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Lost after PhD

E

Hello,

I was an old member here, I finished my PhD in 2015 from a university in Switzerland with a high degree and then published my thesis as a book by a remarkable academic publisher. One month after my defence, my son was diagnosed with autism, We had medical and therapy appointments every day, as well as looking after his sister, I stayed in this cycle for two years, despite my conviction that my son's diagnosis was wrong and that he is a normal child, and this turned out later. I wasn't working during those two years. I left Switzerland after that, and worked at the university in another country for two years, before I had to quit my job to move to another country due to family reasons. Again, I searched for a job and started working in an online university. I am trying to find a job in a "real" university, but The interruption in my job experience, and my failure to publish articles during this period constitute a major flaw in the CV. I drowned in teaching, preparing courses and supervising students Master thesis, as well as my great commitments as a mother with the feeling that my efforts are never appreciated. I feel that I am unable to write any article, especially in English, even though I wrote my thesis in English. How can I overcome this state of loss and a sense of failure?

T

May I suggest a redirection? Have you thought about science communication, journal editorial/publishing roles, etc? If this door closes, then look at a different door. You have many skills that can be repurposed for a different role. May you be open to change.

E

How to apply for journal editorial? should I send my CV to the journals in my filed? I will try to focus on publishing, even if I am afraid to apply to Scopus journals. Several years ago an oxford journal in my filed sent me an article for peer review, is it normal to send them to remind them with myself>
?

T

Write down a list of journals that you want to approach. Then on LinkedIn, see if you can find someone working in those journals and arrnage a meeting to ask them how they got in and what the criteria are.

Start from the bottom, maybe as an intern or publishing assistant. You don't know anything about the publication cycle and process and will need to learn from scratch. Apply through Job sites or through the people you talk to.

All the best!

E

Many thanks

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