Department of English

• Thursday, April 24, 2025 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Virtual

Many graduate students and recent PhDs choose to freelance because of a combination of financial precarity and genuine interest. Often, the opportunity emerges when an advisor, a colleague, or a personal connection reaches out for short-term support with a specific project, such as an academic manuscript index, a dissertation copyedit, or a college-bound teenager’s personal essay. The ad hoc freelancer accepts the offer, excels, and stumbles into a growing side hustle without any marketing at all. If this is you, make no mistake: you are a business owner.

From an entrepreneurial perspective, being sought after in this way is a strong sign that there is a market for your services. Many early-career scholars in this position, however, lack the clarity, confidence, and language to advocate for themselves as business owners. Once you recognize the true value of your services, you will be well-positioned to ask for what you want and seek out the opportunities that work best for you.

This workshop will prompt you to translate your strengths into services. You will be invited to take stock of what you already bring to the table and unpack the complexity of your skill set so that you can clarify what you want to offer and communicate the value of that offer to potential clients and employers. You will learn to:

• Recognize the skills you already have.
• Identify a service you could offer by tomorrow.
• Communicate your value to a potential client or employer.

This session is designed for grad alumni, grad students, faculty, and grad advocates in any field. More details here: https://www.alumni.upenn.edu/s/1587/gid2/16/interior.aspx?sid=1587&gid=2...

Questions?

Email: jwiseley@upenn.edu