INTRODUCING
AURORA
BY BEYOND THE PROFESSORIATE
Learn the step-by-step process of a successful job search, so you don’t waste time pursuing jobs that won’t be fulfilling or engaging.
AURORA is the only online professional development training platform for graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and PhDs that helps you successfully move through the 4 stages of career transition. This research-driven platform is informed by nearly a decade of experience supporting PhDs to launch new careers with their skills and training.
Trusted by over 30 institutions (and growing), Aurora is finally being opened up to support individual subscribers.
Current subscribers include (click to view and log into Aurora via your institution)
- American Academy of Religion
- American Anthropological Association *
- Arizona State University
- Bowling Green State University
- Brandeis University
- Case Western Reserve University
- Emory University
- Fordham University
- Michigan State University
- New York University
- Northwestern University *
- Oklahoma State University
- Oregon State University
- Rutgers University – New Brunswick
- Rutgers University – Newark
- Southern Methodist University
- Syracuse University
- University of California – Santa Cruz
- University of Florida *
- University of Georgia
- University of Guelph
- University of Kentucky
- University of Maryland – College Park
*coming soon
After nearly a decade of helping PhDs transition into nonacademic careers, Beyond the Professoriate has developed a streamlined proven process that works if you are:
Just getting started with exploring nonacademic career options, but you don’t know what kind of jobs you can even get with your PhD.
Stuck in neutral with no idea of how or where to start a nonacademic job search.
Struggling with a postdoc or academic position you don’t love and want to find better options.
Applying for professional jobs but not having the success you’ve hoped for.
Ready to put in effort to find a financially and professionally rewarding career.
You’re in the right place. AURORA will give you the knowledge, tools, and guidance you need so that you can get paid for your skills and experience. We’ll teach you the most effective way to get a nonacademic job you actually enjoy.
After completing programming in Aurora you will have:
01
Confidence in Your Chosen Career Path
and forever solve the problem of “What can I do with my PhD?” Learn how to leverage your education into a new career pathway, so that you can get paid for your skills and experience.
02
The Foundational Framework to Successful Career Transitions
Take the guesswork out of the job search process, and stop throwing resumes at the wall hoping something will stick. You’ll learn the step-by-step process of a successful job search, and stop wasting time with common mistakes PhDs make in failed job searches.
03
The Skills to Nail Your Job Documents
Say goodbye to all those little questions about how to move from your academic CV to a professional resume. Learn how to nail your job documents, so that you can identify your value to employers and catch their attention.
04
Overcome Fear of Career Change
With Aurora’s one-of-a-kind career exploration library, you’ll leave behind any fears you have about nonacademic careers. Hear from hundreds of PhDs so that you can get the perspective you need to find a nonacademic job you enjoy. The stakes of leaving academia change when you hear from other successful PhDs.
05
The Know How to Engage Employers
By getting clear and recognizing your worth in industry, you’ll be able to confidently talk to employers in any career sector. The clarity and confidence you’ll gain in your skills will serve you throughout your professional career.
But above all else...
AURORA will give you the skills, strategy, and resources that will allow you to confidently give yourself the foundation for a successful career transition out of academia.
This is the gift that keeps on giving — once you know your value and worth to professional employers, you’ll find a new kind of career security.
Career security means you’ll be able to change jobs if you want. You’ll be able to move cities. You’ll be able to increase your salary. You’ll be able to join new projects, colleagues, companies. You’ll be empowered to pursue new options.
Career security means being empowered to build a professional career and life you love.
"My journey from a scared, anxious, imposter-syndrome-ridden visiting faculty member to a much more confident enthusiastic user experience research would not have been possible
without Maren’s expert advice and recommendations; supportive but honest feedback; tailored training on translating my skills and experiences into industry language and documents…. and much, much more.
To Sum It Up: AURORA will Transform Your Future Career
Just a Few Notes from our Amazing Alumni
"I secured a job in less than six months... I joined an existing team to start out, and within six months was promoted to my current role of Research Manager--a true dream-of-a-role for me."
"[Maren] has become a critical source of practical advice for me in my career shift. Dr. Wood outlines a step-by-step process based on her research on how academics land satisfying non-academic jobs."
"I was blown away by the comprehensive contents on professional development offered on your platform."
"Maren's career transition programs are supported by a deep understanding and extensive experience with the journey that her clients... undergo."
What's Inside
Aurora, by Beyond the Professoriate
Step 1:
Know Your Options & Find Your Optimal Career Pathway™
Many PhDs skip the Discovery stage, which leads to frustration and job search failure. As the most important job search stage for ensuring you pursue careers meaningful to you, in this course Dr. Wood will help you quickly and effectively identify your strengths, skills, and potential career pathways. This foundational work will allow you to leverage your education into a career you find meaningful and intellectually stimulating.
Highlights of this course:
- Identify your skills in nonacademic careers.
- Discover what the world will pay you to do.
- Compose your PhD Career Transition Story with confidence.
Step 2:
Learn How to Master the Foundational Framework for PhD Career Transitions
In Aurora’s second course, you’ll learn the step-by-step process of executing a successful job search—from job documents, to LinkedIn and the secret key to a successful career transition. After completing this training, you’ll know how to recognize your worth in industry and confidently engage employers in any career sector.
Highlights of this course:
- Solve the question of how to persuade people to hire you.
- Create a LinkedIn profile that will engage employers.
- Unlock the #1 key to a successful career transition.
Step 3:
Execute a Job Search with Proven PhD Job Search Strategies
Now its time to master the job application process. Learn how to set goals, modify your resume, prepare for interviews, and negotiate your job offers. Implementing a job search comes easy when you’ve done the foundational work in Step 1 & 2.
Highlights of this course:
- Master your resume and know how different applications will be evaluated.
- Be confident and prepared to shine in your interviews and the hiring process.
- Know your value and how to negotiate a job offer.
Step 4:
Build Your New Career & Professional Sphere
With Aurora’s one-of-a-kind career exploration library, you’ll leave behind any concerns about nonacademic career pathways. You can listen to PhDs from all academic discipline, so that you can get the perspective you need to launch and build your new professional career.
Additional highlights for building your career:
- Aurora subscribers have exclusive access to monthly webinars hosted by Dr. Wood. These special topic webinars cover the emotional, psychological, and social barriers PhDs face in their job search — and how to overcome them.
- Hear from nearly 200 PhDs, so that you can get the perspective you need to find a nonacademic job you enjoy. The stakes of leaving academia change when you hear their success stories.
- Worksheets are designed to help guide PhDs through their own career transition process, and serve as a foundational framework for their job documents.
Here's what you'll get
when you enroll in Aurora by Beyond the Professoriate:
The Entire Beyond Prof 4-Step Framework for Career Transition
You’ll learn the step-by-step process of a successful job search, and stop wasting time with common mistakes PhDs make in failed job searches.
A Clear Roadmap for Intellectually Engaging Careers
Learn how to conduct a successful job search without giving up the intellectual work you love. Priorities change–what we want out of a job changes. You’ll learn how to launch a new career without giving up what’s important to you.
Attendance to Career Conferences and Special Events
Your subscription in Aurora includes attendance to any of our career events offered during the course of your enrollment. This includes events such as our Aurora-only career events, as well as our annual career conferences.
When you add it all up, that's a total value of over $800.
But because we're super excited about welcoming individuals into Aurora, you have the opportunity to enroll TODAY for just...
In case I missed anything, here's some frequently asked questions...
Well… let’s answer this with a few more questions.
- Are you exploring nonacademic career options but don’t know what kind of jobs you can get with your PhD?
- Are you stuck in your job search, with no idea of how or where to start?
- Are you struggling with a postdoc or academic position you don’t love and want to find better options?
- Are you applying for nonacademic jobs but not having the success you’d hoped for?
If you answered YES to any of these, then AURORA could be a great solution for helping you find your career path & take clear actions steps to move forward in your job search.
- The entire Beyond Prof 4-step framework for career transition with 6 month or 1 year access. The self-paced modules mean you can take as much, or as little, time as you need (value: $497)
- Yours-to-keep workbook and job search plans (value: $127)
- Access to any academic or career conferences hosted during your enrollment (value: $114)
Total value starting: $738 but you can get started today for $297 USD.
Yes, you can! You can access our Demo Site, which will give you limited access to Aurora’s curriculum and platform.
For 6 months access to Aurora: $297 USD.
For 12 month access to Aurora: $497 USD.
There’s a lot of career advice online you could wade through, but I’m guessing you’ve already done that and you’re frustrated with information overload (kind of like the awkward family conversations where everyone wants to give “helpful” advice about your future…).
This 4-step career transition process is unique to Beyond Prof and based on 7 years of research.
I’ve taken all that I’ve learnt working with hundreds of PhDs and compiled it into a clear system to follow so that you can avoid frustrating (and time-consuming) trial and error.
I totally understand a nonacademic job search can feel overwhelming — especially when you’ve got teaching, courses, and your academic work to complete.
But let’s think about what’s “overwhelming” here.
Typically, overwhelm happens because PhDs don’t have a step-by-step, proven process to help them plan for their nonacademic career. This 4-step process was created exactly BECAUSE the process is overwhelming without it.
You won’t be doing a million things at once in Aurora.
You’ll be following small steps, implementing lessons, and gradually getting breakthroughs that will have you eager to keep moving forward.
Follow the strategies in their proper order, and you’ll have a clear pathway to landing a position in future career.
Our annual career conference is a great introduction and crash course into the nonacademic job search.
AURORA, however, provides an in-depth guide to walking you through the 4 stages of career transition so you can effectively launch a nonacademic career.
If you are ready to dive into the world of nonacademic careers, AURORA will provide you with the step-by-step process for doing so.
Two things:
1) Aurora is a holistic platform for professional development and career transition. Inside Aurora you’ll find live events, multiple courses, and a career resource library to help you ease your anxieties about a nonacademic career. Attend events, conferences, and search our video library to hear from over 200 PhDs in nonacademic careers so that you can get the perspective you need to launch your job search.
2) Beyond Prof’s 4-stage career transition process is unique to our programming. Student feedback tells us that the 4-stage curriculum provides structure and clear action-steps in what can otherwise be an overwhelming process.
So... Are you ready to start your job search process the right way -- finding jobs you'll actually enjoy and setting yourself up for long-term career success?
You’ll be empowered to tackle your job search with confidence in your skills and strategies when you enroll in Aurora. Put our 4-step proven strategy to work, and your job search process will be transformed, preparing you for career success.
Behind the Scenes of Aurora
Dr. L. Maren Wood earned her PhD in early American history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After earning her PhD, Maren worked as an adjunct for several years before deciding to leave academia. She first worked as a consultant with the American Historical Association and the Chronicle of Higher Education, researching career outcomes for PhDs.
In 2017, she founded Beyond the Professoriate with the mission of empowering PhDs to consider the range of career options available to them in the creative economy. Aurora launched to institutional partners shortly after. Her work with PhDs in career transition has been featured in leading industry publications and peer reviewed books. She has also served as external advisor on committees such as the Council of Graduate Schools Humanities Advisory Committee.
Dr. Wood is a certified career coach with Strong Interest Inventory® Certification, and is regularly sought as a keynote speaker at national and international conferences. She also writes for Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Education.