Tag Archives: PHD

Changing Identities – An interview with me. The transition to “What’s Next”.

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I credit Herminia Ibarra’s book “Working Identity – Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing your Career” as the critical step in how  I have approached “What’s Next”.

As I was reviewing the book for a presentation recently, I decided that I’d interview myself using the Interview Guide that formed a key component of the excellent case studies within the book.

Tell me about your career to date?

From school I went straight to University, actually an Institute of Technology and studied Accountancy. I started my career as an accountant whilst an undergraduate and stayed in the accounting profession for the next 37 years.

More than half of that time was as a partner of a Big 6 and then following merger a Big 4 firm. I have been privileged to have this opportunity

Why did you change careers?

The firm I worked for made it clear that 55 was a key date. In order for their to be renewal in my firm, it was necessary that partners didn’t stay too long. I’d known that for 20 or so years so it wasn’t a surprise.

How long did it take?

On reflection, I think I started the process the day I joined the firm. Continue reading →

Two Years of “What’s Next”

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It is now two years since I commenced “What’s Next”. I am no longer the man in the suit peering over the fence to see what’s there. I am living, and dare I say loving “What’s Next”!!!

Source: http://innovationpov.com/evolution-of-concept-stimuli/

I am well into my PhD, with my Supervisors telling me I am on track. There is still an enormous amount to do, however it does seem to be coming together. I have completed my Major Review, a year one milestone. I have written more than 20,000 words, some of which might even make it into my thesis!

We have enjoyed a significant stay in Italy, a cornerstone of my planning for “What’s Next”. We have also had a short trip to the USA, courtesy of a paper built on my Honours research and are now planning another trip.

My bike riding has been consistent, but I am not riding as often as I’d like. I read Jim’s Fit Recovery Blog  and realise how much more I could be doing, buy hey, I am out on the bike!!!

I have continued with my blog. Continue reading →

In praise of Evernote

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Image result for evernote

 

With just a few weeks until my final version of my PhD research proposal is due I have been reading frantically all the while petrified that I will forget something important. Since commencing my research journey nearly 3 years ago I have read hundreds of journal article, book chapters and newspaper articles. How do you remember what’s important?

I have always been one for writing it down, as simply reading it doesn’t seem to get it into my head. Revision used to see me renoting all my work. I have followed a similar approach to my reading for my research but as I am reading information today that I might need in two or three years time, how do you make it logical and more importantly able to be found?  Continue reading →

Explaining myself

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Just over a year after retiring from my firm I attended the Annual Retired Partner Dinner. It was  my first as a retired partner. I walked into a place that I’d known so well for over 20 years but this time as a guest rather than a host. It felt quite strange. I was greeted by my former partners as a guest, no longer as a colleague. I was no longer an insider, this wasn’t my place anymore.

This was definitely a “What’s Next” moment.

I certainly hadn’t gone “cold turkey” on my old firm. I had been in contact with a number of people since but for those who I hadn’t seen there were the inevitable questions. What was I upto? What had I been doing?

Cefalu

Cefalu, Sicily

I talked about our  travels  and then there were questions about whether I was consulting on boards etc?

This is where all conversations seem to head. The assumption is very much that after a career in consulting that I’d continue but in my case I haven’t. For me the process of “What’s Next” was reaching the decision that consulting was not a key part of my post professional life.   Sure I have a couple of consulting roles, but really I had taken  the student route and I definitely feel most comfortable  with being described as such.

As the conversations over the evening continued, I said that while I’d loved my time in professional services that I was now really enjoying being out of it and being incognito. Continue reading →

So it’s been 6 months and where am I – my PhD

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Menotti’s Coffee Shop -Venice Beach, LA

I have just submitted my first milestone document in the PhD program at my University; a document that took many weeks (months actually) to prepare that I doubt will ever be be looked at!

The document is a compliance step, due 6 months into the program. It is the first of two important milestones along the way to moving from being provisionally accepted into the program as a PhD candidate.

My lodged (and I suspect now filed completely unread) document  included a

  • basic Research Proposal  (which has raised more questions with me than it has answered),
  •  Gantt Chart of how my PhD journey will look (my I have a lot to do),
  •  Data Management Plan (I can’t tell you how often the message of back up and safe storage has been rammed home. It’s a message I don’t need having nursed my laptop with a failing hard drive to the end of my Honours Program), and
  • minimum resources document (the minimum resources the Uni will provide – generally pretty good including unlimited fast internet access on campus, 24/7 IT support and I think the world’s only steam powered desktop – it’s still running Vista!).

The  process while procedural provided me with the opportunity to order my thoughts and get feedback from my supervisors. Continue reading →