Dear Reader,
It’s mid-August, which means a new academic year is either here or nearly here.
Maybe you’re excited about it. Maybe you’re already tired just thinking about it. 😬
Or maybe you’re thinking, “Ugh, I really don’t want to be doing this a year from now.”
That was the subject of a conversation I had this week with my friend and colleague Paulina Cossette, PhD: How to make this your last year in academia.
Paulina works with academics who want to build businesses as academic editors and writing coaches.
And, as you know, I work with professors, postdocs, and other PhDs who are figuring out what they want next and how to move toward it.
If you want this to be your last academic year, you don’t need to have your entire future figured out before September… and you don’t have to start telling anyone your plans!
But you do need to start doing something differently.
That might mean getting serious about exploring what else you want from your work and life.
It might mean talking to people outside your usual academic circles.
It might mean experimenting with something on the side.
It might mean finally giving some actual time and attention to the career questions you’ve been putting off because teaching / grading / research / students / committees / ALL THE EMAILS keep getting in the way.
Because another academic year can disappear remarkably quickly.
And then suddenly it’s August 2027 and you’re thinking, “Right. I was going to do something about this.”
If you’d rather not do that, we got you:
▶️ Watch: How to make this your last year in academia
This latest video is part of a new series Paulina and I started doing together live on YouTube on Mondays at noon ET!
We talk about academia, career change, self-employment, and whatever else comes up.
We’re still figuring out exactly what this is—which is part of the fun—so feel free to pass on your feedback and suggestions.
Note that the videos in this Monday series are on her channel, but I do post Shorts on mine afterward as well. Here’s the From PhD to Life YouTube channel.
Cheers,
Jen
P.S. If you’re thinking seriously about making this your last academic year but don’t know what you want to do instead, that’s exactly the kind of problem I help PhDs work through. You can learn more about my PhD Career Clarity Program here.
Jennifer Polk, PhD
Free Webinar Job search advice for professors, postdocs, and other PhDs ready to leave academia
