University Post
University of Copenhagen
Independent of management

Opinion

I have never thought more of leaving academia than now

A personal story — I love teaching, reading, and writing. But most days I can’t help feeling that the university is lost, and I need to put my time and energy elsewhere. I know I am not the only academic feeling this way.

This op-ed was first posted on LinkedIn. The University Post brings a slightly edited version.

OPINION ON THE UNIVERSITY POST

This is a featured comment/opinion piece. It expresses the author’s own opinion.

We encourage everyone to read the whole piece before commenting on social media, so that we only get constructive contributions.

Disagreement is good, but remember to uphold a civil and respectful tone.

Over the past few weeks, I have celebrated a lot of accomplishments. I recently published a new book, I had a research article come out, and I am soon starting a new research project that allows me to go and do research with the prestigious Stockholm Resilience Centre.

This is all well and good, but the truth is that I have been struggling with life in academia for a while now. Yes, I love teaching, I love reading, I love writing. Most days I even think I am quite good at it. Nonetheless, I have never thought more about leaving academia than I have in the past year.

Fighting a losing battle

I don’t want to sound entitled. Doing research at a university is, in many ways, a huge privilege. It is prestigious, it is well-paid, and it comes with an almost unmatched degree of freedom. I am grateful for that.

I have been struggling with life in academia for a while now

But at the same time, many universities today show little regard for the mental well-being of its employees and students, continue to invest in and support companies that are involved in genocide, and do little to reduce their own climate footprints despite the evidence of an unfolding climate and ecological breakdown. Add to this the increased prevalence of stress and burnout among many of my colleagues, and the systemic issues with sexism and harassment.

READ ALSO: She led the fight against the theft of research. Now she’s quitting

Despite all of this, there are still spaces of resistance within the university and courageous colleagues and students, who are trying to salvage what good is left. But most days I cannot help feeling that we are fighting a losing battle and that, maybe, the university is lost, and I need to put my time and energy elsewhere.

Wanted and unwanted at the same time

This feeling is exacerbated by the growing realization that there most likely is no job for me in academia anyways. Even though I have done pretty much everything that could be expected of me: I have published in prestigious international journals, I have taught classes with stellar student evaluations, I have disseminated my research to a broader public, I have taken up leadership roles, and I have successfully acquired funding for new research projects.

There are virtually no jobs. Public universities have been severely defunded in recent years, especially within the fields of social science and humanities, where permanent positions are exceptionally rare. In the three years since I finished my PhD, I have come across only a handful of academic jobs, all but one of them outside Denmark, that have seemed relevant for someone with my research profile.

READ ALSO: Give PhDs and Postdocs better conditions

Before summer, I received a rejection letter for a tenure-track position at one of the few departments here in Denmark where I could see myself work. I didn’t even get to the interview stage. I spoke with a professor, who had previously worked at the department, and who told me that it might have been because I did not have the right disciplinary background.

There is a lot of talk these days about the need for interdisciplinary research to help solve the complex challenges of tomorrow. When I apply for new research funding, my interdisciplinary profile and practice-partnerships are in demand. But when it comes to permanent university hires, most departments are still divided into old disciplinary silos.

I feel lonely, but I know I’m not alone

But the real catch, which has become a source of day-to-day struggle, is this: If I want to stay ‘competitive’ and have any chance of potentially landing an academic job – in the unlikely scenario that the right position appears – I will have to do more of the things I am least excited about, namely applying for external funding and publishing in scientific journals that are only read by other researchers. Ironically, what I would most like to do is exactly what used to be the core activities of working at the university: Teaching students and pursuing original research.

Ironically, what I would most like to do is exactly what used to be the core activities of working at the university

This is a sad situation. First of all for me, of course. But I also think it sad for our societies that the universities, which used to be (or claimed to be) at the forefront of knowledge and enlightenment, are increasingly becoming bastions of an old world that is quickly eroding, and where impact metrics and external funding matter more than people’s well-being and doing actually interesting research.

READ ALSO: New initiative: Research culture needs ‘kindness’ as a core value

Although these thoughts can sometimes make me feel lonely and isolated, I know that I am not alone. Researchers, staff, and students are increasingly coming together and speaking up against the flaws and structural injustices of academia today. This is an important cause. With everything happening around the world these days, the fight to preserve spaces for free and independent thinking has rarely seemed more important.

Latest