How to be an academic: The thesis whisperer reveals all

by Inger Mewburn

Welcome to the world of university academics, where the Academic Hunger Games, fuelled by precarious employment conditions, is the new reality – a perpetual jostle for short-term contracts and the occasional plum job. But Inger Mewburn is here to tell you that life needn’t be so grim.

A veteran of the university ‘gig economy’, Mewburn – aka The Thesis Whisperer – is perfectly placed to reflect on her experience and offer a wealth of practical strategies to survive and thrive. Here, she deftly navigates the world of the working academic, from thesis and article writing and keeping motivation alive, to time management, research strategies, new technologies, applying for promotion, sexism in the workplace, writing grant applications, and deciding what to wear to give a keynote address.

Constructive, inclusive, hands-on, and gloves-off, How to be an Academic is a survival manual for aspiring and practising academics that will confirm that no matter what your experience in academia, you are not alone.

Genres: Academia, Science, Nonfiction

328 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have an academic crush on Inger. Whilst I've read her blogs over the years this book, with everything in the one place, is the perfect nodding companion to post PhD life.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for those starting out in post-PhD careers, particularly for those who have gotten real-world experience before or during study.
Like many of these books, is very US-centric. Some of the ideas wouldn’t work in Australia, and many aspects of “the tenure track” do not apply outside of the US.
However, someone at the end of their PhD journey should be able to extrapolate out the pieces that are relevant.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, but felt like it was targeting PhD students/early career researchers who actually had a bit of a career before doing a PhD, which made it slightly less relatable for me. Still, there's lots of good advice in here for anyone in the early stages of a research career. It's good to have so many of the bite-sized advice pieces from Inger's blog in one nicely compiled book.

[Romany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gritty and real, and sometimes a bit sad. I feel lucky to be working in the "adjacent possible" of the university library, but I also want to plough into academia thoughtlessly, with another human supporting me financially. What? Not possible, you say? Yeah. I kind of already knew that. Oh well.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to read this again straight away. There is so much practical and useful information for anyone considering academic life. It's also a valuable insight for those of us on the 'professional' side of academia who want to understand what happens on the other side.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing inside look at Academia. Grateful to have found this book and get a real glance at what academic life would be like.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

“It depends on what you think is the most important product of a PhD: the dissertation document or the person.”

[Gillian RB · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of the best Thesis Whisperer blogs in one book. Recommended for PhD students.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book. I have not yet started my PhD, but it was certainly an eye opener. It has given me several strategies that I can work on over the next few years and helped me set realistic expectations.