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“Attending LCL 2021 completely transformed my career. The Conversation Design course in particular was very well-designed – it gave me a whole new set of skills in an area I had never even heard of before. The course also included priceless instruction on how to showcase those skills for prospective employers, which I have successfully done in analytical and design-thinking exercises during multiple job interviews (common in Conversation Design), landing me a job – twice! LCL as a whole offered me a springboard from which I could dive deeper and forge my own career path, using tried and tested methods. I have used the “building an everything-resume” exercise to discover my own potential, followed tips to help me build a network and confidently conduct informational interviews, and even passed on tips to non-linguist friends. Most of all, LCL helped me understand that it was possible to guide even my first job-hunt by asking, “What do I really want to do, what makes me happy?” This attitude shift has helped me land offers commensurate with my professional value, recognize and reject jobs where I would be undervalued, and know what to do when there are periods of unemployment due to a difficult job market. Would recommend any course or bootcamp by this fantastic team!”
“LCL 2021 was invaluable in preparing me for a career transition into the tech industry. As a linguist, I gained crucial insights into the roles and pathways best suited for my background. The program provided hands-on tutorials about interviews and resumes. Moreover, I built essential professional networks and received expert feedback on my job search preparations. LCL systematically equipped me with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate a competitive job market. Their comprehensive approach ensured I entered the tech job search feeling confident and well-prepared.”
“After LCL, my resume, LinkedIn, and Indeed profiles’ attention increased exponentially. I went from applying to dozens of jobs and not hearing back from 95% of them to hearing back and being submitted for consideration at about 50-60% of them. I accepted 3 offers in the following 6-ish months (one temporary, one part-time, one full-time, all contractor roles).”
“In the fall/summer following LCL I applied for 4 jobs, interviewed for 3 of them, and got 1 job offer (which I happily took!). This definitely counts as “life-changing”. I was able to take a really targeted approach to my application process thanks to LCL.”
“I have a much better idea of the kind of jobs I’m interested in, and I’ve become more comfortable with networking. I’ve also been spreading the word in my department (and beyond) about careers outside of academia and I’ve received some positive acknowledgment for my efforts.”
“I think that one big reason for the success of the LCL is that it was so well run, and the organizers created a safe space for everyone.”
“I’m a Language Engineer (II) (and I negotiated my salary, even though I was terrified that something would go wrong). There was some overlap between finishing my dissertation and starting work, so I was never unemployed which was a HUGE relief for me (to have income and health insurance). Since then, I gave my friend advice on navigating the interview process, and she landed herself a job as a linguist in tech – I advised her to negotiate her salary to be $55K more than what they had initially offered her – and they gave her exactly what she asked for!”
“It helped me connect to a lot of resources and to realize I’m not alone in the struggle of finding a job in the field; it helped a lot to point out that the systems in the industry are flawed but we can learn to use them to our advantage anyway.”
“I’m much more confident and connected to linguists outside academia, and I feel like I know how to grow a support network and continue to grow and find new opportunities in my career. It also gave me a sense of belonging...leaving academia is very lonely at first, and painful…but LCL was very visually compelling because I could just see right away that there were many other students in my same position. I wasn’t an anomaly.”
“It changed me in a positive way. I feel like I have all the tools, resources, and support networks I need to smoothly transition out of academia.”
“It meant so much to me that the organizers were almost all women, and that there were so many female panelists. As a woman, I have received my fair share of bad/ineffective career advice from the men around me. The same rules just do not apply. When I saw all of these successful women in advanced career positions, right away it made me feel like I had come to the right place. I went from nervous/skeptical to excited during that intro session – partly because of all the non-academic careers that were highlighted, and partly because it was one woman speaking after another! I felt like maybe I did belong after all. I started LCL because I didn’t know what else to do, so I thought why not give it a try … but I stayed because of the amazing women, and all the organizers, teachers, panelists, and speakers that contributed to LCL every day. I went to sessions on topics that I was pretty sure I wouldn’t pursue as a career just to hear another incredible woman talk about her journey.”
“I’m so grateful to the organizers for making this happen. LCL happened at exactly the right time in my Ph.D. program, and it really changed the way I viewed myself, my goals, and my ideas about being a “successful” linguist. I’ve also passed along LCL resources to colleagues and students who are interested in careers beyond academia, and I’ve worked with my department to improve education about non-academic career exploration.”
“One thing that has become clear to me is the importance of finding a community that understands what you’re going through, truly recognizes and values your skills and knowledge, and actively wants to uplift and support you in your career journey. I’m so grateful for the vulnerability that fellow attendees have shown, and I’m more inspired than ever to share what I’ve learned with others so that they don’t have to go through the terrifying process of leaving (or considering leaving) academia alone and unsupported. Grad school is already a confusing, isolating, and overwhelming experience, so it means so much to me that we now have a repository of resources and advice in addition to a supportive community. I can’t wait to pay it forward!”
“This event was amazing. It was clear how much thought everyone was putting into making this event as helpful as possible for all of us, coming from various fields, angles, experiences, and periods in the process of job searching and transitioning out of academia. I also appreciated the few academics with industry experience too, to learn about their experience in academia too.”
“Thank you! My department sort of shuns people who want to be outside of academia, and provides zero support for professional development. We have a seminar on professionalism which is ONLY about jobs in academia. It was so valuable to know that I am not alone in that! I really hope we can keep the LCL community!”
“LCL has changed the way I look at myself. For a long time I have been working on rebuilding myself from the negative impacts of academic life – nothing has moved me along this path to self-confidence quite as much as LCL has. Life circumstances that seemed insurmountable hurdles (including visa) I now treat as “well I can still apply for jobs and if I get one we’ll figure it out” – I am no longer restricting what I will TRY based on feeling that I am doomed to fail. You can’t put a price on this experience. (But if you had to, I would pay more, even!)”