for international aid, while a general conference could be about the whole topic of international development. In this case, a single discipline conference could look at these topics in terms of economics, while an interdisciplinary conference could include sociologists, historians, and politics researchers too. Single discipline conferences will be full of familiar names, faces, and topics if you have been working in the field, and can be helpful when you need input from other researchers with similar backgrounds to you. An interdisciplinary conference, on the other hand, will expose you to a broad range of methodologies and approaches which you might not have been aware of previously. Just the conference or extra events too? Finally, consider that most conferences run for between two and five days. However, there may also be additional events before or after the official conference days, such as workshops or training. If you are interested in expanding your skills, for example by attending a workshop on data analysis, then you can look to see if there are additional events around the conference that could be beneficial to you. We hope this helps you to choose the right conference for you. You can find a list of all of the biggest economics conferences right here on our website: https://inomics.com/top/conferences
With so many great conferences being held every year, it can be hard to decide which you should attend. Most researchers have a limited budget for conference travel, so it's important to pick your conferences wisely. But how do you know which conference is right for you and for your career? Here are five factors to consider when choosing a conference to attend.
How to Wisely Plan a Budget for Conference Trip
Check up on your institutional funding Your conference costs should be covered by your institution – either by your program, your department, or your university – so find out who is providing the funding. You need to contact the finance department or find the relevant set of guidance about expenses on the university website. Different organisations will have different rules about exactly what is covered, how much you can spend, and what level of expenses are acceptable. There might be rules such as a maximum amount that can be spent on accommodation per day. Specific expenses You should allocate money the following items for your budget, provided they are covered by your institution: Travel costs, including flights, transfers from the airport, buses fares while you are there, and possibly taxi fares Accommodation costs Cost of registration for the conference Costs of conference events such as the conference dinner Possibly a daily per diem for small daily expenses Travel Conference expenses should usually cover an economy class flight to the nearest airport to the conference, plus the cost of transfers from the airport to the location. Generally, institutions will cover the cost of economy class flights, but not business class or first class unless you are very senior. Don't forget to take account of the travel costs you will incur during the conference week, such as costs of taking a bus from your hotel to the conference venue. Also, you may need to budget for taxi rides. In most situations, it would be acceptable to expense the cost of a taxi on the way home from a late night dinner event, for example, but you would be expected to travel mostly on public transport when it is available. If you want to travel to the conference location a few days early or to stay on a few days afterwards, it is usually not a problem for expenses claims. You can only claim accommodation costs for the days of the actual conference (for example, if you stay for 6 days but the conference only runs for 3 of those days, you ca only claim for 3 days of accommodation costs), but if there is not a big difference in the cost of the flights when they are a few days apart, then it will be fine to claim the costs. Accommodation You will generally be expected to find the most affordable accommodation, within reason. For academics who are postdoctoral or more senior, it would be typical to stay in their own room in an affordable hotel. Masters and PhD students might sometimes be expected to stay in a cheaper hostel, however, even in these cases it is usually possible for them to have their own private room in the hostel. Although you can get cheap accommodation if you are willing to share a room with others in a hostel, this is not an ideal situation for conference travel. You will need plenty of sleep in order to perform well at the conference, and shared rooms in hostels tend to be very noisy and chaotic. It is vastly preferable to have a private room, and the extra expense should be covered by your institution. Food expenses In some countries, such as Germany, it is common for institutions to have strict rules against paying for food expenses. Therefore, you will be expected to cover your own foods costs as you would if you were at home. In other places, however, you may find that a food budget can be provided for a conference trip. Conference costs The final set of costs you should consider is the costs of the conference itself. There will typically be a registration cost which you will have to pay in advance, and for which you should get a receipt so that you can claim the money back later. There may also be costs for events such as the conference dinner, or for joining extra workshops. For lots more advice for attending your first conference, see our site at conference-monkey.org.
Planning a budget for a conference trip is fairly straight forward, but if this is your first conference then you need some basic information to help you with your planning. Here are some tips on how you can plan your budget.
5 Biggest Mistakes Conference Attendees Make
1. Trying to do too much At every conference, there will be so much to do that it can be easy to become overwhelmed. Between keynote talks, regular talks, poster presentations, workshops, and social events, it's hard to keep up with everything. Trying to attend absolutely all of it will only leave you tired and stressed, so be selective with which sessions you will attend. Get a copy of the conference timetable before you leave home – you can usually download the timetable from the conference's website – and go through it and highlight sessions that you absolutely want to attend. Check for any clashes and prioritise the sessions which will give your information that you won't be able to get elsewhere. Once you've chosen your sessions, plan out your time so that you can get to each one. And don't forget – at big conferences, it can take some time to move between sessions, so make sure to leave some travel time in your plan. 2. Attending only academic events or only social events When you're choosing the sessions to attend, it can seem sensible to focus just on the academic sessions which will give you information directly relevant to your research. Conversely, some people would much rather attend the fun social events and parties than the academic talks. But in fact, either of these approaches is a mistake. The value in a conference is in both hearing about new academic work, and getting to know fellow researchers in a social context. Therefore, you want to balance your conference program so that it includes both talks and social events to get the most from your conference experience. Consider attending 4-6 sessions during the day, then 1-2 social events in the evenings to achieve a good balance. 3. Partying too hard in the evenings On the subject of social events, it can be tricky to navigate the social norms of conference events. Often, events will have a relaxed party vibe and may include a large amount of alcohol, sometimes even an open bar. But beware! While there's nothing wrong with having a drink or two in the evening, drinking to excess is a mistake. Not only will being too drunk make you look unprofessional, but you'll also be hungover the next morning and not get the most out of the sessions that you attend. Remember that you'll need to get up early and be productive the next day, so take it easy in the evenings and don't party too hard. 4. Not being technologically prepared for a presentation If you're giving a talk at a conference, you've probably spent a lot of time preparing your material, making your slides, and practising your presentation. But one aspect which conference attendees often forget about presenting is the technological factor. If you're using slides, then you'll need a computer and a projector or display which is compatible. The venue should provide these things, but you need to ensure that your material is in a compatible format. There can be problems, for example, with using Microsoft Office files on a Mac computer, or in connecting a computer with only VGA outputs to a projector which only takes HDMI inputs. If you're presenting, make sure that you check whether your materials will work, preferably at least a day before your presentation. That way, if you do have problems, you have enough time to contact the technical support department or to find the adaptors which you will need. Then when you come to present, everything will be smooth and ready to go. 5. Leaving no time to explore the city the conference is held in Finally, remember that a conference is not only an academic experience - it is also a chance for you to travel: to see new places, experience a different culture, and to learn more broadly. So try to set aside half a day or so to explore the place in which the conference is held. Conferences are often held in major cities, so there will be historical sites, tourist attractions, and restaurants and cafes for you to explore. If you can, arrive at the conference a day early or leave a day late and give yourself a bit of time to enjoy your travels as well as learning from the conference.
Make your conference experience better by avoiding these five common mistakes:
1. The conference program You'll probably be given a program for the conference when you arrive to register, and it will include a list of the talks and poster presentations that will be held, abstracts for each, and information on some of the key event organisers. You might also find details of social events, workshops, or other related events which are happening over the conference. This program is incredibly useful, so keep it with you at all times. However, if you lose it, it's not the end of the world – there's usually an online version of the program available on the conference website too. 2. The conference timetable In addition to the conference program, or sometimes included within it, you should find a timetable which lays out exactly when and where each talk or event is happening. With multiple overlapping sessions happening throughout the conference, the timetable will help you to plan which talks you want to see. Get a highlighter and mark your must-see events on the timetable so you can be sure not to miss them. 3. Your conference badge You should receive a badge at registration too, which will show your name and university affiliation. This badge is important for several reasons – firstly, it allows you access to the conference events and spaces, and secondly, it lets everyone know who you are and helps them remember your name. Put your badge on a lanyard or clip it to your clothes and make sure you always have it with you. 4. Your laptop Obviously it's useful to have a computer and phone with you, and most conferences will have free wi-fi so you can back up your notes or download any information that you need. Do bring along a laptop sleeve or padded bag to keep your computer in so that it won't get too banged about during travel. 5. A notepad and pens A notebook? Why would you want paper when you have a laptop? Well, often you might need to scribble down a quick note while you're on the go, and it's a pain to have to pull out a computer and boot it up. Keep a small pad and a pen in your pocket to keep track of little titbits of information as you go about the conference. 6. A map of the city Once again, when it comes to navigating around an unfamiliar city, then paper really is better than electronic. Find a fold-out map of the local area and mark on it your hotel and the conference location, to be sure that you can always find your way around. 7. A public transport map Similarly, if you're planning to use local buses, trains, or trams, then it'll help to have a transport map that you can consult to know which interchanges to use and which stops to get off at. 8. A tourist guide book Hopefully you'll have a bit of time off from the conference to explore the local area and see some of the sights. Even if you've already planned out your sight seeing trips before you leave, it can help to have a guide book with you to suggest restaurants or other places to eat while you're on the go. 9. Appropriate clothing and outerwear We've previously written advice for you on what to wear for conferences, so you should have no problem picking out some appropriate outfits. Chuck some casual clothes in your bag too for travelling in, and do think about weather-appropriate outerwear, like a raincoat if it's likely to be wet wherever you are, or a thick warm coat if you know it's going to be cold. 10. A bottle of water Finally, you'll be working hard and travelling a lot during a conference, so remember to stay hydrated. Keep a bottle of water with you and drink plenty of it to make sure that you stay fit and healthy during your trip.
When you're packing for a conference, there are some essentials to bring along that will make your life much easier. Check out our list of these items below and make sure you have them in your bag so your conference trip is as smooth as possible.
Tips For Students Attending Their First Academic Conference
Check the program before you leave Most conference organisers will put their programs online before the conference starts – sometimes even including timetables and abstracts of the talks and poster presentations which will be taking place. Take advantage of this and you can plan out sessions which you want to see before you even arrive. Check the program for familiar names, talks which are related to your project, or just abstracts which sound interesting to you. Then highlight the sessions you're interested in on the timetable so that you won't miss out on a session which you'd like to attend once you're there. Do try to talk to new people, even if you're feeling intimidated It can be intimidating talking to people at conferences – especially when everyone is much more senior than you and they all seem to know each other already. But you'll miss out on one of the biggest advantages of conferences – getting to know people and expanding your network – if you don't take the chance to talk to other attendees. Try asking questions at the end of talks, or talking to people who are giving poster presentations about their work. And do attend the social events such as the conference dinner, where socialising is the point of the event and so people will be happy to talk to you. Don't drink too much or party too hard That said, you will need to exercise some restraint when it comes to parties and other social events. There will often be a lot of alcohol available at these events – sometime for free – and it can be tempting to drink to help you loosen up and feel more sociable. But watch out, because it's not a good idea to overindulge at a conference. You need to maintain a professional bearing, especially if you're younger or more junior, and this is much harder when you've been drinking. Stick to a drink or two per night and you can avoid any embarrassing memories the next morning! Plan out your travel and tourism too If the conference you're travelling to is in a place which you haven't visited before, it will help to make plans in advance. Check out the details or the airport or train station you'll be arriving in, and know which connections you need to take and how to reach them. Make a note of any bus routes or train lines which you'll need to use while you're at the conference, and make sure you have a map with your hotel and the conference venue marked on it. Also, have a look to see what tourist attractions are available in the area, and give yourself an afternoon or two to explore the place you're visiting as well as working hard at the conference. Bring business cards if you have them, and a notebook You'll want to have a way of taking notes while you're at the conference. Of course, there might be data or ideas presented which are interesting to you for your research, and you should note these down. But more importantly, you want to keep a note of the email addresses or other contacts details for the people you meet. When you talk to someone who works in a related field to you, it's helpful to keep in contact with them so that you can expand your network. On that note, do bring along business cards if you have them, or offer to write down your email address for people if you don't. Finally, a great tip if you're presenting a poster or making a handout is to make sure that your email address is somewhere in the header or footer of the document, so people can contact you if they have any questions about your work.
Attending a conference for the first time can be both a lot of fun and a rather scary experience! So here are some tips for students attending their first conference, to make it as enjoyable and beneficial as possible.
5 Biggest Problems That Women Face At Academic Conferences
1. Being less likely to be accepted to present than men It's a sad fact that gender discrimination is still rife in academia, and conferences are no exception to this. Studies have found that submissions of papers to present at a conference were rated as less good when the author had an identifiably female name than when the same paper was submitted but no author name was given. The evidence suggests that this problem is particularly pronounced in fields which are more male-dominated. The lack of women presenting at conferences leads to a perception that there are no women working in the field, and this lack of representation is harmful to others, especially women who are just starting out in their careers. Some conferences now mandate a certain proportion of their speakers be women, to help mitigate this effect. 2. Being taken less seriously than men during discussions Another common finding of gender bias in conferences is regarding the amount of exposure which men and women get. Even when equal numbers of men and women are participating in a discussion, women speak for less time than men and are less likely to ask for longer time slots when they present. In fact, studies estimate that women spend about 20% less time talking than men do. This has broad implications for women in academia as it has been shown that exposure at conferences increases the visibility of a researcher's work, so women are missing out on the opportunity to boost their profile. 3. Issues with the dress code It may sound silly, but the expected standards of attire can pose a real problem for women at academic conferences. It's generally expected that people will dress a little more formally than usual for a conference, however, in lots of fields it's no big deal if a man chooses to wear casual clothes. For women, however, it's trickier. If a woman dresses in a casual way, she risks people assuming that she doesn't take her job seriously or that she's unprofessional. However, if she dresses up too much then people may judge her as shallow, vain, or out of touch. It's difficult for women to strike a balance where they are perceived as being dressed appropriately. The best way to deal with this is to observe the norms of the field and of the conference – what are other women wearing? - and then try to match your style to that. 4. Balancing social and professional responsibilities Academic conferences are important for career prospects, not just because you get to learn about the latest research and debate it with others in your field, but also because of the opportunities they present for networking and making social connections with other academics. As such, it's arguably just as important to go to the conference dinner as it is to attend the keynote lecture. So you need to be able to present yourself in social contexts as well as professional ones. Unfortunately, this is another area where women are judged more harshly than men – a woman who is not sociable enough is consider cold and distant, while one who is very friendly risks being labelled as flirtatious or ditzy. One way to combat this is to make an effort to talk to other women at social events and to support each other socially as well as professionally. 5. Sexual harassment It's an uncomfortable truth that sexual harassment of women at academic conferences continues to happen, and it is often severely under-reported and not taken seriously when it is reported. Experiencing or observing sexual harassment undermines women's confidence in their safety and comfort in academic settings, and can bring up feelings of inadequacy, betrayal, and loss of confidence. Some conferences are now instigating codes of conduct and anti-harassment policies to combat this problem. When conference organisers make clear what types of behaviour are unacceptable, it is easier for women to see clearly when they are being harassed. However, it's important that the system for reporting harassment at conferences is also made explicitly clear and is respected by all participants.
Attending conferences is an important part of any academic career. However, they can provide challenges that women in academia must overcome. Here are five of the biggest problems which women face at academic conferences.
Academizing During Your First Academic Conference
An academic conference is where scientists and other mostly sun-deprived* human beings dare to get out of their heavily neglected* workspaces in order to academize (*Regressions for these claims will soon be presented by Ruiz et al. under α<0.05 statistical significance). The goal is primarily to present your scientific results to a broad audience – beyond the usual four suspects, who will read your paper anyway – and to know the latest state of research: it wouldn’t be very funny if you invest a lot of time in writing a paper just to find out that someone just published the same thing, right? A: Preparation before the Conference Know your Discussant The panels usually consist of a few panelists (you?), a moderator, a discussant and a cheering audience. The discussant is supposed to have read all the presented papers and comments on all of the academic contributions after the presentations. This is very nice because you usually get a detailed and valuable feedback from an expert in your field. But, beware, there might also be some tough questions e.g. about your beloved methodology. It might pay to know the background of your discussant as he/she might be personally more interested in one aspect of your research. Don’t get Lost You should know university campuses by now: they tend to be big. So inform yourself in advance, where exactly you have to go. Might sound logical but sometimes university campuses are spread over a city or even way outside the city-walls. The chance that academics get helplessly lost seems to be significantly higher than for other control-groups. In the Beginning there was an Abstract Writing an abstract is an art in itself. But it seems that there is an inherent danger to promise too much for an upcoming research project and the subsequent paper. The Audience and the organizers have expectations! Summarizing the current state of research can without doubt be helpful for getting an overview of an unknown field – but it gets really interesting if the borders of science are expanded. Care for your Health Be prepared that provided food could consist of sandwiches and coffee only. B: During the Presentation The Questions are your Best Friends There are only good questions at an academic conference – almost. But do you have an equally qualitative answer? The input from the audience and the emerging academic conversations can bring your academic thinking light-years ahead. Stick to your Time Please. Nothing is more annoying that taking time of all the participants – public and panel alike. Be disciplined enough to not have the Chairwoman/Chairman open the toolbox of torture (ranging from pieces of paper with big remaining minute-numbers on it; aesthetic sounding bells or ring-tones; to just cutting off your microphone). Find your Presentation Style There are maybe as many ways to present as there are presenters: Some are rather shy and others like to literally jump up and down. I do not see anything wrong in personalizing your academic stringent content – as long as you communicate your key-messages clearly to your audience. Expect Social Interaction. Particularly, if your topic overlaps with the ones of other participant’s. C: Outside of the Presentation-Room Relativity-Theory The further you move away from the presentation room, the less people get interested in correlation coefficients to three digits after the coma. In particular, the so-called Einstein-Sandwich-Line marks the area where coffee-smell starts and hungry participants are less receptive for your latest research findings. High-level Guests are not Oracles It is a particular privilege at some conferences to listen to the invited high-level guests and even to be able to ask questions. However, keep in mind, that on the one hand too detailed, and on the other hand too political questions, are going to be answered in the same way: not satisfying for you. So ask instead something, where you think he/she has some realistic room to react, maybe to improvise, to elaborate and in the best case even to share his/her personal experience. Musical Chairs In the case that there is a dinner event, be fast at choosing your table when the seating is not set yet. This is a great opportunity to talk to someone you wouldn’t catch in your real life. Alternatively, to spend 3 hours hearing about new methods of measuring heteroscedasticity. Your choice. Pronunciation and Comprehension These are always issues in international environments with many non-native English speakers. In case someone tells you that he did not catch part of your phrase, it helps to rephrase your sentence differently instead of repeating the exact same sentence with the same tonality all over again. Beg your pardon? It helps to rephrase your sentence differently… Sorry, I didn’t catch you. IT HELPS TO REPHRASE… If the above tips didn’t help at all: just try to do everything in the exact opposite way that I did, and you should be fine. Happy academizing! Photo Credit: hikingartist.com
There was a certain naiveté in the air when I went to my first academic conference. I thought that all I would have to do is to write a decent paper and to present it to the public. In retrospect this could have ended badly and I wish someone had intercepted me on the way to the airport and given me some key-warnings to know in advance. Thus, after this multifaceted experience, I thought to write the following points in a humble and only half-serious manner.
Women in Academia: 5 Steps To Your Career Success
Networking, mentorship, and support from other women Networking is an important skill for any academic, but for women it is particularly value as it gives you “behind the scenes” access to senior researchers, committees, and institutional decision makers. Keep an eye out for networking events – some universities will even have events or groups specifically for woman's networking – and take every chance to get to introduce yourself and get to know other women in your field. The support you can receive from other women isn't just about career prospects, it can also be useful to hear about the obstacles and problems that other women have faced and how they overcame them. Look out for mentorship schemes and other programs designed to bring you into contact with academics in different stages of their careers. Promote yourself One important skill you will need to learn as a woman in academia is self-promotion. Academics are often uncomfortable with blowing their own horns, and women especially so, as it can feel like you are being arrogant or too forward. However, if you don't promote yourself, it's unlikely that anyone else will do it for you! You don't have to be arrogant or pushy, but make sure that you get credit for your work, such as making sure that you name is on an important report which you have written. If someone mentions a topic in your area of expertise, say that it's your field and be confident in positioning yourself as an expert. Finally, feel free to mention papers or books which you have written on a topic when it comes up in conversation. Putting yourself forward in these ways might feel awkward at first, but it will help your career for other people to see and acknowledge your expertise. Watch out for imposter syndrome Imposter syndrome is the name given to feelings of inadequacy and insecurity which are found even among highly successful women. Even when women have a proven track record of success in their jobs, they may feel like they don't really deserve the recognition that they get, and that other people will see through them and expose them as inadequate for their jobs: They feel like imposters in their own fields. This syndrome is shockingly common in academia, with women often privately remarking that they are not up to standard. One of the ways to combat this syndrome is just to be aware of it, and to remember that when you start to doubt yourself or your abilities that this is not necessarily reflective of reality, and that it is something which many other women struggle with too. Family friendliness A big problem for women in lots of careers including academia is the degree of family-friendliness which their institutions provide. Some universities have very progressive policies regarding maternity and paternity leave and on-site childcare, while at other institutions new parents are left to fend for themselves. One big advantage of a career in academia is that flexible working hours are common – if you need to work 3 days a week, or to leave early to pick up a child from school, this is usually possible. Ask around about the family policies of your institution, and don't forget to talk to current parents working there for a real-world perspective on how the policies work out in practice. In fact, even if you don't plan to have a family, it's still useful to know this information as family-friendliness can be a good indicator of how women are treated in general at an institution. Pay it forward If you want to improve working conditions for women in academia, you can help by offering mentorship to women who are at an earlier stage of their career than you. If you can remember the frustrations and difficulties which you came across as a junior researcher, you may be well-positioned to help other women experiencing the same issues. Your university may have a women-specific mentoring program or a general mentoring program which you could offer your services for – but don't underestimate the power of informal mentoring too. Giving a few words of encouragement to junior women and sharing some of your knowledge and experience with them will not only help their careers, but it can help yours too. Being known as an expert who share their knowledge puts you in an excellent position, and the achievements of the women who you mentor will reflect well on you as well as helping them.
Despite great progress that has been made in recent years in making academia more friendly for women, it still remains hard for women to be accepted and to excel in many academic institutions. Many women in academia, especially those in male-dominated fields, report that they find it more difficult to be taken seriously and more difficult to get promotions to senior roles than the men in their departments. So what can you do to maximise your career prospects as a woman working in an academic setting? Here our our tips to help women achieve career success.
Attending An Academic Conference: 5 Tips To Consider
1. Choose the sessions you attend carefully You can't attend every session at a conference, and if you try to do too much you'll end up late, stressed, and too tired to participate properly. Check the conference program before you leave, and pick the essential sessions that you really want to participate in, then give these sessions your full attention. Write out your own schedule if you're very busy, with room numbers so you know where to go. In a large conference, focus on the particular topic or area which is of interest to you and try not to get distracted by all the other topics. Finally, try to make sure that you are getting a full 8 hours of sleep a night so that you're not too tired to participate in sessions. 2. Get to know the geographic area Academic conferences aren't just a place to find out about new research and to meet other academics – they're also a fun chance to see a new geographical area. Do a little research on the area before you attend a conference and get some ideas about attractions to visit, or places to eat and drink. Your conference experience will be much less stressful if you find out in advance about the transportation options and how to get between your hotel and the conference location! If you arrive the day before the conference starts, you can take some time to get to know the local area and ease yourself comfortably into the conference. Plus, if you're full of knowledge about local attractions then you'll always have something interesting to talk about with other attendees. 3. When presenting, tailor your material to your audience Whether you're giving a poster presentation or a talk, don't just repeat the same spiel that you always give to your department colleagues. You need to modify your material to suit the level of knowledge of the audience, as some people attending will be from a different field than you. It's okay to ask your audience how familiar they are with your topic - particularly when you're presenting a poster to a small group, this can help you to gauge the level of expertise which you should be pitching at. If you are giving a talk, don't go over your allocated time. Practise your talk and time yourself to make sure you're within the time limit, and remember that being a bit under time is fine, as it leaves more time for discussion. But going over time is frustrating to your audience, rude to the person presenting after you, and stressful for you. Cut your presentation down to the essentials, and don't waffle. Whenever you present, take notes of comments or questions which people ask afterwards. This can be an incredibly useful source of feedback regarding your research, but you'll need to write it down in order to remember it once you get home. 4. Talk to as many people as possible Conferences are fantastic places to network with other academics and researchers in your field. Get involved by asking questions after talks, contributing to discussions, and attending social events. You can learn about the latest not-yet-published research and meet people who might be able to contribute to your work in the future. Don't miss out on conference dinners or socials, as these events are where a lot of the networking happens. Polish up your elevator pitch – that is, a brief two sentence description of your research which you can share when people ask about your work. 5. Follow up Once you've done lots of networking and meeting people at a conference, follow up with them in the days after to solidify the connection. Also, remember to take some business cards with you to give out with your contact details on them so that people can get in touch with you if they have questions about your work. Finally, a great tip if you're giving a poster presentation is to make small A4 or A3 copies of your poster to hand out to people – and don't forget to include your contact details on it.
If you're attending an academic conference for the first time, it can be a rather overwhelming experience! Follow these five tips to make your conference trip as smooth and productive possible.