Leaving Academia and Life Afterward
After publishing “How academia helped me in UX” a few people reached out, facing the hard decision of whether to leave academia and the question of how. This article addresses some of the challenges you will face and offers some advice on how to proceed based on personal experience.
Let me start by acknowledging that it is a difficult decision to leave academia, and it took me a while to accept that that was what I wanted/needed to do. Furthermore, for many people leaving academia is not a matter of choice, but necessity. The academic job market is shrinking while also growing more competitive. The fact is the majority of graduate students who want to remain will not be able to.
Why did you choose to leave academia?
I left academia for three main reasons:
A) I wanted to have a more stable life. As an academic, I would have to move around a lot, from job position to job position, to wherever the opportunity presented. Being married, this meant a lot of difficulties for my husband, who would have to sacrifice his career over and over so I could pursue mine. It would also mean no permanent home, and a difficult environment within which to raise a family. I had already spent the last decade moving every year, sometimes multiple times a year, all over the world and I just wanted someplace to call home — truly call home.
B) The pretentious vortex of BS that is much of academia. Okay, this might be a bit strong. Of course the private sector is not void of an inflated discourse around it’s world worth. But, I started to feel nauseous after attending anthropology conferences, or listening to colleagues talk about their current or next projects. There is this tendency to hold up high on a pedestal social theory and philosophical applications in the analysis and justification of findings from qualitative research. The many different applications I witnessed led me to realize that it devalued the research because it reduced the real-world applicability of the research and findings, limiting readership and broader impact. Even though I could talk the talk and walk the walk, I felt sicker and sicker while doing it. This leads me to…
C) My psychological constitution, or what have you, did not jive well with the world of academia. I had difficulties sleeping, staying up all hours of the night worrying about the work I needed to do. I constantly felt inadequate — I should be doing more, should be writing more, should be reading more, should be networking more, should be researching more, etc. There was always the next sexy topic, theory, or world region needing my attention and consideration.
I meet wonderful people, working on important and amazing research topics. Some of whom I consider my good friends. In getting to know them, I recognized that they had a kind of passion for their research and for anthropology that allowed them to tolerate, overlook, or selectively engage in the B.S. They also had a constitution that thrived in these environments, where mine did not. If I stayed in academia, I would have eventually been crippled by constant self-analysis.
How am I feeling now, two years out of academia?
Freaking amazing. Just awesome. I am happy. I love my life. I love my work. I don’t dread Monday on Sunday. I sleep at night. I have an amazing little family that I get to focus on after work and enjoy on weekends. I get to work collaboratively with other people and can actually see the fruits of my labor being implemented in the real world on a regular basis. It was a hard decision but I do not regret it. I do feel a little reminiscent of the time I had with books. I enjoyed having the extra impetus for reading and the luxury to read philosophy and social theory text. I did find those readings and discussion invigorating and exciting, if I hadn’t I wouldn’t have made it to the PhD level. The in-depth debates and discussions about these works is something some part of me will always love and miss. But as all things in life, there is a time and a place and I am happy to have had that time and place and to move forward with new adventures.
Any advice on making the transition?
Approach it like you would any research project. Figure out the lay of the land. Go on job search websites like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, etc. Try various key word searches. Look at other people’s profiles, look at the job postings, research keywords used, read articles on the web, and watch videos. Figure out an area or field that has job postings that list skills that overlap with at least 50% of your existing skill set. Start applying. Even if it seems a reach, just do it. I always tried to get two applications out a day. If a job posting makes your heart race with excitement and you know, just know, it would be a great fit. Take the extra time to tailor your application, the cover letter, and any added documents. Figure out a way you can reach out to the team that is hiring — either by locating them on LinkedIn or through their website.
In general, I do recommend reaching out to people through LinkedIn that are in the field and position you are interested in. Ask if they can meet in person, or at least talk on the phone, for an informational interview. Use these meetings to learn about the culture of the company, of the field, and expected skills. It is a great opportunity to network. Over time you will see how some of your knowledge, training, and skills may go by a different name in academia but can translate with high fidelity to another field.
When you land an interview, come prepared with questions. It is as much an interview of you as it is of them. It also makes people feel good to talk about themselves, and it will leave a good impression with them. As an added note, I would encourage you to find jobs that embrace, encourage, and make you feel proud to state that you have a high degree (a doctorate). If you find yourself downplaying or obfuscating your education to try and get a position, then the position is not a good fit for you.
Why did you choose UX, what do you love about it?
It overlaps greatly with my existing skills and interests. With a PhD in anthropology, I am respected as an authority on qualitative research methods, data collection, and analysis. As a person, I have always enjoyed being presented with problems and solving them, finding/discovering things, and understanding how things interact and work. Most importantly though, UX as a profession and as a field is coming of age. There are lots of opportunities to learn and grow as well as contribute to the emerging voice of what UX/UI/UCD is and does.
In the end, it really does matter that you find the right fit for you.
