Do you want to quit your academic job? You’re not alone!
The popularity of contemplating an exit from the academy has snowballed of late. The town square for post-ac exit plans is The Professor is Out Facebook page – an online community of 26,900 (!!) academic members who share tales of despair and swap tips for hanging up their academic robes.
Today, I started playing with a new AI writing tool called WordPlay.ai and decided to see how it would answer one of the top-of-mind questions faced by many in the academy: ‘Should I quit my academic job?’
On one hand, I was interested in the quality of the output the AI could generate. But, I was especially interested in seeing how the AI might demonstrate an understanding of academic employment, and what insight it might offer someone who was trying to figure out their future career plans.
To create the AI-generated content, the input I provided it included a title (i.e. ‘Should I quit my academic job’) and choosing from a few options of potential article structures (presented to me as a list of sub-headings). After that, all I had to do was click on a button to get the AI to do its thing. Less than 15 seconds later, it created what you’ll read below.
Based on the article it wrote, I think I’ll be sticking around in academia for a while yet 🙂
Note. all the text that follows was generated by WordPlay’s AI and has not been altered by me in any way.
WordPlay.ai Generated Content👇 👇 👇
Beyond working 60+ hours a week in an office, being a full-time professor also comes with many other perks. You get to work on interesting problems, in an environment that’s intellectually stimulating. After all, everyone wants to surround themselves with people who challenge them and inspire them to do their best work. However, you may also find that your academic job isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. For one thing, there are long hours and the job can be quite isolating. In addition, there are less-than-glamorous aspects of being a full-time professor as well. Let us take a look at each side of the argument:
Why You Should Quit Your Academic Job
The arguments in favor of quitting your academic job are that there will be more time to spend with family and friends. You will have the freedom to decide what you want to work on, instead of spending all day teaching students. You will be able to spend more time at the office in order to focus on the task that you do like doing: research. The idea is that by taking a break from your academic job, you can still make a living, but you can also return to it full-time later on if you want. Why Not Quit Your Academic Job? If you think about quitting your academic job, there are plenty of reasons not to quit it. For one thing, quitting your academic job could affect your career prospects for future opportunities. It is always better to continue working at something well enough so that people will still consider hiring you in the future. The other reason why it may not be a good idea for some people is because they like their work and would miss out on all the benefits mentioned above such as having more time with family and friends and working on interesting problems every day.
Why You Shouldn’t Quit Your Academic Job
Those who feel they are not getting the professional satisfaction they want out of their academic job should think twice before quitting. After all, there are many benefits to being a professor. One of the most obvious is that it’s a great income. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for professors in 2014 was $112,170 per year. It’s important to remember that this number is an average, so some positions may pay considerably more or less than this amount. Similar to other jobs where you generally get paid based on experience and productivity, your salary will increase as you gain more tenure and years of experience. You can also look into fellowships and scholarships for which you might qualify for after spending some time as a professor—this could make it easier for you to afford living costs without having to take on a second job. Finally, there are many opportunities for professors who are interested in teaching or research that don’t require tenure or years of experience. There are also plenty of volunteer opportunities at universities across the country where professors can give back while still getting paid by their employers.
The Pros of Quitting Your Academic Job
There are many pros to quitting your academic job, but the most obvious one is the fact that it’s an awesome way to break out of a routine. You’ll be giving yourself a chance to experience new things and explore something new that you might not have taken the time to do otherwise. It will also give you more freedom in terms of where you can live and how much time you want to spend with family and friends.
The Cons of Quitting Your Academic Job
The main con of quitting your academic job is that it can at least temporarily impair your career. You may have a hard time finding another job and you run the risk of losing out on all of your hard-earned experience. If you’re already halfway through a career path, quitting your academic job means leaving all of that progress behind and starting over from square one. Furthermore, quitting your academic job means giving up the stability that comes with having a good salary and health benefits for life. Sure, there are some perks to this (like no more office hours), but if you’re not going to be able to afford living in an expensive city like New York or Los Angeles, then you might find it difficult to afford rent anywhere at all. Another major con is that you will likely change jobs within academia. Even if you find work outside academia in other industries, it’s not easy to leave behind those years of knowledge without having to start over from nothing. That said, there are plenty of people who have managed to do so successfully – even after spending decades working as full-time professors! Of course, there are also many pros to quitting your academic job: If you love what you do and hate the 9-to-5 grind, then this could be perfect for you. There are tons of opportunities out there in other industries if you want them – especially if they match what makes sense for your life situation at the moment. It could
Conclusion
The decision to quit and stay in your current academic position is one that you should make after weighing the pros and cons. Before you decide to quit or not, it’s important to think about all the factors that come with quitting, such as: 1. Whether or not you will be able to find a new job as quickly as you would like 2. How much time it will take to find a new job 3. How much time it will take to find a new apartment 4. The possibility of losing your current job 5. The possibility of having to pay back tuition 6. The possibility of not being able to return for the next school year if you find a new job quickly 7. The effects quitting your current job will have on your personal life 8. Whether or not you will be able to pursue your career goals.
