Name: Jen Harrison (she/her)
PhD: English (Children’s) Literature, Aberystwyth University, 2009
What was your main area of research?
My doctoral thesis focused on representations of childhood in the late Victorian period, and compared three adult texts and three children's texts. My later research continued my work on children's literature, examining post-humanism and environmentalism in children's texts, including children's non-fiction.
What is your current job?
I am the CEO of a dissertation coaching business: Read Write Perfect, LLC. The business is based in Pennsylvania, although my coaching is 100% online.
I coach students both 1-on-1 and through group workshops to complete their dissertations with an emphasis on self-care and balance as well as getting finished. My coaching covers writing, research, accountability and focus, motivation, and self-care, and I specialize in providing support to women (especially BIPOC women like me) who feel alone, unsupported, and isolated.
I love getting to help people who are suffering in academia feel better and make progress.
How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?
I started my business during the pandemic, when I saw just how many students were struggling with poor feedback, unhelpful supervisors, poorly designed programs, and isolation from other students and mentors like them.
PhD graduate ➡️ college professor ➡️ higher education administration ➡️ K-12 teacher training ➡️ private K-12 tuition company ➡️ college professor ➡️current coaching business.
Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?
It was hard at the time, but now feels like exactly the right move. When I was in academia, I lacked job security and was struggling with burnout, but I was not able to see these problems until the pandemic when I reached breaking point and left - with hindsight, both my financial situation and my well-being are better outside of academia. I do miss being an active researcher, but I LOVE that I am still able to teach (my first passion) - and this time, without institutional red tape and paperwork.
What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?
Start with what you are passionate about, and make a list of all the ways you can think of to make real change in the world in that area. Be open-minded, because the best opportunities usually arise when you think outside the box.
Don't abandon your degree if you decide you don't want to be an academic. In my experience, the top benefit of the degree is not necessarily the content you learn, but the expertise and credibility it gives you when you set out to make change in the world.
Don't compare your career path to anyone else's, because it's apples to oranges - your path is unique to you, so you can only evaluate it against your own goals and values.
Are there any components of your identity you would like to share, including how they have impacted your journey?
As a woman of color, I've experienced both sides of the academic coin - both being marginalized and dismissed and needing to prove myself over and over and being highly successful and achieving my goals. I now focus on helping other women like me get the best out of academia and weather the worst, by emphasizing connection and mutual support. My mission is to make sure no woman feels too alone to complete her degree successfully.