ABOUT
Career transitions are rarely just a job change; they’re an identity shift.
Leaving a familiar career path (especially academia) can be disorienting. You’ve built deep expertise and professional identity, and now you’re asking:
“What’s next for me?”
I know that question well because I’ve lived it.
After nearly two decades in academia, I made my own transition beyond academia. That experience is the foundation of my work today: supporting professionals and organisations to navigate career change with clarity, confidence, and sustainable strategy, whether the next step is industry, entrepreneurship, or freelancing.
How I support clients
For organisations (cultural, academic, research organisations)
I design and implement mentoring and career development initiatives with measurable impact. My work supports retention, reduces burnout and disengagement, and translates mentoring into structured, reportable outcomes for stakeholders and funders.
Typical engagements include:
Mentoring programme design, implementation, and coordination
Career transition and burnout prevention workshops
Internal mentoring, reflection, and evaluation support
For experienced professionals
My focus: transitions from academia to industry, entrepreneurship, and portfolio careers.
Ways to work with me:
Career Strategy Session — “Clarity Focus” (90 min, 1:1)
Career Acceleration Plan (4 sessions over 6–8 weeks)
Strategic Career Growth Programme (10 sessions over 4–6 months)
These programmes are designed for experienced professionals and are often funded through professional development (CPD) or organisational budgets.
I’m a professional mentor, freelance archaeologist, and entrepreneur with nearly 20 years of international academic and cultural heritage experience. I hold EMCC-aligned training and currently hold coordination/mentor roles in:
EMCC Romania MOZAIC
PWN Vienna Mentoring Program
EAA Early Career Archaeologists Program
Continuous development
BA, MA, and PhD in history & archaeology
EMCC-accredited mentor & coach
Mentoring Foundation: EMCC Global Quality Award for Coach/Mentor Training
Mentoring Program at the Austrian Academy of Sciences
My background (in brief)
Mentoring experience
PWN Vienna – Mentoring Program
Mentor & Mentee Coordinator | 2024–Present
EMCC Romania – MOZAIC Reciprocal Mentoring Program
Mentor & Coordination Member | 2024–Present
European Association of Archaeologists (EAA)
Mentor & Program Coordinator, Early Career Archaeologists Program | 2023–Present
Professional Mentoring Practice (Freelance)
Career transitions & skill transfer specialist | 2022–Present
Collaborations
It’s OK to Change Your Mind
If you’ve ever felt trapped by your own resume or worried your best chapters are behind you, this conversation opens a door. Hit play, rethink your next step, and if it resonates, share it with someone who needs permission to pivot.
Digging deeper: archaeology and (self-)discovery
Alexandra Dolea is an archaeologist and professional mentor. After two decades in academia and fieldwork, she transitioned from the trenches of archaeological digs to support professionals facing career crossroads. Her most important discovery? Herself.
Is the career you’ve dedicated your life to no longer working for you?
Now is the time to make your most important discovery: yourself.
Testimonials
“Alexandra´s mentoring program helped me in achieving a better work-life balance as well as decreasing stress I experienced when I was facing major challenges. Her approach and insight helped me through difficult times when I was neglecting myself for the sake of my scientific career to the level that I developed serious health issues. I strongly believe, that her caring and professional support prevented me from experiencing a major burn-out and even contributed to increase my state of health by presenting me with possibilities to refocus my energies and realign my priorities.”
— D.S., Project Manager
“Working with Alexandra as my mentor was a thoroughly rewarding experience. She is knowledgeable, empathetic, compassionate, and, above all, transparent. She has a fantastic sense of humor too. Thanks to her skillful mentoring, attentive listening and honest questioning, I learned so much about myself, my professional aspirations and my career trajectory so far. She has helped me become more self-aware and more confident in what I have to offer professionally, and I wouldn't have grown so much this past year without her support. I highly recommend her as a mentor.”
— E. D., Career Educator
“I particularly appreciated Alexandra’s approach towards me, which was always non-judgmental, collaborative, and reassuring. Her ability to create a supportive environment made me feel valued in our discussions. Her feedback has always been insightful and constructive, helping me refine my research direction and acknowledge the value of my own work and efforts (which is not always easy to do). Moreover, throughout our meetings, even as we worked on goal setting, I didn’t experience the usual anxiety I feel with such tasks because Alexandra consistently approached them with positivity, trust, and encouragement.”
— F. P., PhD Student
QUESTIONS? LET’S CHAT.
HAVE QUESTIONS? BOOK A CALL WITH ME.