I hear you HARD on this, Heather! I actually never considered grad school, had many careers, wound up in a realm with loads of writing and editing, and found my way to a creative writing MFA. All the while (a) I never considered academia (not avoided, it just didn't cross my mind). Which is wild, because (b) my husband was on the academi…
I hear you HARD on this, Heather! I actually never considered grad school, had many careers, wound up in a realm with loads of writing and editing, and found my way to a creative writing MFA. All the while (a) I never considered academia (not avoided, it just didn't cross my mind). Which is wild, because (b) my husband was on the academic ecology track the whole time! When he moved into a postdoc, I did the MFA (which I didn't realize was a prestigious one because it was just the one where we were and I was naive to all that). And, I taught English Composition to get paid, which, along with the MFA being a terminal degree, opened doors I didn't know existed for me as a 1st-gen kid. I've been contingent since 2017, but in 2021 found/negotiated a role that is incredibly fulfilling. It weaves together so many of my skillets from previous lives. I have some flexibility in what I do, and it's not a lectureship, so I'm allowed to "count" a mix of admin, scholarship, teaching, service, etc. I feel like I've hit my stride. (But, I'm also always looking over my back knowing this job could evaporate. And, I am a bit of a loud-mouth and pushing always for systems change, so I'm probably sticking my neck out.) For now, though, I'm really enjoying what I do and want to keep doing it, though *every* criticism AHP listed is very real. All that to say, there is no chance on the planet I'd have been able to do, appreciate, or secure this position and work therein if I had gone to grad school straight out of undergrad. I was 10 years post BA before I came back. Made a massive, positive difference. I write a lot about threading all these needles in my blog/newsletter Zest: Makin' Academic Lemonade: https://www.commnatural.com/blog
Hooray! It's just wonderful to connect with folks who are coming to cademia with intention, later in life. I really appreciate connecting with people like you who see what we can get from (and contribute to) academia without being shocked that it's not all warm and fuzzy in this space. I often critique it, but I come from community non-profit work, and I really do believe we can make some changes. And in the meantime, academia is currently a good fit for me. I try to remember that every time I get really frustrated or burned by it.
Yoga girl is what I'm trying to channel this month! I'm on a 9-month contract, and for a decade, that just meant working g all au.mer for free. But I fried myself this spring (extra fried, I guess). And I've at least now learned to recognize the symptoms. So, I'm taking this month away. It's hard...I have at leat 5 projects I'd like to finish before stepping away. But I'm gonna try to sustain enthusiasm for my work, which means I need to take a break if I'm not getting paid. So, hooray for yoga girl! :)
I hear you HARD on this, Heather! I actually never considered grad school, had many careers, wound up in a realm with loads of writing and editing, and found my way to a creative writing MFA. All the while (a) I never considered academia (not avoided, it just didn't cross my mind). Which is wild, because (b) my husband was on the academic ecology track the whole time! When he moved into a postdoc, I did the MFA (which I didn't realize was a prestigious one because it was just the one where we were and I was naive to all that). And, I taught English Composition to get paid, which, along with the MFA being a terminal degree, opened doors I didn't know existed for me as a 1st-gen kid. I've been contingent since 2017, but in 2021 found/negotiated a role that is incredibly fulfilling. It weaves together so many of my skillets from previous lives. I have some flexibility in what I do, and it's not a lectureship, so I'm allowed to "count" a mix of admin, scholarship, teaching, service, etc. I feel like I've hit my stride. (But, I'm also always looking over my back knowing this job could evaporate. And, I am a bit of a loud-mouth and pushing always for systems change, so I'm probably sticking my neck out.) For now, though, I'm really enjoying what I do and want to keep doing it, though *every* criticism AHP listed is very real. All that to say, there is no chance on the planet I'd have been able to do, appreciate, or secure this position and work therein if I had gone to grad school straight out of undergrad. I was 10 years post BA before I came back. Made a massive, positive difference. I write a lot about threading all these needles in my blog/newsletter Zest: Makin' Academic Lemonade: https://www.commnatural.com/blog
I love your story!! I’m going to give you a subscribe. Thanks for sharing ☺️☺️🧘♀️
Hooray! It's just wonderful to connect with folks who are coming to cademia with intention, later in life. I really appreciate connecting with people like you who see what we can get from (and contribute to) academia without being shocked that it's not all warm and fuzzy in this space. I often critique it, but I come from community non-profit work, and I really do believe we can make some changes. And in the meantime, academia is currently a good fit for me. I try to remember that every time I get really frustrated or burned by it.
Didn’t mean to press yoga girl but why not!
Yoga girl is what I'm trying to channel this month! I'm on a 9-month contract, and for a decade, that just meant working g all au.mer for free. But I fried myself this spring (extra fried, I guess). And I've at least now learned to recognize the symptoms. So, I'm taking this month away. It's hard...I have at leat 5 projects I'd like to finish before stepping away. But I'm gonna try to sustain enthusiasm for my work, which means I need to take a break if I'm not getting paid. So, hooray for yoga girl! :)