Steve Tippins warns recent PhD graduates against immediately filling their time with new jobs and committees out of panic. Rest isn't laziness, he says, but essential recalibration. The person who finished the PhD is different from who began it, and clarity for real decisions comes after you stop moving.
You defended, you turned in paperwork, and now the panic hits. After years spent at full speed, you feel like you have to do something. Take a job, join a committee, say yes to everything. We've seen brilliant people accept roles that were wrong for them, not because they wanted them, but because they couldn't sit still. Rest is not laziness, it's recalibration. You are not the same person who started this program. Don't rush back to the guilt of who you used to be. That was a different version of you. Click Clarity becomes after rest, not before it. Comment scholar, and we will send you the link to our free Scholar Career Network. You've got this.
