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Jo VanEvery

You are here: Home / Archives for Confidence

Self-Confidence

Posts in this category discuss self-confidence and the practices that build and maintain your confidence.

Risking doing the work you find meaningful

Posted on May 24, 2018 by Jo VanEvery

Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Risking doing the work you find meaningful A longstanding imaginary-friend-on-the-Internet, who now runs a very successful online business, once said that something I’d said to them years ago had been pivotal to their success. I had no idea what they were talking about. Apparently, back when we were both […]

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Lightbulbs hung on black strings from the ceiling of a long walkway next to a full size bookcase to the left, giving the impression the lights are lighting the way through the darkness metaphorically and realistically.

Being an academic in dystopian times: Valuing your academic work

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Jo VanEvery

Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Being an academic in dystopian times: valuing your academic work As I write this, there has been an escalation of white supremacist activity in the US, and the generally difficult political climate in both the US and the UK has not really become less difficult than when I wrote […]

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A person's hand opening up to reveal a small young seedling sprouting as if from their hand.

Reconnecting with the desire to write

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Jo VanEvery

Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Reconnecting with the desire to write I was talking with a client about writing and motivation recently. We started with “It’s really hard to write with a gun to your head.” which strikes me as a pretty widespread problem. Whether that metaphorical gun is the REF, the tenure process, […]

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A person holds up a colourful circular dart board to the camera where a green dart is perfectly positioned on the bullseye in the centre.

Do you need to be excellent?

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Jo VanEvery

Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Do you need to be excellent? I have written before about “doing your best” being a distraction and instead encouraged you to focus on doing good work. In this post, I want to extend that argument using a recently published scholarly article as a jumping off point. (You can […]

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You get a lot done

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Jo VanEvery

Your to-do list is long. It never seems to get any shorter does it? And many of the things on your list are long term projects with lots of sub-projects and tasks and whatnot. It seems like some of those things have been on your to do list forever. Some people will tell you to […]

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You aren’t trying to win an argument

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Jo VanEvery

For various reasons I’ve been thinking about what holds people back from submitting/publishing their work. Fear of criticism comes up a lot. As if somehow if someone doesn’t like it, or disagrees with it, it means you shouldn’t have published it, or the work was wasted or something. We are all searching for truth. That’s […]

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Do good work!

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Jo VanEvery

How often have you been in this position? Unable to move a project forward because you want to do your best? Best is a distraction. Best is an abstract goal. It is impossible to meet because there are no concrete indicators. Furthermore, best is a moving target. Future You will be a better scholar and […]

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A woman in cream suit stands at a meeting table full of seated colleagues looking up at her as she presents in a white office room that has large bright windows.

Taking on a leadership role

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Jo VanEvery Leave a Comment

 Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Taking on a leadership role Taking on a management/leadership role, even at the department level is a big deal. You might be really excited about the possibilities and have all kinds of plans for how you can make things better (for some value of “better”). But you also know […]

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Prestigious journals & wider impact

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Jo VanEvery Leave a Comment

Writing for scholarly journals and writing for wider impact are not mutually exclusive. The impact your work has outside of academia is partly dependent on the quality of the work and the respect that work has within relevant academic networks. Yes, we want evidence based policy and practice, but we also want that evidence to […]

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A photo of a classroom from the perspective of a student looking up at a classic green chalkboard of notes and a teacher stood nearby. The image has had a yellow tint filter added.

How does teaching make you feel?

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Jo VanEvery Leave a Comment

Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · How does teaching make you feel? Seriously. Do you look forward to it? Or do you dread it? Or something in between? Be honest with yourself, even if that’s hard. You can’t change anything until you look the problem (if there is one) squarely in the face. A lot […]

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New Academic Year roundup

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Jo VanEvery Leave a Comment

The spiral-like nature of your academic life is particularly evident at the beginning of the academic year. No matter how experienced you are, it is always a bit chaotic. It offers the possibility of doing things better, or at least differently, this year. It is easy to approach a new year with your eyes on […]

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A Person holds a clear lightbulb upside down in their palms but the glass bulb is filled with tiny yellow fairy lights instead being cradled and looked after by the person.

On valuing your work

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Jo VanEvery 1 Comment

Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · On valuing your work I came across a blog post by an artist that resonated with things I know academics also experience. I’d like to share it with you. The post is Artist’s Statement — Part Two at The Pale Rook. In it, the author talks about her own […]

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