Jan Secrist

"This book will serve as a light-hearted but strong life-line to many readers who are for one reason or another steeling themselves to walk away from the ivory tower." --Jennifer Lee Carrell, Free-lance writer This book provides concrete advice and support for readers moving from the advanced academic world to the real world. The authors cover all the big issues including skill and interest assessment, writing effective resumes and cover letters, preparing for interviews, and evaluating job offers. Written in a lively, engaging style that from a "been there, done that" perspective, this is exactly the kind of information people need when academia unravels around them.

Practical, comprehensive, and readable, Secrets for a Successful Dissertation is designed for doctoral candidates at or near the beginning of the dissertation stages of their academic programs. Combining humor with actual student stories, Secrets offers the doctoral candidate a poignant and motivational guide to assist in hurtling the perils of each dissertation phase. Each chapter offers a view of the dissertation process that is beyond the academic and addresses the emotional and mental stresses that often accompany the process itself. Secrets for a Successful Dissertation is meant to encourage each doctoral candidate toward beating the overwhelming odds of "ABD-dom." Doctoral candidates will find Secrets a book that provides a sense of reality and a "road map" with helpful hints not often told to students by any faculty.