Graduate students have important decisions to make about their future. Do they want to head out into the job force? Do they use their entrepreneurial drive to launch their own company? Or perhaps a life of research and teaching in academia is the preference?

The third annual SHIFT Professional Development Conference for graduate students will be held Thursday, April 21 from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Plaza Building at Brock University. It’s open to graduate students, as well as fourth-year undergrads who are making the transition into grad studies.

This year’s conference will focus on the themes of self-discovery, transferable graduate skills and career action.

Following an opening keynote address by Madelyn Law, Associate Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Brock, there will be information sessions from 30 speakers covering topics such as:

• Pursuing an academic career:From PhD to PostDoc; The Academic Interview; Enterprising Researcher
• Taking career action:Career Options; Making the Most of Linked In; Upskilling Grad Skills for Emerging Fields; How to Showcase your Skills in a Resume; Wowing an Employer in an Interview; What are Employers looking for?
• Finding meaningful and ethical work:Working for Change
• The creative:Modern Cultural Worker; Performing the Text
• Enterprising research:Buzz about Big Data; Researcher ventures
• Those that love equations:Algorithms; Metrics; Digital; Math meets Science meets Hockey
• Those considering self-employment:An Entrepreneur’s Roadmap; Consulting+management; Entrepreneurial/intrapreneurial ventures

The information sessions will be delivered by a mix of Brock alumni, faculty and staff, as well as industry professionals. A closing address and a SHIFT Mixer networking event will take place in the Scotiabank Atrium of Cairns Complex starting at 4 p.m.

The SHIFT Conference is presented by the VITAE Essential Skills Partners and co-sponsored by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, Career Services, Graduates Students’ Association and Brock University Alumni Association.

Registration closes Wednesday, April 13. To see the full conference schedule, visit gradshiftconference.ca.