Hi Karen - love your work. I left academia (tenure) almost 10 years ago. You are absolutely right - leaving is a much more multi-layered and complex process than I had anticipated. It's best for people to know that off the bat. So much of the work, I've discovered -- almost all of it -- in fact, is internal. Thanks for writing about this.
My last day as after 23 years at an elite school, tenured and chaired, was last Friday. I am beyond grateful for this post as I transition to a new trajectory.
I got into working at a university because I wanted to help change things. The health plan and free education were good perks, although I didn't use them much, and they eventually paled compared to the same type of work in the private sector (a mix of tech, data, reporting, and finance).
Most of it was very rewarding. Battling the administration's tendency to want to act like a corporation instead of an institution of learning, and people who'd rather, let's say "feed their addictions" kinda sucked (no offense intended, I also have an addictive personality so to speak), but that's sorta everywhere. (Especially the bigger the group, if it's not broken down into sub-groups with some autonomy— tho the organic element is always a bit of a wildcard!) I guess I'm sorta saying you can feed those addictions regardless of your environment?
The environment is part of why I ended up doing something else. It was frustrating to see a shift in the administration's perspective (or maybe it was always there but less blatant), from serving students with self-accountability, to serving customers with funds. The bigger the school the more I saw it. For a surprising amount of people in positions of power, the students were secondary. (Sometimes even to tuition money! Egos, and looking out for our own future can make destructive logic seem rational to us. (Sadly, knowing this does not stop us from doing it ourselves! Is it my ego making me type this? Ahhh!))
I would have kept doing it had things worked out that way. Not because I was addicted (not much at least, lol), but because I mostly blame the system ("it's the process, not the people!" (tho it's also some people lol— but the process should take care of them)), and you don't change systems by giving up. I didn't change things in a way that might have worked better tho, and didn't understand that networking and whatnot is power as much as just trying to have a good time doing stuff together. (I still prefer to see it as the latter, since the power perspective is so, like, robotic, or something. It's not false, it's just cold, and the warmer view is no less true.) Summing it up, the process got me before I got it! 😋
The idea of University (to say it singular like the folk across the pond) is great, it's just "people processes" that muck it up over time— same as most everything it seems. (Looks like we need to break up some monopolies [again]!) FWIW, it appears that we can change things from wherever we are (not that everything needs changing), which is nice, so I'm still trying to change the university processes (and the world) from outside that system, and inside another [not Substack as much as the world lol]. (It's systems in every direction! Tempting to say it's just one big system, even — but identity is multifaceted, and somewhat based on perception — so 6 of one, as it were!) It feels like the anti-intellectual/pro money swell is running out of steam (as it must), and some reform is happening (as it must), so all's well that keeps going!
Good luck on your new endeavors! It would be interesting to me to know why you got into academia to begin with (was it for fame and money?), and what changes you think are needed to get people "addicted" to healthier things, as that's probably useful in more than just the educational system— plus we gotta build it back up! (So we can tear it down again, if no other reason lol!) We always need more teachers and researchers! (Smaller classes are generally better, and there's that pesky replication crisis.) I'm a big fan of open data and whatnot, which I think mitigates some of the problems.
I hear a lot of people are going from where they were, into healthcare, which is pretty freaking great as we need more people in there too! A silver lining for sure! Though since we need to go to school to learn how to do that, we still gotta tackle the education bit.
"AI" will help, but it can only help, being a tool. It's the people who matter!
Not that any of this is unknown. I'm Just casting my vote for better processes, so to speak!
I recall attending higher education and seeking external validation by receiving excellent grades. I am working on seeking internal validation instead.
Hi Karen - love your work. I left academia (tenure) almost 10 years ago. You are absolutely right - leaving is a much more multi-layered and complex process than I had anticipated. It's best for people to know that off the bat. So much of the work, I've discovered -- almost all of it -- in fact, is internal. Thanks for writing about this.
Thank you! I’d love to hear more about your internal process. Please share here or in a DM if you prefer.
I am in a multi-year process of leaving. I have also found that almost all of the work is deeply internal.
I love this so much and I thank you for attention to this.
I’m glad you got out and I’m glad you’re getting help. I’ve been through it too, that’s how I know.
I left in 2023. Am now working with a trauma therapist.
My last day as after 23 years at an elite school, tenured and chaired, was last Friday. I am beyond grateful for this post as I transition to a new trajectory.
What’s your next plan?
Interesting perspective, thanks!
I got into working at a university because I wanted to help change things. The health plan and free education were good perks, although I didn't use them much, and they eventually paled compared to the same type of work in the private sector (a mix of tech, data, reporting, and finance).
Most of it was very rewarding. Battling the administration's tendency to want to act like a corporation instead of an institution of learning, and people who'd rather, let's say "feed their addictions" kinda sucked (no offense intended, I also have an addictive personality so to speak), but that's sorta everywhere. (Especially the bigger the group, if it's not broken down into sub-groups with some autonomy— tho the organic element is always a bit of a wildcard!) I guess I'm sorta saying you can feed those addictions regardless of your environment?
The environment is part of why I ended up doing something else. It was frustrating to see a shift in the administration's perspective (or maybe it was always there but less blatant), from serving students with self-accountability, to serving customers with funds. The bigger the school the more I saw it. For a surprising amount of people in positions of power, the students were secondary. (Sometimes even to tuition money! Egos, and looking out for our own future can make destructive logic seem rational to us. (Sadly, knowing this does not stop us from doing it ourselves! Is it my ego making me type this? Ahhh!))
I would have kept doing it had things worked out that way. Not because I was addicted (not much at least, lol), but because I mostly blame the system ("it's the process, not the people!" (tho it's also some people lol— but the process should take care of them)), and you don't change systems by giving up. I didn't change things in a way that might have worked better tho, and didn't understand that networking and whatnot is power as much as just trying to have a good time doing stuff together. (I still prefer to see it as the latter, since the power perspective is so, like, robotic, or something. It's not false, it's just cold, and the warmer view is no less true.) Summing it up, the process got me before I got it! 😋
The idea of University (to say it singular like the folk across the pond) is great, it's just "people processes" that muck it up over time— same as most everything it seems. (Looks like we need to break up some monopolies [again]!) FWIW, it appears that we can change things from wherever we are (not that everything needs changing), which is nice, so I'm still trying to change the university processes (and the world) from outside that system, and inside another [not Substack as much as the world lol]. (It's systems in every direction! Tempting to say it's just one big system, even — but identity is multifaceted, and somewhat based on perception — so 6 of one, as it were!) It feels like the anti-intellectual/pro money swell is running out of steam (as it must), and some reform is happening (as it must), so all's well that keeps going!
Good luck on your new endeavors! It would be interesting to me to know why you got into academia to begin with (was it for fame and money?), and what changes you think are needed to get people "addicted" to healthier things, as that's probably useful in more than just the educational system— plus we gotta build it back up! (So we can tear it down again, if no other reason lol!) We always need more teachers and researchers! (Smaller classes are generally better, and there's that pesky replication crisis.) I'm a big fan of open data and whatnot, which I think mitigates some of the problems.
I hear a lot of people are going from where they were, into healthcare, which is pretty freaking great as we need more people in there too! A silver lining for sure! Though since we need to go to school to learn how to do that, we still gotta tackle the education bit.
"AI" will help, but it can only help, being a tool. It's the people who matter!
Not that any of this is unknown. I'm Just casting my vote for better processes, so to speak!
I recall attending higher education and seeking external validation by receiving excellent grades. I am working on seeking internal validation instead.