Join our mentorship program for January 2026 to get matched with an industry mentor who understands your discipline!
Next Draft LLC offers a mentorship program that empowers PhD students with tailored guidance, networking opportunities, and skill development, enhancing their employability and professional success. Our mentorship program complements existing career services by breaking down myths and empowering graduate students to pursue a values-aligned career path with confidence.
Our Approach to Mentorship
Mentor Matching & Program Structure
Each January and May, we recruit for and run discipline-specific mentorship groups so that grad students can get tailored help that matches their disciplinary background. Students take a short, self-paced online intro about getting the most out of their mentorship experience and then meet with their mentors three times as a small group of 3 to 5 students during the six-week program.
Mentor Training & Compensation
We recruit, train, and guide mentors to ensure that they can support students in identifying and articulating transferable skills, exploring potential career pathways, and navigating the identity shift that can come with exploring non-academic career options. Our mentors are not volunteers — it is important to us that our mentors be compensated for their time to break the cycle of free labor in academia.
PhD Resources
Beyond mentorship, grad students can take advantage of weekly office hours with one of Next Draft LLC’s founders for additional support. We also have a free Slack community that serves graduate students at any stage of their search. Finally, we encourage students to consider taking a workshop with us to help dive into common issues with career exploration.
For January 2026, we are offering three mentorship groups: English, Psychology, and General Humanities. The program will run from January 5th - February 16th, 2026 (6 weeks).
As a participant of the Mentorship Program, you can expect the following:
Matching with an industry mentor holding a PhD in your discipline
Three one-hour meetings on Zoom with your mentor in a small group of no more than 5 people
Short, self-paced intro on “Getting the Most out of Mentorship”
Weekly office hours with Next Draft LLC founders during the program
Forever free Slack community for graduate students before, during, and after the program
Interested in participating, but don’t see your discipline? Let us know here! If we have enough interest, we will open up additional mentoring groups!
Are your financial circumstances preventing you from participating in the mentorship program? Please get in touch.
Are you looking to sponsor your students?
We welcome the chance to partner with your department or program! We believe that discipline-specific mentorship is a meaningful investment in your students’ futures. It allows staff and faculty to focus on what they do best while supporting students through multiple career paths. If you have one or more students that you would like to sponsor, please get in touch with us directly.
See you in January 2026!
“The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.”
— Steven Spielberg