It’s been two years since my last post, and a lot has happened in that time! A big part of this posting gap is that I became a parent in Feb. 2021, and I also earned my PhD in English in May 2022. Juggling parenting with teaching and finishing a dissertation, plus two years on the academic job market, consumed my time. (For more info on my teaching and research history, poke around this website–it’s still very academia-oriented.)
Another big change in this period (and the subject of what I expect will be a series of posts) is that I decided to leave academia. If you’re reading this post, you’re probably aware that there is already a lot of “quit lit” out there, and I guess I am now adding to the genre. Since reasons for leaving academia vary, however, I want to start by sharing a bit of my story and the context for my own decision, as well as the preparatory work that started well before my graduation.
Many factors went into my decision to leave academia—for one, becoming a parent shifted my priorities. And after my second “unsuccessful” year on the academic job market (including being a finalist for three positions in the second cycle but not receiving the offer for any of them), I found myself wondering if continuing to chase a faculty position was really worth it. I realized that even if I did manage to land a tenure-track position, I would then spend the next 5-6 years chasing tenure. Those years would overlap with my son’s early childhood, and since my spouse and I intend to be one-and-done child-wise, it is even more important to me to be present for him as much as possible. Additionally, hanging on to academia via adjunct or other contingent positions while I waited for that unicorn tenure-track position was not something I was interested in nor felt was financially viable. Finally, after years spent living far from family, I was having a harder and harder time opening myself to moving wherever a job took me. Becoming a parent during the pandemic made me keenly aware of how little support exists for parents outside of family networks, and I wanted to see my family members more than once a year (and wanted the same for my son). In the end, I realized that the faculty “dream job” wasn’t compatible with other values and goals that I had for my life.
While this was a difficult decision (I loved teaching and my research!), it was easier because I believed I could be happy working outside of academia. Between undergrad and grad school, I worked for an ethics & compliance hotline company—a job I only left because I wanted to pursue a Master’s degree. The work had been interesting and challenging, and I loved my colleagues.
I was also lucky that I had mentors who had mentally prepared me for the (likely) outcome that I would not get a tenure-track job. Even when I was applying for MA programs, the undergrad faculty who I approached for recommendation letters cautioned me to only pursue grad school if I genuinely wanted the degree itself, as there was no guarantee of a job at the end of it. I sat with this advice again before applying for PhD programs, and for this reason I chose a PhD program where I felt I could have the best all-around life while pursuing my degree (not necessarily the best-ranked program to which I was admitted). I’m sure plenty of people will think I made a mistake there, but I have absolutely no regrets.
Because I knew it was likely that I would end up with a non-ac job after my PhD, I tried to stay engaged with the non-ac working world while in my program. I attended yearly workshops offered by my university’s Career Services on how to apply for non-ac jobs and “translate” the skills I honed in grad school to non-ac careers. I took advantage of sponsorships from the School of Graduate Studies to attend Executive Education courses at my university’s School of Management, in order to network with non-academics and learn about topics that aren’t generally covered in graduate school (e.g. negotiation skills). I kept my LinkedIn profile current and continued to connect with people on that platform, so that I had a solid network by the time I graduated. I researched how others had made the non-ac jump, so I would have resources if/when the time came. Finally, I looked for opportunities to gain additional skills (which often came in the form of what some might view as “merely” service, such as working on committees).
While I think any current grad student would benefit from doing as much as they can during grad school to prepare for a non-ac transition, I must also point out that the sheer volume of what I was able to do was a direct result of privilege. During grad school, I had the huge benefit of having a partner with a good-paying job outside of academia, who also takes on an equal share of the parenting and home-care load. I am able-bodied and relatively healthy (though grad school took a toll on my mental health, as it does for many). I could afford regular childcare for my son while finishing my program. These are all huge advantages that I know many, many grad students do not have.
In the rest of this series, I plan to share the details of my non-ac transition, in the hopes that in sharing I can help others facing a similar move. I also benefitted from others who have shared their experience and resources, and I will link to them as much as possible.
In the meantime, if you’re a faculty member or grad student gearing up for a non-ac job search, feel free to reach out and connect with me on LinkedIn (it would help if you included a note that you’re coming from my blog, since I generally try to only connect with people I know). Spoiler alert: networking was an incredibly important part of my own transition journey!
Brita M. Thielen 
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