I attended a support group for those who wish to leave academia.
It was great! I hadn't talked to many people at the beginning of the transition process lately so that was refreshing.
It got me thinking. I've observed 3 groups of people who want to leave academia:
Group 1: those who are literally forced out (fired, laid off, denied tenure, etc.) or those who feel like circumstances outside of their control (like department or university politics) are forcing their hand to quit. These people love what they do and don't really want to pivot...they just want to take a step or 2.
Group 2: those who are just DONE. Maybe they had a bad experience. They would do anything besides academia. Pivot? They will do a complete 180.
Group 3: a mix of groups 1 and 2. They may be literally forced out or feel forced out. They may have had a bad experience. But they are open to what's out there. If they only knew what was out there.
You know who has the hardest path? Group 1
More to come.
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