This blog post is your daily, or maybe hourly, dose of encouragement. Read it as frequently as you need to. You can even copy this into Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat Reader and have the program read it out loud to you if you want to hear someone else say it.
You can do this!
No matter how long you’ve been teaching or how long you’ve been out of school, it is still possible to transition out of academia.
Yes, there is a place for you.
The way you view the world, the way you put information together, the way you communicate, the way you manage projects (and, yes, you have managed projects), the way you do things is needed. There are businesses, nonprofit organizations, corporations that need not only your skill set, but your personality and your brain.
I know as an academic, you find a lot of fulfilment and satisfaction from your career. You can find careers outside of academia that are just as fulfilling and satisfying, maybe even more so. You can love your work. You can make a difference. You can do work that is meaningful.
All the feelings you feel--guilt, sadness, anxiety, happiness, frustration, overwhelm, all the emotions--are all normal, I promise. Grief is real. Be patient with yourself. All these feelings don’t necessarily mean you are doing something wrong or doing “it” wrong.
Failure is part of the process. Tell your inner critic to shut up.
Confront all your negative thoughts with facts. Interrogate them. Demand evidence from your feelings. You are way too bright, perceptive, and smart to move through life letting your negative thoughts run free in your mind.
If you ever want to talk, I’m here.
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