I think I’m going to introduce another series … I’m going to call it the “Reasons I’m Leaving” series.
I’ve written about how I’ve felt completely ecstatic since making the decision to leave academia. Now, I’m still not entirely sure what job I’m going to do or (obviously) where I’ll wind up, but I know without any doubt that this is the right decision for me.
And it hit me that some of you out there reading this blog (according to my stats, there are more of you googling “reasons to leave academia” than even I expected!) might be trying to figure out whether you’re alone in the reasons you think you might want to leave.
Well, first of all, you probably aren’t. Check out my blogroll and the first couple of posts for links to different sites and articles I found helpful. You are not alone in having doubts. Now, whether you actually wind up leaving is completely up to you.
But despite what the faculty and happy graduate students in your department tell you, it is perfectly normal to have some doubts or to think about leaving. It’s normal. And I’m going to tell you what my reasons are.
In the meantime, feel free to leave comments telling me your own reasons for considering leaving. Trust me … it’s incredibly cathartic just to say them out loud and give yourself the okay to feel this way.
It’s okay to feel this way. Being a professor is not the only worthy career out there. And even if it's the worthiest of all worthy careers, it's okay if you decide you'd rather be happy than to continue on with a career that you no longer enjoy.
Hey JC,
ReplyDeleteI am reading through your old posts and thinking about my own post-academic future.
My main reason for leaving is that the Australian equivalent of what is called 'adjuncting' in North America is not sustainable. I think I would still take a full-time position if I was offered one, but I have noticed that I have less and less enthusiasm for writing applications and the obligatory campus interview. Why do they need to drag me away from my research via flights at ungodly hours to show me a town with nothing other than a shopping mall and a lot of young people on drugs when the same result could just as easily be achieved over the phone? Once upon a time I used to use those trips as an excuse for a holiday or to visit friends. Now I don't even bother leaving the campus unless I have to.