Same as http://www.slideshare.net/vrooje/2015-07-08-nam-careers-talk-for-slideshare but with presenter notes.

1. Building an Academic
Career
Brooke Simmons
University of Oxford
@vrooje
There are some basics that are obvious: write papers. check arXiv every day. lead/pioneer stuff. give talks and seminars.
This is more about how to survive so you can get those things done.
Trying to start a discussion, speaking in large part from personal experience & passing on advice.

2. Think you’re an impostor?
That’s okay.
So does everyone else.
Scratch the surface of people who've succeeded and you'll find many failures.

3. The academic job market
is shitty.
Make peace with that.
There *might* be 1 job for every 10 postdocs.
Lots of great people won’t end up with a permanent faculty position.
That’s a reflection on Astronomy, NOT on you.
Not getting an Astro lectureship is not a failure. Say that again.
Rejection is the norm; brace yourself. (I wish this weren’t so.)

4. Apply for things.
Don’t reject yourself before you even start.
Start small and build up:
Small grants, awards (self-nominate, esp non-whitemales), jobs, funding.
The best way to write a successful job application is to write and refine a lot of job applications. The path to the tenure track is paved with rejection letters.

5. Reach out.
This is hard for some people and that’s okay.
It’s important, though.
This is a general thing: ask questions in talks, find a mentor, cultivate a side project, etc.
Also:
Networking is important. Too important & biased (gendered, racialised, punishes shy people, unsocial people) & we should change that, but for the moment it’s reality.

6. Perfectionism must die.
Don’t be afraid to finish.
I find I’m really scared to put myself out there. So I try to make my work perfect.
And the more you work to make it perfect, the more vulnerable you feel, the worse the rejection (or anticipated rejection) hurts. Drives further perfectionism. Self-
brinksmanship.
This is an ongoing battle & it keeps me from writing papers.

7. Learn other things.
Whatever you’re interested in that you’re not already doing.
No time like the present to start. It’s okay if it’s unrelated to your work or seems like a risk.
.Astronomy - founder was interested in tech in astronomy & wanted to find others like him.
Now it’s an oversubscribed conference series that has helped many people find awesome jobs. And the founder was recruited by Google.

8. Live your life.
It’s okay to have one.
Workaholics are much less efficient. And they mostly think they work harder than they actually do.
Get out, get a different perspective, take a break. This is healthy.
This is GOOD for your work.

9. Live your life.
It’s great to have one.
Workaholics are much less efficient. And they mostly think they work harder than they actually do.
Get out, get a different perspective, take a break. This is healthy.
This is GOOD for your work.

10. Take care of yourself.
This is the most important thing.
Mental health issues are common in academia. Reject the stigma.
Superhero Syndrome is a recipe for burnout. Say “no” as needed. (Don’t apologise for it.)
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s okay to step back a little, ask for help.
Take a holiday. (I am terrible about this.)
People first, then science.

11. Everybody feels like an impostor sometimes.
Be realistic about the job market. Rejections are normal.
Don’t reject yourself: apply for things.
Reach out, even if it’s hard.
Perfectionism must die.
Keep learning & follow your interests.
Have a life. Really.
Take care of yourself. People first, then science.
The keys to the faculty club*
(maybe)
* in addition (but related) to publishing awesome papers.