7 Tips for Leaving Academia
Some things to keep in mind when getting out
No one ever left academia overnight. It’s a gradual experience, not unlike leaving a friendship that has run its course. From my first foray into the academic job market in 2011 through my final dips in 2014 or 2015, it look time and energy to leave academia.
Even after landing my first non-academic job a decade ago, I thought about how things would go on the other side. And well after that, I continued publishing (most recently in 2016) and reviewing articles (most recently in 2020 or 2021). I even wrote an academic book, and sat for a couple of interviews.
So, it can take a long time to leave! Without further ado, here are 7 tips to get you started on leaving academia.
- Explore your interests
Once again, you won’t fall out of love with academia overnight. There will be a long period where you’re on the fence about whether to stick with academia or break out into a different career.
While a stressful time for many, it’s best to think about this as a period of exploration. Lean into the uncertainty! Ride it out and see where it takes you. Don’t police yourself or slap yourself on the wrist for thinking about different kinds of careers.
As I said above, I spent several years making my final decision to leave academia. And it might take you awhile, too.
2. Prioritize
What do you like about the work you’re doing now, and what do you dislike? Setting aside practical issues like degrees or experience, what kind of work can you see yourself doing and enjoying? Do you want to live in a particular city or region? Is your spouse linked to a geographical region or industry? What kind of salary do you need to live the lifestyle you enjoy?
Academia teaches you not to worry about most of these things. You look for a tenure-track job, wherever it might be located and whatever it might pay. But the non-academic world looks far less like a medieval guild. You have to keep these priorities in mind and balance them.
Many of you will find it liberating to think about these things. Leaving academia can feel like retaking control of your life and setting your own priorities.
3. Network
When I was leaving academia, I hated the idea of networking. It felt phony, and it reeked of all the problems with the ‘hidden job market’ (see #7 below)!
To be honest, I’m still not too comfortable with it. I’m still an introvert and still not great about chatting up people I don’t know. I find it questionable in various ways.
But mostly you have to just work through it. Find and meet people working non-academic jobs. Look through your own contact lists and chat up people from college, even high school. Find people through friends or acquaintances or professors or randos at the coffee shop. Find people on LinkedIn.
Most people will be willing to speak with you and share what they know. Send them a brief email asking to meet you for coffee (or a Zoom chat). They’ll probably be happy to chat with you!
4. Visit the university career center
Most universities design their career center for undergrads. But in the last 5–10 years, they’ve started getting hip to the fact that grad students are looking for jobs outside the academy. So, stop by and give it a try.
In addition, find out if your university (or even your undergrad university) offers career or placement services to students or alums. Find out whether there are any alum orgs you can join for networking purposes.
5. Work
This might seem obvious, but academia does encourage people to close themselves off from outside work. If you haven’t done non-academic work, do something. It can be part-time, and that’s fine. But look at your interests and skills (see #1 above), and find a way to put that into practice in a way that lands on the résumé.
It doesn’t have to pay well. Or even at all. Volunteering counts, especially if it helps you build the kinds of skills needed in target industries.
As I was finishing my dissertation, I spent some time teaching MCAT prep for a test prep org. It helped quite a bit for my chosen industry of educational management and assessment.
6. Write for non-academics
Academic writing and non-academic writing differ quite a bit. And not only writing on the job, but also writing to get the job. That is to say, the non-academic cover letter and résumé don’t look much like the academic cover letter and CV.
I won’t catalog all those differences here. But here’s a big picture way to think about it. When applying for academic jobs, the challenge is to stand out from people who are very similar to you. Everyone has the same basic background. But getting a non-academic job requires showing how your specific background helps you add value to the company.
In other words, it requires showing something that lots of universities take for granted. It’s not about standing out from 150 other people with a PhD in your field. It’s about using concrete examples, numbers, keywords, and skills to show a search committee that you have something to bring to the company. You need to show them you can help solve their problems.
7. Learn about the ‘hidden job market’
Finally, I’ll say a word about what I call the ‘hidden job market.’ In other outlets, I’ve been a bit more explicit about this and called it ‘cronyism.’ I’ve thought about it a bit more since then, and my views on the issue are still in motion.
But here’s what I’m getting at. We have evidence showing that most jobs outside of academia aren’t even advertised. Hiring managers and recruiters meet people more informally. They make friends and contacts, often people who are right for a job in their company.
Why? Because hiring the wrong person costs a company big money. They want to avoid this. And proactively meeting people ahead of time and vetting them for issues of fit, work ethic, et al. helps them avoid major costs.
But the hidden job market has a huge downside. Issues of ‘culture’ and ‘fit’ cover over all kinds of issues of racial bias, gender bias, and so on. Who an employer befriends — often someone similar to themselves — and whatever misconceptions an employer has about fit and work ethic drive a large amount of what’s happening here.
You, as someone leaving academia, simply have to be aware of all this. And you have to be aware that most people in the business world don’t have any major beef with the hidden job market. Part of networking, then, involves making contacts with people who might come to see you as a potential hire.
Bonus: Read a few books!
I’ll add one thing at the end. For those of you looking for guidance, I’d recommend picking up a couple of books on leaving academia.
First, there’s So What Are You Going To Do With That? by Susan Basalla and Maggie Debelius. This book has some practical advice many of you will find useful. And it has lots and lots of examples.
Second, I’d very highly recommend Leaving Academia by Christopher L. Caterine. What I really love about this book is that it offers lots of very practical steps to take along the way.
N.B.
This article began several years ago as a post at my blog, Base and Superstructure. I’ve updated the old post quite a bit with newer thoughts and information. This article contains affiliate links.