Jaime Lynn Speiser is an assistant professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in the Department of Biostatistical Sciences. She earned her PhD in biostatistics at the Medical University of South Carolina, MS in statistics at The Ohio State University, and BS in mathematics at Elon University.

Transitioning into your first faculty job as an assistant professor may seem daunting, but the process can be easier with proper preparation. This includes strategic planning during graduate school, professional development, and choosing the right position for you. Then, arriving at a new job, being intentional about how you spend your time is imperative. I am not an expert on any of this, but I recently went through the process. The transition from graduate student to faculty is probably going to be different for everyone, but I hope to share some insight about my experience.

While in Graduate School

As a graduate student, there are many ways you can prepare for your future as a professor, if that is what you are interested in. I always knew I wanted to be an academic, so I pursued activities that would look desirable for a future university employer and provide exceptional work experience. For example, I volunteered on departmental and college service committees. Additionally, I applied for my own funding, which was a great way for me to learn about the process of writing and successfully obtaining a grant.

Before I began interviewing for academic positions, I wrote the next grant I was planning to submit. This was a benefit for me not only at the job application phase, but also when I began my position. I had a grant I immediately submitted (which was successful!). I understand graduate students have limited time, but I would encourage students to strategically go above what is expected of them as part of the program requirements. This will set you up for success in your job as an assistant professor.

Involvement as a Student Member of ASA

In conjunction with additional academic activities, I pursued many career development activities as a graduate student. Being a student member of the ASA was invaluable for accessing these activities.

Attending national and local conferences was beneficial for me in developing my professional network. I joined the South Carolina Chapter, which was a great way to connect with other academics and students in my area. I have found that our field has many wise professionals who are happy to give advice.

I applied for several student travel awards for meetings, which not only provided me funding to attend those conferences, but also looked good on my résumé. Additionally, the ASA’s JobWeb was a useful tool for finding jobs, as well as for understanding what salary to expect for different types of jobs.

Overall, the ASA has many resources available to foster professional growth. Taking advantage of these as a graduate student is a great way to differentiate yourself and springboard your career.

Choosing the Right Position

It may seem obvious, but choosing the right position for you will lead to an easier transition from student to professor. It is highly unlikely you will find the perfect job right out of school, so you will need to prioritize aspects of the position to identify the best job. This is different for everyone. For me, some of my top priorities were a collegiate department, a diverse department (age, gender, backgrounds), a department with a strong and accessible department chair, location of the job, and a job where I would likely get tenure. It was also important to be in a department with good people who could serve as faculty mentors as I began my career. My graduate mentors, as well as other faculty members at my graduate school, provided invaluable discussion and advice for me while I was going through the job search process.

Regardless of the type of assistant professor position you want, you should be clear about research, teaching, and service expectations. I was looking for an academic position that balanced time between both teaching and research. Ultimately, I decided to accept a position with a low teaching load and high research expectation. Ahead of interviewing, you should think about what aspects are priorities versus those you would be willing to compromise.

While I was interviewing at various positions, I kept detailed lists to evaluate these factors. After you are offered a position, there is an opportunity for you to negotiate some of the aspects that are important to you, but there is no guarantee you will get everything you ask for. I tried to negotiate more teaching into my contract, but because my department does not have our own graduate program, this was not feasible. Despite this, I am elated with my decision to accept this job, and my transition into being an assistant professor has been smooth because I chose the right job for me.

Moving to a New Location

Starting a new job in academia usually requires moving to a new location. This is often accompanied by stress from various sources. Moving is stressful; learning a new area is stressful; meeting new people is stressful. Remember to take time for yourself and your mental well-being. Transitioning from graduate school to a new location can be emotionally taxing. I loved the city in which I attended graduate school and had a lot of friends there. After five plus years of graduate school, it can be challenging to start over in a new place. I have been at my faculty job for about a year now, and it is finally starting to feel like home. Be patient with yourself during these major life changes!

Starting as an Assistant Professor

After years of preparing for this as a graduate student and settling into a new location, it is finally time to start working as an assistant professor. The way I see it, I do the same work, but I have a better office now (with a window!). In no order, my thoughts and advice about starting the job include the following.

1. Jump in! Say “yes” to as much as you can right when you start. Whether this is teaching, mentoring, or researching, getting involved in projects will get your career going. For me, this included submitting a career development grant, joining departmental committees, co-mentoring a graduate student, attending career development sessions hosted by my university, and collaborating with researchers in a different department. Whatever the expectations of your job as an assistant professor, I would encourage you to get involved as soon as you can.
2. Meet with as many people as you can to develop collaborations and get advice about how to be successful in your job. I recommend meeting with people inside and outside of your department, so you have a broad idea of projects across the university.
3. Find a formal mentoring committee. I had input about who was on my committee, but my department chair facilitated this. I meet with the committee twice a year to discuss progress to tenure and career development. They helped me connect with researchers across the university when I started my job.
4. Figure out who can help you with administrative tasks (e.g., ordering new business cards, securing a conference room, and spending your start-up funds). Staff members in the department are extremely helpful!
5. Remember you are in demand and collaborative researchers need your input for projects. I mainly work with medical researchers who, on average, are about 30 years older than me and have lots of experience in their clinical fields. No matter how young or inexperienced you may think you are, be confident in yourself and what you bring to the table.
6. Attending new faculty events and faculty development activities is a good way to meet people who are potential collaborators and friends.
7. You have a real salary now, but don’t go too crazy after you get your first paycheck. I like to splurge on small things that are important to me and make me happy, but generally have kept a similar lifestyle to when I was in graduate school.

Hushing the Doubt

Across all levels of academia, many people have the imposter syndrome. I have often wondered, “Am I smart enough for this job? What if I tell someone the wrong answer? Do I deserve this job? Why is it that the more I know, the more I realize I do not know?” I think it is natural to have doubts about yourself, especially when you begin your first faculty job. Though I am not sure the doubt will ever completely go away, I try to remind myself that I am smart, that I worked vigorously to get to this position, and that I am worthy.

Sometimes when I think about how happy and fulfilled I am in my job as an assistant professor, the word “luck” comes to mind; however, luck had little to do with it, because I had charted a course as a graduate student and worked tirelessly to get to this position. If you believe in yourself and plan your career path early on, I am sure you will have a successful transition from graduate student to assistant professor. It is not all sunshine and rainbows, but try to enjoy the ride!