Pathfinder Career Narratives is an ongoing series tracking the career choices and experiences of doctoral graduates. You can see all of the posts in the series here. You can find all the Pathfinder resources and opportunities here. Today’s blog is written by Dr Shelby Judge, Early Career Academic in Creative and Cultural Industries at the University of Derby. You can find more information on Dr Judge’s research here and ‘The Shelbiad’ blog here.
Name: Dr Shelby Judge
Doctorate subject area, and year of completion: English Literature, 2022/3
Role and employer: Early Career Academic in Creative and Cultural Industries, University of Derby
Approximate salary bracket of this type of role: £27,000-37,000
My journey to doing a PhD was an unconventional one. I was a non-attender at school until the age of 16, when I turned up to do my GCSEs to the surprise of everyone there. I did well, and realised I actually quite liked learning. So I did my A-Levels, choosing English Literature because I spent all my time reading in the local library, so I might as well do it in a classroom. I discovered a love of the subject, and went on to do my undergraduate degree in English Literature. Straight after my BA, I did my MA in Women’s Studies – at one of the few institutions in the UK still offering the course – and then began my PhD as soon as possible after that at the University of Glasgow.
My PhD was in English Literature, supervised by Dr. Helen Stoddart and the late Dr. Katherine Heavey. I wrote my thesis on contemporary feminist adaptations of Greek myth, and (people always look mad and incredulous when I say this) I loved every second of it.
I went from never going to school to a decade of uninterrupted higher education! But, as my PhD drew to a close, I had a decision to make. As soon as I learned what a PhD was, and that you could get one in literature, I knew I wanted to do that. During my time as a PhD student, I learned so much about myself and my aspirations. I accepted that I actually love writing, and I especially developed my skills in writing for different audiences, from blogs to newspaper articles to journal articles. And my thesis, of course! I didn’t think I’d be a very good teacher, having had no experiences in it before and viewing myself as quite an impatient person, but I actually found that I love sharing my passion for literature with other people who have chosen to be there. I think a classroom is a great space for sharing knowledge, and learning just as much as you teach. But like all things, the PhD came to an end, and I had to ask: what comes next?
Like when I discovered my love of literary learning, I knew what I wanted, but this time it was even harder. I wanted to go into academia, to get a coveted early career research position and then become a lecturer. But we all know the stories, know how hard it is to make it into academia. We all know how hostile the academic environment can be, especially to someone like me – a working class person with no deep ties to any one person or centre that could wedge the door open for me.
But I hadn’t come this far to not even try. So I gritted my teeth, loaded up the websites for academic jobs, and started applying.
And applying.
And applying.
I applied for around 70 jobs. Along the way, I got some invaluable advice from people who had already navigated these perilous waters, and someone even shared their CVs and cover letters with me, which is an incredibly kind and generous thing to do (and it’s something I’ve tried to pay forward since, so drop me a message if you’re in this position!). This really helped me see what I was supposed to be doing, what universities were looking for.
I feel so fortunate and relieved to share that I am now an Early Career Academic in Creative and Cultural Industries at the University of Derby. I am researching textual & digital feminist responses to Incels and the manosphere. I also get to teach English Literature. Sometimes I have to pinch myself, because it really is my dream job.
I realise the jump from researching feminist classical reception to Incels seems like a big one. Since my primary research interests are in contemporary women’s writing and feminist theory, there is a kind of logical throughway to my new project. Also, on a more personal note, I was the subject of doxing and dogpiling by hordes of angry men on the internet and popular media, after a prominent right-wing newspaper got wind of one of my Tweets. So, I am very invested in research into digital misogyny and right-wing populism.
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Even though I absolutely love my job, transitioning into my new role was a challenge. Part of the challenge was logistical: moving me, my partner, my cats, and my insurmountable piles of books 300 miles, finding a house, registering with a GP… these are very labour intensive and psychologically taxing things, and they’re considered just part-and-parcel of the academic world. Then, when it came to starting my job, the challenges included meeting lots of new people, finding my way around a new university, learning to teach in a new environment.
And, as much as there is a logic to my new research project, it is really a very different thing to research, so in some ways I did have to re-learn how to research. But, throughout it all, there have been hundreds of reminders of why I’m doing this work: because I love it, and because it’s important. I really feel like I am working towards positive social change, and that’s really important to me.
A typical ‘week in the life’ for me as an early career researcher is not too dissimilar to my time as a PhD student: I spend a lot of time doing research, and a bigger chunk of time than what I probably should preparing lessons and teaching. Now there are a lot more meetings, though.
The main thing I’ve had to let go of, as it were, is my status as a student. As much as I miss the discounts, I did feel ready to shed that title. I’d been a student solidly for 10 years, from 18 to 28, and it was time to find a new identity. I felt ready to make a distinction between the ‘learning to be…’ of being a student and a job where learning is at the core of what I do.
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My biggest fear as I started my role as an ECR was the same fear I’d had starting my BA, MA, and PhD. It goes a little something like “yes, I know I did well at the last thing, but what if this is a step too far? What if I’ve peaked? I’m one step closer to the thing I want (getting a PhD; becoming an academic), but what if this is the point at which I realise I can’t do it? What if everyone realises that I’m an imposter, unworthy of this space?”
Though the fear is familiar, it’s no less potent. In fact, it gets more potent at every stage. And reminding myself that imposter syndrome is so common that it’s got a name doesn’t really seem to help. What does help, though, is reminding myself that I have worked unbelievably hard to get to where I am. I have faced personal and professional challenges and come out the other side a wiser person; I have dedicated my entire adult life to literature, to feminism, to research, so I do know what I’m talking about.
But that’s not to say that academia is a meritocracy, as it likes to pretend. I didn’t get here because I’m any better than my fellow PhDs, I got here through dogged determination and luck. I am really committed to democratising my relative successes in any way I can, including sharing my experiences and resources, and working from within to make academia a less hostile place for marginalised people.
Shelby’s advice for people hoping to navigate the academic job market after their PhD can be found on the University of Glasgow’s PGR blog: Navigating the Academic Job Market Post-PhD (from someone who’s just done it) — UofG PGR Blog
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