Advancing Your Career: Getting and Making the Most of Your Doctorate
Reading this book was very exciting for me as a recent doctoral graduate. The descriptions of the doctoral process that the authors provide are great information for prospective doctoral candidates or those midway through their program....Brubaker and Brubaker depict a very accurate illustration of the doctoral process. They unveil the intricacies that are not normally discussed and only revealed to most candidates once they have entered into their programs. Their text focuses mostly on how a doctoral candidate can make the most of his or her new degree in the academy as faculty....Although the book does seem biased toward faculty positions on graduation, it is certainly a resource worth reviewing by those who plan to enter into doctoral study.(Teachers College Record)This is the book that all doctoral students, advisors, and supervisors need to read to know what to do next. It maximizes the fun and worthwhile aspects of completing the thesis and degree while remaining realistic to the fact that it may not all be a bed of roses. The authors helped me hear the voices of the students—the caring, striving, thriving, and surviving. (John Hattie, director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute, University of Melbourne and author ofVisible Learning: A Synthesis)Brubaker and Brubaker bring together the unique perspectives of the experienced doctoral chair and newly-minted doctoral faculty member to help students and prospective students answer the why, what, and how questions of the doctoral education process. Tangible resources for navigating each stage of the process are provided, helping the student move from the initial idea of doctoral studies and self-assessment of readiness, through the myriad of activities and requirements of the doctoral program, to career entry and ultimately using one's degree to become a successful agent of change. Faculty as well as students will find this a useful, even essential, resource for decision-making and advising and for meeting the spoken as well as unspoken and unwritten requirements of the highest level of academic experience. (Jane Myers, professor of counseling and educational development, University of North Carolina at Greensboro)It's about time someone had the courage to talk about the joys and the challenges of doctoral study. InAdvancing Your Careerthe discussion is open, honest, and takes the mystery out of the process. It also provides students with a set of tools they can use to reflect on their own experience. The ability to critique your own work and to maneuver through the politics of the doctorate are as important as your skill as a researcher. That's exactly whyAdvancing Your Careeris such an important addition to the literature.(Ronald Williamson, professor of educational leadership, doctoral program coordinator, Eastern Michigan University)Brubaker and Brubaker have created a wonderful, detailed map that simplifies and demystifies the often grueling journey of obtaining a doctorate. This book provides invaluable information and insight for every step of the doctoral process and gives readers an honest account of the hurdles to come as well as provides them with the tools to prevail. I only wish such a book had existed to help me navigate my own doctoral journey. (Blaire Cholewa, assistant professor, counselor education, Kean University)This book makes an especially nice contribution to doctoral students because it addresses every step in the doctoral process—from determining which program to consider to what to do with this degree after graduation. It does a nice job of "bookending" the whole doctoral process. I don’t know of another book that does that, and this information is needed.  I also found the appendices very helpful. This book will be very useful to our students.(Sandra Harris Ph.D, professor and director of the Center for Doctoral Studies in Educational Leadership, Lamar Univeristy, Beaumont, Texas)I will recommend to my doctoral students that this is the book they should purchase. I will also share the book with colleagues for use in their classes.(Betty Alford, professor and chair, Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership, Stephen F. Austin State University)I continue to read and enjoy your book. As a doctoral student, the appendices have given me a combination of "ah-ha" and "if only I had known" moments.(Thomas A. DeLuca, doctoral student in educational leadership, Michigan State University)This book is enjoyable to read, and I find it terrific that Michael and Dale Brubaker have written something directly for people who are CONSIDERING a doctoral program, as well as for others.(Carolyn Riehl, professor of education policy and social analysis, Teachers College, Columbia University)I would highly recommend this book to anyone considering doctoral study as well as those already beginning the journey toward the degree. This book is based upon the experiences of doctoral students and graduates of doctoral programs and illustrated through snapshots or vignettes. Through the practical experiences of these individuals, the reader is given a blueprint for success from application through each of the benchmarks that are required along the way towards successful completion. The book provides an orientation to doctoral study that will help the student navigate the complex system. Recent studies by the Council of Graduate Schools have shown that on average only 57% of those entering doctoral study will graduate at the end of a ten year period. Many of the pitfalls that overcome students are identified in this text and insights are provided that will serve the student well.(William R. Wiener Ph.D, dean of The Graduate School, The University of North Carolina, Greensboro)Advancing Your Career: Getting and Making the Most of Your Doctorateby Michael Brubaker and Dale Brubaker leverages the unique curricular perspective in the context of students’ doctoral journey and the various stages from applicant, to candidate, to graduate. The appendixes should not be missed, as these offer additional invaluable insights about the power of critique and attitudes towards re(vision) and more. Students are intimately engaged by the authors in personal, professional conversation that is friendly as well as frank in the important messages shared about success—not only in skills development but also leadership dispositions. Readers are guided in the process of enriching their “inner curriculum” by influencing their “outer curriculum” through such empowering means as knowing how to interpret the cultural mores of graduate school in order to forge positive, productive relationships with advisors, committees, and others. Like one of my own books,A Graduate Student Guide: Making the Most of Mentoring, this book affirms the pervasive need for students to develop the mindset of a committed scholar within higher education communities that must be constantly digested, negotiated, and interpreted. The Brubaker brand is a must-read for any doctoral student, inside or outside education, who will want to understand how to be successful in today’s very challenging learning environment.(Carol A. Mullen Ph.D, professor and chair, Department of Educational Leadership & Cultural Foundations, University of North Carolina at Greensboro; and president, National Council of Professors of Educational Administration, 2012-2013)