Episode Eight: Pursuing the dream of being a professor with Germaine Chan
A PhD was the final requirement Germaine Chan needed to land her dream job as a professor. Yet, the pathway to earning a PhD was anything but straightforward.
It first meant believing that attending university was even possible. Then, once that hurdle had been overcome, Germaine started down the PhD path in her 30s, but life got in the way. Two decades later, fueled by a personal crisis and a well-placed online ad, she connected with Athabasca University. Now, Dr. Chan has completed her degree and landed one of a small handful of tenure track academic jobs in Canada. We talk about....
- How early family life can shape our expectations around education
- The importance of finding what you love (accounting!) and having a role model
- Why Germaine quit doing a PhD and what made her return to finish it
- How Germaine connected with Athabasca University and why this PhD program was a great fit
- Finding a community to support what can be a long and lonely journey
- Thoughts on online learning from both the student and teacher perspectives
A huge THANKS to our season sponsors, Athabasca University, Canada's online university.
Find other great podcasts on the Alberta Podcast Network.