What if academia is the problem?

What if academia is the problem?

wishin 21 Mar 2016 23:19

I'm a soon to be tenured faculty member at a regional university and somehow that tenure and promotion letter may have just made me realize how little I like my life & work. I cannot tell if my town & university are the issue or if higher ed & academia as a whole are the issue. I know I don't make enough to support my family, don't like the city & university, but do like my department.

I am looking for advice and perspectives. Is the current situation the problem or higher ed & academia as a whole? If I leave academia (for example, for an all research job or for something in a public health field), can I ever come back to being a full time TT professor if I want to or would I be sealing myself out of ever returning to an academic setting? I don't know whether applying to other universities is the right call or just getting out of the game all together.

Note: I am totally ok with giving up tenure, I don't think it really counts for much if you really aren't happy where you are.

anon (guest) 22 Mar 2016 09:44

I think that in today's academic atmosphere your feeling are shared by many. We invested years of hard work in training and pursuit of the dream academic position, and once you get it you realize it's not that glamorous at all and there is so many things you don't want to do but have to as part of your jobs. I think that because the competition is so high many believe it is worth it once you got the job, but you might see that other jobs could get you more money, less stress and perhaps the same level of satisfaction.

Definitely personal issues play a factor in your overall assessment of your life. Unlike most other jobs, most of us cannot choose were to work and that seems to be an important factor affecting everyone around you. It's hard to give you an advice as any move may have risks and opportunities, but I can tell you that it is not impossible to come back to academia after spending some years outside of it. It might not be as easy as it used to be, but if you work in a close field and maintain connection to people in the academia through conferences and publications, you will have a good chance to come back. The key is to keep being relevant and I know that in some fields there is value for being in the private sector or working in a research institute.

Re: What if academia is the problem?

DocJ 22 Mar 2016 12:06

I don't know that academia is the problem; I know many friends who work private sector and are, or were, miserable for numerous reasons. Rather, I think that an academic career is one that carries an air of prestige in society, is misunderstood in general, and even in academic circles is believed to be something to be cherished and coveted. In short, the problem might be more of how we (society and academics alike) perceive what it is to be a faculty member. Perhaps part of the problem is many of us have a tendency to think of an academic career as something encompassing all of life rather than merely being a career.

Here are the pros and cons of an academic career in psychology versus the non-academic path. I'm considering non-clinical psych fields here, as I am not a clinical psychologist.

Psych Faculty Pros
- Significant freedom with teaching, research, and often even scheduling
- Usually a 9 or 10 month contract (which means the low pay isn't so low)
- A 403B retirement plan
- Ability to pursue what we find intellectually curious
- Work that is meaningful - whether research or assisting students in achieving their goals
- Fair job security if on the tenure-track
- Career has a "cool" factor
- Ability to travel for career related purposes

Psych Faculty Cons
- Tough to get started in a tenure-track career
- Heavy competition for grant and publications (more a concern with R1 level or related)
- Heavy teaching loads (for non R1/R2/Elite SLACs)
- Unpaid service work (which can get nasty at smaller institutions)
- Low pay relative to private sector
- Lack of vacation time to use whenever you want
- Hard to move around or go to the locations you want for your career

Private Sector Pros
- 12 month work (less of a roller-coaster than faculty work)
- Usually pays far better than faculty positions
- Easier to get to a location you want
- Flexible vacation time you can use just about whenever
- Might have better resources/technology
- Lack of teaching (if you want mainly research)

Private Sector Cons
- Might not have as much freedom to pursue what interests you
- Stricter deadlines with producing outcomes
- 12 month work (having summers partially off is really nice)
- Need to use some vacation time for holiday travel usually
- Less opportunity to teach (if you like teaching)
- Hard to get back into the faculty stream unless you're in an applied field

… To me, if you're motivated by an ideal location or money, the private sector makes sense. I'd say it also makes sense if you mainly are interested in research but are stuck at a place with a heavier teaching load. In such a case, the private sector may work well - I know this proved true for at least one colleague of mine. I concur that happiness is something we should all strive for. That said, if you like work as a faculty member but are mostly displeased with where you live, you could go on the academic market and apply for assistant professor positions at stronger institutions. Presuming your present place is on the lower end of the pay scale, this could work well and give you a nice salary boost. I know another colleague who did this.

I hope these thoughts help in some way.

annies (guest) 22 Mar 2016 14:34

this sounds like combination of a problems with your current university/location and your personal interest in academia in general

I'm a new asst prof in a business school (my background is in social psychology) and there is no way I'd be making my current salary in a research position in industry, except maybe at a consulting firm but those positions require substantial travel requirements. Also, b-school faculty do not have to apply for grants. So maybe try exploring some non-traditional psych positions likes b-schools, ed schools, etc.

As noted by DocJ the biggest plus for me working in academia is freedom to pursue the research I want to pursue. You will not get this anywhere else but a think tank and even then there is an agenda to promote. However, I disagree with DocJ that academia is low on vacation time. We can pack up and head wherever we want, whenever we want provide there is not a class to teach, though I've never taught more than a 2-1 load so maybe the teaching aspect is more time consuming for most other psych faculty.

anon (guest) 22 Mar 2016 22:02

Just wanted to pipe in to thank DocJ for this pro/con list. I'm ABA and mid-interview process for a teaching postdoc, an industry research job, and waiting to get confirmation on funding for a research postdoc. It definitely feels like standing at the crossroads, and its hard to find someone willing to offer advice without a strong bias. DocJ, you are killing it on this message boards - have you started a blog yet? :D

Re: What if academia is the problem?

DocJ 23 Mar 2016 14:02

@Annies - I concur. If you're somewhere with a 2/2 or 2/1 load, odds are you can take off on trips whenever. Some of my colleagues do that. For those of us at places with a 3/2 load or greater, this can get more difficult. Depending on the institution and how faculty leave is handled, it might be extremely difficult to cancel a class over anything but an emergency.

@Anon (above) - many thanks. Maybe I'll start a blog later this year. I like talking career advice/development. In your case, these are three very different opportunities. In general, the teaching postdoc probably gives you the greatest flexibility presuming it's at a well known institution and you're able to still knock out some research. A research postdoc is great for an academic career path, but be wary of not teaching for 2 or 3 years. If you consider SLAC positions, especially, not having teaching for such a block of time can weaken your application from what I've seen (including being on a SLAC search committee). Finally, since you're just starting your career, an industry job for a few years could still afford you a later academic position, but primarily if it allows you to publish and maybe teach as an adjunct periodically on the side.

In any case, getting into a tenure track faculty position requires really two key things: 1) active publishing in good journals and 2) experience teaching with good student evaluations.

Good luck!

Re: What if academia is the problem?

wishin 24 Mar 2016 14:32

This helps a lot. I do believe some of it may be the type of university I am a part of. I'm in a 3/4 teaching load and was promised space, time, & funding for research that never came & still seems to only be a myth. The salary is also inadequate to support my family and the community/city is such that my husband has been unable to find adequate employment to make up for my salary limitations.

@DocJ, I appreciate the comparison table you made. It made it clear that I either need private sector or at minimum a different type of university and a place where my husband can be gainfully employed as well!

I am thinking my best option is to stay a year so that I have a clear year as "Associate Professor" on my CV and then apply next year more widely to both private sector research positions and schools that may be a better fit (on having time & support for research). I fear that if I were to leave now for a private sector job and eventually wanted to return to academia, it would read a lot like I left for not getting tenure & promotion since I would be leaving before the promotion goes into affect. Do others agree? I think it would be awkward in future job apps to include the letter granting T & P… without me taking it.

Thanks!

asstprof (guest) 24 Mar 2016 16:04

I would not wait to apply, actually. A lot of people have a lot more success applying as an assistant for assistant jobs than applying as an associate for assistant or associate jobs. You're right about people being worried you're not getting tenure, but you can see if you can get a letter from your chair or someone that would state that is definitely not the case.

anon (guest) 25 Mar 2016 05:43

Thanks, DocJ! This is helpful advice. I'm still midway through the process, so I may or may not get the chance to make a decision — if I do, I might be back with more details :) You should definitely consider writing a blog if you enjoy offering advice. I think a blog specific to psychology careers would be appreciated by many.

Anony (guest) 25 Mar 2016 11:20

Even with a 2/1 the ability to go on vacation during the school year is near impossible. There is flexibility for work-related travel, but not otherwise. I love to travel….so I suck it up and pay more for prime holiday times, because I have the ability to travel for 8-12 weeks a year.

That right there is why I can never work in the private sector. The ability to get away from the shitty place I live is what keeps me sane!