Still love your students? You can leave anyway

Dear Reader,

I want to talk about something that comes up all the time in my work.

Quick reminder! Today I’m hosting a live tour of my PhD Career Clarity Program at 1:00pm Eastern / 10:00am Pacific / 6:00pm UK.

Consider the following statements:

“I don’t want to leave my colleagues in a lurch.”
“I’m here for the students, and I stay for the students.”
“I still love parts of my job.”

If you’re feeling torn in similar ways about potentially leaving your job—like doing so would make you selfish, or disloyal, or less committed to education—you’re not alone.

That kind of thinking is emblematic of of the concept of vocational awe.

Librarian scholar Fobazi Ettarh describes this in her 2018 article (“Vocational Awe and Librarianship: The Lies We Tell Ourselves“) as the belief that some professions are sacred callings.

To critique them, leave them, or even to expect fair treatment as a worker (that’s you) is a moral failing.

Academic culture often tells us:

You should suffer, because it’s for the greater good.
You’re lucky to be here; don’t complain.
If you really cared about the mission, you’d stay.

But that’s not ethics, eh? That’s emotional manipulation. And it works!

You can care deeply about your students and still want a better job.

You can be committed to learning and still expect decent pay, support, and boundaries.

You can like and respect your colleagues and still know it’s time to go.

And, to be clear, staying doesn’t make you a bad person either.

Most of us are just trying to make our way in a world not designed for us, after all. To make a living, do meaningful work, and hang onto what we can.

That’s not a moral failure; it’s reality, and we’re navigating it all in real time.

You don’t owe the discipline, your employer, your colleagues or students your body, mind, and soul.

If I sound fired up, it’s because I am. This stuff matters!

You don’t have to volunteer for a large corporation (a university or for-profit journal), or for people who make a lot more money than you do (your advisor, department chair, or dean).

You don’t have to end up in hospital so people who do or will get paid better than you (your wealthy students, your senior tenured colleagues) can advance their careers.

You don’t have to move away from everyone you know and love so the discipline stays alive (people > disciplines, always).

None of us signed up to be martyrs (did you?).

This is employment. And you are allowed to choose something that works better for your life.

You’re allowed to ask: Is this still working for me? Early and often, even.

If you’re serious about thinking through what’s next without necessarily committing to fleeing the sector, I’d love to see you at today’s tour:

👉 Join the program tour today at 1pm EDT.
Or reply to this email if you’d prefer to have a quick 1:1 chat about it before August 13. You can also read more about the program here.

Best wishes,

Jen

Jennifer Polk, PhD