What happens when a historian realizes the traditional academic path is no longer the right fit?

In this episode of Academics and Their Money, Neeka Miremadi and Inga Timmerman speak with career coach and entrepreneur Jennifer Polk about her journey from a “pre-K to PhD” academic path to building a business dedicated to helping PhDs find meaningful work beyond academia.

Jennifer reflects on earning a history PhD, navigating a challenging academic job market, and ultimately hiring her own career coach, a decision that helped shape the direction of her post academic career and led to the creation of From PhD to Life. She shares how this transition pushed her to develop a grounded, practical approach to money, one centered on understanding real living costs, consistently tracking spending, and making career decisions with clarity rather than fear.

The conversation explores what self employment actually looks like in practice, including income variability, lack of traditional benefits, retirement planning, and the realities of pricing one’s work. Jennifer also challenges common academic narratives around money, emphasizing that people with PhDs deserve to be paid fairly and do not need to apologize for valuing financial stability or success.

More broadly, this episode offers an honest look at career transitions beyond academia and speaks to anyone questioning their path, exploring self employment, or trying to build a healthier, more grounded relationship with money.