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I left academia straight after my PhD | Here's why I quit

Emma Sandy

6,523 views

I completed my PhD in 2022 and immediately left academia... No postdoc filler to figure out what I wanted to do. I quit cold-turkey. I wanted to share my top 3 reasons why I made the decision to leave.

3. Quality of Life - Late nights, low pay, the the near-constant brain churning of new ideas. It certainly wasn't a 9-5, and no matter how many hours were clocked, nobody is paying overtime.

2. Over competition - when the system is pyramid shaped, a pick-axe is an efficient tool for climbing.

1. Lack of stability - A two year contract here and a two year contract there. Everyone was in a state of international flux. Away from family, friends and support structures. There should be a life-time limit for leaving do's. It's not fun or fair to see excellent people constantly jumping off sinking ships when grant funding ends.

I didn't want to play the game of publish or perish. So I packed my bags. It was a blast while it lasted. There are a-thousand and one thing's I'd change about the system if I was given the chance. But for now I take my 3 letters, and I sleep in on the weekends.

00:00 Hi
00:35 working through the grieving process
01:30 I completed my Viva exam
01:56 reason 3 - the quality of life sucked
05:56 reason 2 - it was a rabbit hole into a pyramid scheme
13:32 reason numero uno - the instability of living on 2-year contracts sounded wild
19:12 playing mind games, re-imagining the system
21:44 update - I got a permanent job, I have windows, and get to go outside and touch the grass
22:33 career options - not all need to include bouncing from postdoc to postdoc, if you don't want to

#academia #phd #phdlife #university

19 Comments

@TADpole1008 8 months ago (edited)

It’s the same in the Humanities and usually it’s a 2 year position and you need to apply for the next position shortly after. I refused to go for one because I happen to be married I have a house and a dog. There’s no way I was going to uproot my life for a short term position. I think it’s a ridiculous demand of people, but the expectation is that Ph.D. students live like monastics, and post Ph.D. become nomadic scholars. The system is inhumane.

@tarawhite4419 2 months ago

A lot of people are quitting
You did the right thing

@spacepirates5044 11 months ago

Great video, you managed to put into words almost exactly how I've been feeling about academia and how the system unfortunately doesnt function well. It truly also has an element of grief to discover this for ourselves too. Really commendable job framing this and managing to voice all these thoughts!

@juliuszdjinformacjemuzyka5124 1 month ago

Hi. My experience with my PhD is very similar to yours. After completing my master's degree, my supervisor strongly encouraged me to pursue a PhD. When I went for the interview, I was harassed and underestimated – it seems my supervisor wasn't well-liked. Others were accepted without any consideration, but I was told no, because I couldn't. I gave up on it, if that's how it is and what they represent. I'm writing from Poland, and unfortunately, it's similar here, just as you describe – sham scientific conferences, serving no purpose, just to collect points. Racing for publications is unhealthy and even immoral. I also see that, unfortunately, without connections, such a PhD might not stand a chance either. Best regards from Poland.

@yawarmushtaq6000 1 year ago

As the saying goes,
"You could leave life right now so let that determine what you do , say and think".

So,kudos to you for mustering the courage to choose for YOU, instead of veering towards the predetermined route.

Cheers to that 🎉

@Bbe1298 8 months ago

Thank you a lot. I do not know you but this video helped me a lot. I am a 3rd year molecular biology undergrad student and was overthinking about overspecialization. This also seems meaningless to me, and I do not have any other person in my environment that thinks in the same way. I am still not sure what to do next but thanks, at least I do not feel alone!

@_reveux 1 year ago

congrats on getting a long term contract and getting the stability you wanted! my experience has been somewhat similar. after finishing my masters i was looking into possible phds and ended up not going that route at all and just continuing with the totally unrelated but much better paying job i had landed. i LOVE the environment of academia, i love working with likeminded people to further the knowledge in a given field, to really get into the nitty gritty of stuff. teaching is wonderful. but my reasons for not pursuing that were the exact same as yours: i did not want the insecurity of always thinking what the next step will be, i did not want to get into the rat race of publication when in actuality the research might need more time, and honestly the financial strain would have probably done me in. i will always have a soft spot for academia and research and i think could be wonderful with some changes, but i also sleep better at night knowing i have a steady income and a job that allows me to close my laptop and actually disconnect.

thanks a lot for the video! your thoughts felt like an echo of my own and it was a very validating watch. i truly hope you feel content in your new career and think back on those phd years fondly!

@sheabutter94 3 months ago

Agree 100% with every single one of the reasons and even the order of the reasons to the point I feel like I’m watching myself talking. I’ve moved around and compromised so much, and now I finally have a solid partner and close friends. I don’t want to leave that because career is not my #1 anymore.

@sarcasmisnotoptional 9 months ago

💜

@doctor_no_ 5 months ago

Do we leave Academia or are we being pushed out as there is no space for anyone anymore :(

@rayb2587 1 year ago

Hi, Can you please maybe share your experience with finding the right job for you, like how did you know ( sounds stupid but please bare with me) that okay this is the job name/title i will be searching for to find it. like sometimes, we knw our skills and stuff but not much about jobs potentials especially when you spend 8+ years in education. Thanks

@JoeSmith-jd5zg 9 months ago

Hi Emma!

@siyabongapatrick2257 2 months ago

My Number 1 reason for leaving academia to be a fuel cell scientist in industry was lack of stability for me too

@Yinzer808 1 day ago

Let's interview the person paying off the debt. I see a ring on that finger so im sure her husband would make a great interview and i bet his facial expression is quite different.

@EnverAdas-o9w 4 months ago

What do you suggest for someone in different fields, is it same🎉

@chloepitre2657 7 months ago

What is your job now?

@MusangKing-b3o 6 months ago

Writing paper is academia, doing science is scientist. Both are two different human beings.
An academia is likely to be a grifter, imposter or charlatan, someone pretends to be a scientist,
just so to continue winning government research grants for a lifetime employment as a tenured Professor.

@Musashi_Yojimbo 1 month ago

You deprived Academia of its slave labor. Now you're free to focus on applied research in the real world, like saving lives with ivermectin for pennies on the dollar.