An Arizona State University project, supported by the National Science Foundation

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Table of Contents

 

What is CareerWISE?

CareerWISE is free, online, personal and professional coaching and support for women pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) doctoral degrees.

Why does the CareerWISE website require me to register and create an account?

CareerWISE is an ongoing research project.  Data that are collected through registration will support research efforts by the CareerWISE team.  Your participation in this research—through use of the site—is a valuable contribution to the research on women in science and engineering.  No individual identifying information will be reported.  All information gathered is stored securely and kept entirely confidential. The CareerWISE team will not use nor disclose any information about you without your consent unless we are required to do so by law and we will never give any of your personal information to advertisers or to anyone outside of the CareerWISE research team.  To create an account on the CareerWISE site, click here. 

Do I need to be affiliated with Arizona State University (ASU) to have a CareerWISE account?

 Definitely not!  CareerWISE is available to anyone who registers. Your username and password are associated only with the CareerWISE project and not with ASU authentication.  If you are visiting us for the first time, please create a new account by clicking here—it’s free and we won’t be sharing any identifying information with anyone outside the research team!

Why is it important that a resource like CareerWISE exists?

Women are making it through to PhD programs, but are not making it out.  Attempts to improve the climate for women in doctoral programs are critical, but we also need to find a way to build resilient women right now rather than waiting for chilly climates to warm up.  The CareerWISE resource provides the coaching and support to help women succeed in their current environments. 

Why should users trust the CareerWISE resource?

The CareerWISE resource was created by an interdisciplinary team of experts from fields including counseling psychology, psychology, engineering, computer science, and educational technology (see list on About page) with generous support from the National Science Foundation.  The content is current, significant, and relevant; scholarly references are also provided for all content pieces.  Additionally, the site’s effectiveness was formally evaluated using a nationwide randomized clinical trial.  Details of this study can be found at:  http://www.asu.edu/careerwise/researchbrief.pdf

What topics are covered on the CareerWISE resource?

The site provides advice from accomplished women in science and engineering, information about common concerns women face in STEM fields, training to solve personal and interpersonal problems, modules to strengthen skills, and tips for addressing specific questions or concerns.

How much time does it take to use the CareerWISE resource?

The CareerWISE resource can be used for as little or as much time as a visitor would like.  It is designed so that a visitor could browse the large variety of content or quickly find content related to a specific topic. 

Why is CareerWISE designed specifically for women? 

Since women are outnumbered in STEM doctoral programs, in addition to the usual stresses of graduate school, they frequently face additional challenges. 

Is this resource only useful for women?

 The material on the CareerWISE site should be particularly useful to women in science and engineering environments.  Examples are drawn specifically from science and engineering environments where there are few women, but skills and content are applicable to a wide variety of people and circumstances.

Why does CareerWISE focus on doctoral students rather than focusing on problems earlier in the STEM pipeline?

 Doctoral students are women who have already decided on STEM as a primary area of interest and have been competitive in gaining admission to these programs, but still complete the programs at a lower rate than men.  CareerWISE is geared toward and supports women who are tempted to leave programs and STEM careers because of discouraging experiences.

What’s next for the CareerWISE resource?

The CareerWISE research program is currently working to broaden the resource’s content to provide in-depth training on the specific topic of communication.  The CareerWISE environment will also be expanded to include interactive simulations made up of multiple critical-incident scenarios.

How can I find out more about the CareerWISE research project?

Our informational site, at http://www.asu.edu/careerwise, gives additional information and documentation about the CareerWISE research program. 

What if my question isn’t answered here?

Please feel free to contact us with any additional questions and concerns at:  http://careerwise.asu.edu/contact.  As questions come in, we will continue to keep this FAQ document updated.