In the first few weeks/months of a grad program, you’re inundated with new concepts and vocabulary – what discipline-specific language should you know? What research tools will you be using? What are some respected journals in this field?
If you’re considering a career outside of academe, you may run into unfamiliar language, but fear not! This, too, is something you can learn. Here are a few examples:
| Academic-ese | Business-ese |
| interdisciplinary | cross-functional |
| town hall | all-hands meeting |
| seminar | professional development |
Christopher Caterine offers advice for improving communication skills while looking beyond the academy. https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2022/01/04/importance-learning-lingo-jobs-outside-academe-opinion
To put a finer point on it, being understood is the only objective that truly matters when you are trying to apply your Ph.D. outside the lab or library.
