Image by Nigel Howe

Thank you all for the wonderful response we’ve gotten from our pilot episode! We’ve been overwhelmed by the number of people who have told us they identified and enjoyed our podcast. So, thank you again. We hope that you’ll keep listening. We’ll release new episodes every other Tuesday.

Over the past week, our listeners sent (or tweeted) links to different resources that might help the transitioning academic. We’ve collected them here and hope that they will aid in your recovery.

What To Do Next?

myIDP No list is complete without a mention of myIDP. If you’re not sure where to start, then myIDP will give you a place to begin. You’ll rate a series of statements about what is important to you and what you’d like out of a career. myIDP takes your ratings and matches it with possible careers that might work for you. The best part of myIDP, at least to me, is the goal setting. myIDP encourages you to set short- and long-term goals and sends you email reminders about them.

Alternatives To Professorships In Academia Just because you’ve decided that a professorship isn’t for you, doesn’t mean that you have to leave academia entirely. Science recently published an article about academia adjacent careers (a term that I think was coined by our own Ian Street).

The Job Search

10 Ways To Find Your Next Job You are likely familiar with the academic job search, and many of your mentors can offer their experience. Looking for a job outside of academia might feel like stumbling in the dark. Bioscience careers offers this article on how to start your search.

Beyond the Professoriate Job Search Course If you want more guidance, then this course is for you. From the website, this is a “10-week program for PhDs and graduate students who are preparing, or actively searching, for new careers beyond the professoriate.” This course is given by the same people who organize the Beyond the Professoriate Conference this past May, which I attended. The conference helped me decide (and get up the courage) to leave academia and provided me with valuable career advice.

Success Outside of Academia

Life outside the lab: The ones who got away As Nature states in the subheading, “Sometimes, the brightest stars in science decide to leave. Nature finds out where they go.” Many former academics found success and fulfillment outside of academia.