How does someone go from being a tenure-track professor in English to software CEO? Find out here, in the latest Q&A at University Affairs.
What’s […] important here for others in transition to note is that some of the common reasons for leaving a tenure track job didn’t apply to me:
- I didn’t leave my job because I didn’t like what I did day in, day out;
- I didn’t leave my job because I didn’t like my colleagues or students;
- I didn’t leave my job because I didn’t publish enough or do well enough by university metrics (to quote my review letter: “It is my pleasure to inform you that the Merit Review Committee has recommended an award of 9.84 merit points [out of 10] for the review period and we greatly respect and thank you for all the work which you have done.”);
- I didn’t leave my job because of personality conflicts; and
- I didn’t leave my job because I hated it or was disillusioned.
I left my job because the very material conditions of labour – location, income, and autonomy – weren’t what I was looking for out of my professional career.