The ASPET Mentoring Network: Coaching for Career Development is a program designed to supplement the training that graduate students and postdoctoral trainees receive through their university programs. The ASPET Mentoring Network will focus on developing skills needed to succeed scientifically, professionally, and psychologically, including discussions about experiences and pressures faced by groups that are underrepresented in the sciences. As a professional development experience, the program uses a coaching model to help participants develop success skills for a variety of careers, including but not limited to academia, industry, government, and policy.
The 2021-2022 program will be virtual and is planned to run from June 2021 through April 2022. The program will begin with an orientation session for all participants to meet each other and learn about the program expectations and structure. After the orientation session, trainees will become part of a six-person coaching group with an assigned mentor. Once a month, there will be a webinar on a career and professional development topic such as networking, communicating your science, self-promotion, skills for job searches, wellness and resilience, and other topics frequently identified as important to professional growth. These webinars are recorded and can be watched on-demand in case a participant cannot attend the live session. Following each webinar, the coaching groups will meet separately for more in-depth discussion of the topics, including opportunities to talk about any questions, issues, or concerns they are experiencing in their own professional path. All meetings will occur on Zoom or a similar platform.
