What’s Next? Running Toward Research After Graduation
Crossing the finish line of a doctoral program is a monumental achievement—equal parts exhilarating and exhausting. After the final dissertation defense, a new question inevitably arises: 👉 Now what?
For many of us, research wasn’t just a means to an academic end—it became part of our identity. Just like runners who train for months to complete a marathon, only to wonder what comes after race day, DBA graduates often ask themselves: 🗺️ Where do I go from here?
🔍 Find Your Next Research Route: Choosing your next research path can feel overwhelming without a structured course to follow. One way to get your footing is to return to what sparked your intellectual curiosity.
-
Was it a real-world problem you faced in your organization?
-
A question your dissertation left unanswered?
-
A new issue you’ve recently discovered?
Just like runners chart new routes to stay challenged, researchers need to explore fresh questions that stretch our thinking and keep our minds sharp.
🔥 Stay Motivated After the Finish Line: Without deadlines or dissertation committees, staying motivated is a challenge. But here’s the secret: 👉 Reconnect with your “why.”
For runners, it might be the clarity that comes with every mile. For researchers, it’s the thrill of discovery, the drive to make a difference, or the passion to uplift voices that aren’t often heard.
Join communities of practice. Collaborate with fellow researchers. Mentor others on the same path. Your spark doesn’t have to fade—it just needs oxygen.
📈 Run With Heart—And a Strategy: The best research blends passion and purpose. Choose topics that matter to you and make a difference in your industry or field. Think of it like race training: ❤️ Heart gets you started. 🧭 Strategy gets you across the finish line.
👟 Keep Running—The Road Doesn’t End Here: So, lace up those academic shoes—you’ve got more miles ahead. Post-graduation research isn’t about repeating the same route; it’s about building endurance for a lifelong journey of inquiry.
Whether you’re writing your next manuscript, launching a project, or chasing a brand-new idea… 🛤️ Keep running. The finish line was just the beginning.
Kelly A. Burich, DBA, MS, CVBL, CCFP
Kelly began her career in sports marketing and business consultation services, which included marketing management, strategic planning, and public relations planning. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from the University of Central Oklahoma and her Master of Organizational Leadership from Saint Ambrose University. Kelly earned her Doctor of Business Administration in May of 2025 from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.
Spending the last 20 years in the veterinary industry, Kelly has become an invested learner in marketing, management, leadership, and personal wellness associated with this industry. With her experiences, Kelly's love of education and learning has driven her research interest in emotional labor roles, resilience, burnout, and compassion fatigue. Comparable to other professions where care and empathy go hand-in-hand, stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue are prevalent in the veterinary industry and affect all members of the veterinary healthcare team. Kelly’s area of interest for her dissertation will review the benefits of teaching professional skill sets earlier in academia and throughout a graduate’s career to minimize burnout and compassion fatigue in the veterinary professions.
She has obtained professional designation as a Certified Veterinary Business Leader (CVBL) through NAVC, and earned her Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional (CCFP) designation in 2020. She is also the founder of "Sitch Consulting," her newest endeavor as a veterinary industry consultant. Kelly is also employed a… Read More
From Trenches to Theory: Beating Imposter Syndrome One Insight at a Time
