Leaving Academia

[ysabetwordsmith]

Here is an essay about a professor leaving academia. 

I went to U of I.  There were parts of it that I enjoyed, and the culture wasn't that bad.  But I can see parallels.  For me it was more a matter of looking at the way education was going, and deciding not to get involved in public education as a teacher.  It was obviously going down the tubes, and that was decades ago; it's infinitely worse now.  So too, many colleges.  :/  I couldn't stop it.  I could sure get the hell out of the way.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

It's certainly been my experience that it differs from school to school. When I went to t'other U of I (Idaho!) I connected great with professors and students alike even as a late transfer student.

When I came to UW for my Masters, I think one professor noticed I was having a massive breakdown over the course of two years? And none of the students I shared the majority of my 10-20 person classes and an office with. Everyone was too busy with their work to look at each other.

It was... not something I'd want to repeat, even if I still love learning and would love to study a few more fields. (If I'm in too much pain to work, I might as well be learning, ehh?)

-ZB

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>It's certainly been my experience that it differs from school to school.<<

That matches my observations. However, I don't think the trend is positive.

>> I still love learning and would love to study a few more fields. (If I'm in too much pain to work, I might as well be learning, ehh?) <<

That is an excellent plan.

[thewayne]

The finale to earning your PhD in astrophysics/astronomy has a pretty high casualty rate, according to my wife. She developed an ulcer from it (KFC was about the only thing she could handle at the time), but got her doctorate and manages a 3.5 meter telescope and gets to bounce lasers off the moon. Others didn't succeed and got the consolation prize: a Masters. In this field you earn your BS then go for your PhD and see what happens, or at least that was the methodology 20some years ago when she did hers.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Many jobs are notorious for ruining people's health. I think that employers should be liable for that the same way they are if a factory machine grinds up someone's arm. But most people don't care.