Special Session: How International Scholars Maneuver Doctoral and Early Career Obstacles in new Environments beyond Academic Walls: An Abstract

While all young academics and doctoral candidates face difficulties acclimating to new surroundings, international scholars often manage additional uncertainties beyond the academic walls. Some of these obstacles that are unique to faculty members and doctoral students shifting their lives to the USA range from adjusting to the US education system and social life, navigating a foreign job market, to teaching in an environment that might embrace different cultural and social norms. This special session focuses on how to manage these difficulties and to succeed in a career that transforms not only the professional but also the personal elements of the individual. A lot of times there are limited resources available to international students on how to maneuver the doctoral and early career journey. Faced by these challenges, international students find themselves inclining towards some unfortunate stereotypes of sticking together for comfort. While working together with peers might help provide a comfort zone, in the end it results to negative consequences that may hurt a student during job search, dissertation committees and getting tenure. It is essential for international students to participates in activities that are going to help them expand their network early enough in their career journey. Some of the things they can do include, joining organizations, going to conferences, and participating in conferences by either reviewing, presenting, or acting as session chairs. Moreover, international students should consider their personal goals when navigating the job market, for example, research preferences, workload threshold, and geographic locations. Lastly, young academicians need to keep in mind the weight of each of the three pillars of academic life: research, teaching and service. International scholars are encouraged to reach out to researchers in their areas for collaboration, to seek advice and feedback from colleagues in teaching, and to be actively involved in conferences for networking and collaboration opportunities.