Leaving Academia for Non-Academic Job

[Charlotte]

I have seen several mentions of this topic on various threads and it seems like one of those long-running discussions that this forum has had (perhaps on the old forum I often hear mentioned?) but I'm not seeing a specific thread.

I hope I am not stirring up something I shouldn't, but as someone just starting their career I could really use the advice. There is a great mixture of people on here and you all never fail to offer good advice to me. I was hoping we could have a discussion on the benefits of leaving academia for a non-academic job and the more practical details on how one would do that, what to watch out for, things to consider, etc.

I'm finishing up my first year teaching at a CC, in a pandemic, rough time for everyone, first years are always rough, etc. But I'm looking at all my options and thinking maybe I was misguided for going into teaching. I miss research. I really, really, really miss research. Teaching is okay but I'm not sure I have the patience for it. I know I will improve with experience, but I'm not even sure I'm doing a good job teaching! Plus, I'm horribly discouraged with how little the students seem to care for learning.

The politics of academia, the struggles,... I'm thinking that I might be happier if I leave. But I'm not really sure how to start or how to go about making (what seems like) a huge decision after having spent the last few years solely focused on getting a PhD and getting established in academia.

Additionally, this is the best job I've ever had. I come from a very low income background and in that sense, I do feel like I'm very lucky and shouldn't complain because it's a pretty good job compared to where I come from!

It feels a little scary, to be honest. But I'm also not particularly happy where I am. I think I had a very idealized version of academia in my head and now that I've been thrust into reality, I'm not liking it.

For those in academia, why do you stay? For those who left academia, why did you leave?

[polly_mer]

https://thefora.org/index.php?topic=2178.0 has a positive discussion on options for a specific humanities person planning to leave academia.

The base questions are:

* What do you want to do all day?  As you have found out, not all academic jobs are the same with the same tasks.  Making a distinction between academic and non-academic jobs is often much less useful than figuring out what tasks you want to do, what tasks you want to avoid, and picking a job that has a good daily mix of what you want with little of what you don't want.

* What else do you need in your life?  Having a good mix of work and not work always is better than focusing on the job title.  Having others be impressed that you're a professor when what you want is more time to do something you love instead of something you think you might come to tolerate is a bad path to be on.

* What is good enough for now and will build towards other things you want?  A good many of the teaching-only places have a history of poor pay, poor pay raises, and cutting benefits including retirement matching funds.  Is where you are such good money with such a bright future that you will stay the course in an OK-for-now job instead of exploring possibilities to have a better day-to-day mix of tasks with better prospects for current pay, raises, promotions, and benefits?

No one can answer those questions for you, but we can help you explore possibilities and how to get answers for yourself.

I will say, though, that successful people tend to be going towards something positive (new job with much more research or more motivated students or a better mix of the personally satisfying activities or more money to do X) over focusing on leaving something negative.

[polly_mer]

I will address this separately because it is a topic near and dear to my heart:

Additionally, this is the best job I've ever had. I come from a very low income background and in that sense, I do feel like I'm very lucky and shouldn't complain because it's a pretty good job compared to where I come from!

Is it a good job compared to where you could be in five years if you put some effort into making new solidly middle-class friends who would vouch for you being a great fit for a job that mostly needs someone with a good education and a willingness to learn?

The trap is to declare permanent victory having made it to the first rung on the middle-class ladder instead of then being strategic about climbing the ladder or figuring out the monkey bars to get somewhere interesting and be financially comfortable.

More money is not necessarily a key driver once you're at comfortable.  However, having a career you love instead of a job you tolerate for the money is a much better situation and is within your reach with your new credentials. 

You aren't limited to your first job at your first employer.  It's a middle-class thing to be looking for better even when at good enough for now.  Good enough for now tends to go stale so if you aren't climbing or at least exploring, then you truly don't have very many good options when good enough slips into not good enough.

[marshwiggle]

Two points:
1. Regarding teaching: Teaching is hard. If it weren't everyone in the world would be literate and numerate. There are lots of resources to help a person improve, but like any skill, it only improves by dedicated practice. It was only after a couple of decades at it that I started to have confidence in my own judgement. YMMV.

2. Regarding academia: "Academia" is a big place. What I mean is that there are lots of ways to have some sort of connection to academia other than by being full-time faculty. For instance, my "day job" is being technical staff at a university, and I teach a couple of courses part-time. I know several other people in my university alone who do the same kind of thing. Since research is your thing, rather than teaching, there may be some way to be part of some research without having to be full-time faculty. If you look around, you may be able to find people who've managed something that doesn't make "full-time faculty" synonymous with "researcher".

[mahagonny]

I am thinking of leaving my teaching work after many years because of the intolerance for people who are not liberal democrats. Whether it will get worse or better in the near future I can only guess. I am still young enough, and financially secure enough,  that I could work full time at something that pays less. These issues may apply to your situation or not. Good luck to you.

[polly_mer]

I am thinking of leaving my teaching work after many years because of the intolerance for people who are not liberal democrats.

You're in the wrong field if that's really a day-to-day thing.

Outside of academia may not be any better if you pick a job common to those in your field such that you will be surrounded by refugees from academia.

Have you considered getting a data scientist certificate or something else to move into a different field entirely with a very different shared mindset?

[Hibush]

The idealized view of academia is a potential hazard. It is important to have a realistic, but not cynical view in order to succeed. The same is true of other fields, so academia is not special in this regard (but may be the one where that fiction gets the most traction).

One thing to keep in mind at this stage of your career, regarding finances, is that a lot of academics have a rather low income through grad school and postdoc years. That income level has increased recently, but the habit of watching ones pennies is a relatively common experience. That common experience can put people who grew up in lower-income households in a similar situation to those who were financially comfortable.

But the first career job is where differences can easily show up. In many fields, grad students expect to be financially comfortable once into their careers. But that is where expectations may differ based on ones growing up. Once you are past the postdoc training (if that is the norm for your field), working very hard for a pittance is the road to exploitation, not to professional success. I see this as one of the critical misunderstandings that lead to frustration.

The other misunderstanding is that PhDs only work in academia. Only about one in five do. The normal route is to get a job in the "real world." It's not a bad thing at all. It is not abandoning some "life of the mind" that one could have had. There is great professional satisfaction to be had there as well. (And--admittedly--plenty that will make you cynical.)

Polly's comment above has wisdom that expands on these notions.

[Ruralguy]

From someone in the business for 22 years (but also worked in government labs and non-profits):

My first response would be the typical:

1. Don't make too many drastic decisions based just on your first year
2. Don't make too many drastic decisions based on what is going on with COVID (likely to abate over the next few months, but who knows....the world has a way of getting crazier...)

My second response would echo the "teaching is hard" sort of reply that's already been given, especially when you have a cohort that could have many unprepared students and possibly some who might not be enthusiastic (maybe they are enthusiastic about getting a degree but not so much when in comes to particular classes).  It does get better. Or at least, it can.

As for politics (both the academic kind and the national kind): Getting to academic politics....that's just people. Every club , organization, etc. I've been part of has petty fights over by-laws and all that crud.
Academia has the extra added benefits of fighting over curriculum. Some of those fights can last for decades (witness Columbia's core curriculum, or anybody's core curriculum!).

National politics and woke-i-tude: Mahagonny has a point. Of course, if you are into this, then who cares. If you aren't, it can be anything from a minor nuisance to getting at the fiber of your being.
But as Polly states, it isn't like this hasn't infiltrated corporations, non-profits, government, etc..
That being said, there probably are both professions but also geographic locations where this is felt less, but even the South is changing. I know you didn't really bring up culture wars, OP, but I figured I'd respond to issues Mahagonny and Polly brought up in their replies.

But then if you still decide "Nope, not worth it...," think about what Polly has traced out, especially considering what you really want to be doing, and then apply out (both academic and non-academic). Think about which networks you have to establish or re-establish to make this happen.

[Cheerful]

I'm finishing up my first year teaching at a CC, in a pandemic, rough time for everyone, first years are always rough, etc. But I'm looking at all my options and thinking maybe I was misguided for going into teaching. I miss research. I really, really, really miss research. Teaching is okay but I'm not sure I have the patience for it. I know I will improve with experience, but I'm not even sure I'm doing a good job teaching! Plus, I'm horribly discouraged with how little the students seem to care for learning.

The politics of academia, the struggles,... I'm thinking that I might be happier if I leave.

For those in academia, why do you stay? For those who left academia, why did you leave?

1.  Unless you're miserable with slim prospects for improvement in and outside work life, have family issues that require moving, or have secured a fabulous new job, leaving after just 1 year (and during pandemic) may not be wise.

2.  F.t. community college positions often have excellent job security and salaries.   Students everywhere will disappoint.  If you have a positive impact on a few students a semester, that can be very fulfilling.

3.  Most jobs have unpleasant politics, other negatives.  It's all relative.  Younger/newer workers seem more likely to have idealized visions of job possibilities.  After you live, work, and learn more, your views on what's realistic and trade-offs may change. 

4.  You might do research on the side.  Some love theater, painting, etc. but accept they cannot have a career in such.  Can still do for personal fulfillment.

5.  Cultivate a nice life outside of work.

6.  I stayed in academia because the costs/benefits calculations for other job options weren't favorable compared to what I had.

[Morden]

Full disclosure--I love my job at an undergraduate institution. I have worked hard for over 20 years getting better at teaching, and I really enjoy researching and writing about teaching. But if all I had to judge it by was this past year, I probably would have bailed. You began during a pandemic--nothing is as it should be. This isn't to say that you'll wind up loving teaching more than research, or that you shouldn't try to move to a different type of institution or out of academia altogether. But you shouldn't take this past year as normal or make any drastic decisions because of it.

[AvidReader]

I want to reply to the part of your post about missing research. While CCs don't typically give much weight to research, they also don't penalize it. When I adjuncted at CCs in a large metro area, I was able to juggle my schedule so that I had a few moderate blocks of time when I didn't have duties (one year Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and another year all day on Fridays). If you can schedule your research and guard it as you would any other commitment, you can still do research even with a 5/5 load.

This year has been hard for research for me as well. I have weekly writing sessions scheduled with a colleague at another university. We both log on to Zoom at the same time, chat for 10-15 minutes, set our goals for the day, and then quietly write for as long as we both have. We check in at the end of our time and celebrate whatever we have accomplished. Having a colleague on the line isn't essential, but it does allow me to say "Oh, so sorry; I already have an appointment then," and it means that I have a visible reminder not to grade and not to check my email.

AR.

[spork]

[. . . ]

But I'm looking at all my options and thinking maybe I was misguided for going into teaching. I miss research. I really, really, really miss research. Teaching is okay but I'm not sure I have the patience for it. I know I will improve with experience, but I'm not even sure I'm doing a good job teaching! Plus, I'm horribly discouraged with how little the students seem to care for learning.

[. . . ]

Additionally, this is the best job I've ever had. I come from a very low income background and in that sense, I do feel like I'm very lucky and shouldn't complain because it's a pretty good job compared to where I come from!

[. . . ]

But I'm also not particularly happy where I am. I think I had a very idealized version of academia in my head and now that I've been thrust into reality, I'm not liking it.

For those in academia, why do you stay? For those who left academia, why did you leave?

Much of this will resemble what others have already written.

1. The past year has been a very strange year across higher ed. The situation may not fully return to "normal" next year, especially at community colleges.

2. What do you want your life to be like in 5, 10, and 15 years? What are the job-related prerequisites for achieving this? If there is little overlap between a typical career at the community college you're at now and those prerequisites, then that's a sign to explore other options.

3. Keep yourself marketable for a range of occupations in and outside of higher ed. For example, in academia, teaching gen bio X + 1 iterations has a decreasing effect on career mobility as X increases. But if you figure out an algorithm to increase retention of at-risk students, and document that you successfully applied that algorithm in your own courses, this can get your application a second look at many colleges and universities -- whether for a job as a faculty member or as staff.

I went in the reverse direction of what you're asking. I worked in the federal government before becoming a professor. I was originally interested in the government job because I wanted to travel and it offered the possibility of overseas postings. It also came with high job security, automatic salary step increases, cost of living adjustments, and excellent benefits. I found out that it would take me time to build up enough seniority to be considered for overseas work. So I left to begin a doctoral program and left the country a year later. But now that a larger portion of my life has elapsed, I know that five years is not that much longer than one year, and if I had stuck with a government career I'd be retiring soon with a large pension.

Edited to add: on another thread there was reference to the tendency of PhD holders to get faculty positions at universities that are much farther down in the rankings than their doctoral alma maters. So if you are now at a bottom-of-the-barrel community college where working conditions are likely to deteriorate substantially in the next few years, it's unlikely that you'll be able to land a tenure-track position at an institution that is significantly different.

[pink_]

This can vary a great deal by discipline, but in my field (English), if one leaves the TT, it is nearly impossible to find a way back.

I agree with the others who say that it might not be wise to judge the whole of a career based on the first year, which is exponentially more difficult than any other. I've been at my institution, a very small liberal arts college, since August of 2007, and I have made my way up the ranks to full professor. My second year was when things got rocky. They would have anyway because at my institution, we are protected from service obligations for the first year, but add the recession into the mix, and it got downright scary. And even so, that time completely pales in comparison to the current environment. Teaching is really hard and even really strong students are struggling to find motivation. Everyone is exhausted, and the things that generally drive us--research, whatever the looks like for you and your field, is difficult. Resources are scare. And did I mention that everyone is just exhausted?

If you are on the fence, I would give myself another year for the ship to right itself. I don't think we will be back to "normal" quite yet, but I am reasonably confident that 21-22 will be less of a h*llscape that 20-21. 

[mahagonny]

I am thinking of leaving my teaching work after many years because of the intolerance for people who are not liberal democrats.

You're in the wrong field if that's really a day-to-day thing.

Outside of academia may not be any better if you pick a job common to those in your field such that you will be surrounded by refugees from academia.

Not if they left for the same reason! But on the other hand maybe you give me a reason to stay put and sound off.

[Vkw10]

As others have remarked, spend some time investigating other careers. Don't rush, because every job has positive and negative attributes.

For example, do you have the summer free of teaching responsibilities? If so, immerse yourself in research for several hours a day all summer. Before I took an admin role, I luxuriated in summer weeks when I could immerse myself in research.