Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

March 24, 2025

Abigail Arnold | Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Now in its fourth year, the Career Fellows program at Brandeis University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) continues to go strong. The program brings together students across graduate degree programs for the important work of career exploration.

Participants attend a range of career development seminars across the course of the academic year. This year’s seminars included career planning, the academic job search, resume and LinkedIn tips, and lots of advice from recent Brandeis alums working in different fields, including nonprofit and government jobs, higher education administration, and faculty jobs. By forming a cohort, participants in the Career Fellows also learn from each other and have first-hand opportunities to practice networking and sharing resources. This year, the program was extended to a year-long rather than semester-long opportunity, with participants attending at least four events each semester; this allowed the GSAS professional development team to offer them a wider range of opportunities.

Marika McCann, Associate Director of Professional Development and Employer Outreach for GSAS, spoke to the many reasons that career planning is important for graduate students and what they can learn from participating in the program. “One of the major takeaways from the Career Fellows program is that students should explore diverse career opportunities,” she said. “Even if they come into grad school with a good idea of what type of careers they are looking for, it's so important to attend different sessions and learn what kind of jobs are available. We stress from the beginning that students should identify what skills they have and how to utilize those skills in a variety of jobs.” The professional development team aims to give students tools for success in many different fields; as McCann said, “One of the major goals of the program is to show students that despite the individual career paths graduate students will take, there is a formula they can all follow for career exploration and career development that we outline and walk through with them to ensure success beyond Brandeis.”

The current Career Fellows spoke enthusiastically about what they gained from the experience, taking away a range of things from the program depending on their needs. “There are a lot of tacit knowledges within institutions, and I want to learn all the professional development tools I possibly can while at Brandeis,” said Anna Valcour, a fourth-year PhD student in Musicology. “As a first-generation college student, it's incredibly important to me to render these processes transparent and teach these skills to my future students.”

“I wanted to figure out what my possibilities were, without limiting myself to just the ‘standard career path’ that a literary scholar might be expected to follow,” said Jonathan Schaffer, a first-year master’s student in English and current Brandeis staff member. “I am very interested in working in the nonprofit world, but just saying that wasn't enough to figure out what opportunities there are for folks like me. Hearing from others who are already doing the work made the path seem clearer.” Schaffer also praised the way the program assisted with career planning: “I have been able to more clearly plan far into the future. Now I know what I will be doing up to five years from now.”

Students especially gained from the chance to interact and network with Brandeis alums who have already begun their careers. “Getting the chance to speak to Brandeis alumni is an invaluable opportunity to gain career insight,” said Trent Quist, a fifth-year PhD student in Biochemistry and Biophysics. “My networking experience has developed considerably since participating in the Career Fellows program. I am much more comfortable reaching out to members of the scientific community and developing connections to help plan the next steps of my career,” said Zachary Curtis, a fifth-year PhD student in Physics. “The earlier students are made aware of the different opportunities they have, the earlier they can begin setting themselves up for success down the road.”

Through workshops, networking, and shared resources, the GSAS Career Fellows are able to start doing just that.