(1/11) Autonomy: As an academic (even without tenure), I feel like I have so much autonomy to pursue the scientific ideas that I find to be important. For someone who is internally motivated and feels passionate about certain areas of research, this is a priceless benefit.
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(2/11) Never Ending Knowledge Gains: Every single day I go to work and learn new things. Every. Single. Day. The intellectual stimulation that I receive from my colleagues is such a gift. They push me and my science to be better. And I am so thankful.
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(3/11) Mentoring: I have benefited significantly from exceptional mentoring. I can never pay that back, but I get the chance to pay it forward every day. Mentoring the exceptional students in my lab and the committees I sit on gives me a deep sense of joy and pride.
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(4/11) Teaching: The students in my courses are brilliant. Full Stop. Their insights and discussion points never cease to amaze me, and I feel like I learn just as much from them, if not more, than they learn from me.
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(5/11) Flexibility: Academia provides significantly more scheduling flexibility than most other professions. We are a milestone-based profession (grants, papers, books). As a result, beside time you are in class, people tend to care very little about where and when you work.
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(6/11) Flexibility cont.: Personally, I work best in the morning so I am often up writing at 4am. If I was tied to a 9am-5pm schedule, I would be a lot less productive. Also, as a mom of two, this allows me to work around my children’s schedules, which is invaluable to me.
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(7/11) Impact: We are often sought after for our expertise. This allows us to influence policy and changes in communities, clinical settings, governmental agencies, & industry, thereby increasing the impact of our work significantly more than if we disseminated our work alone.
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(8/11) Colleagues: I get to work with some of the smartest, noble, and kind people in the world. You don't go into academia to become rich and could make a lot more money in other industries. Academics have a passion for their work and are here because they want to change the
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(9/11) Travel: Conferences, meetings, and guest speaker opportunities take you all over the country and the world. I’ve been able to see so many places that I would not have otherwise seen. New cultures, new people, and new places are a privilege to be exposed to.
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(10/11) Personal growth: There is a lot of rejection in academia. This invites personal growth, introspection, and humility. I am a better person for all of the experiences and teachable moments I have had as an academic.
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(11/11) Overall, I feel that being an academic is such a privileged position. I am grateful for the opportunity to conduct research, teach, mentor, and serve every day. These may not reflect everyone’s experiences in academia, but they reflect mine.
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Some important points have been brought up in response to this thread. Additional thoughts below:
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@JonathanShedler said it best, "There is a difference between hope and false hope. And the hopelessness I hear is less about an academic job per se, than it is about the overwhelming likelihood of never having the opportunity to have one."Prikaži ovu nit -
I would like to reiterate that I am very privileged to have had such great mentoring, which has played a large role in my experience and that I have a TT position at a R1 university. I know not everyone is so lucky.
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Also important to note that there are real barriers for women, people of color, LBGTQ+ (and the intersection of these) that can make academia a toxic environment. I want to acknowledge and be respectful of those experiences.
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Also, I am not advocating that academia is for everyone. It's not. There are wonderful opportunities in so many other sectors and many of the benefits that I listed are compatible in other industries.
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There are some really negative aspects to academia, particularly those in a toxic environment and/or without proper compensation, benefits, and security. This thread was meant to share the positive aspects of my admittedly very privileged position.
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At the end of the day, I think those of us lucky enough to be in these positions should continue working to make academia a more inclusive and healthy work environment. I am committed to that goal, as I know many of my colleagues are as well. We can do better.
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