switch from academic to non-academic job?

[lph]

ok, so it's spring and I'm getting antsy and uneasy... but many little things recently have been getting under my skin. And basically I'm wondering if it's time I started thinking about doing something completely different. I love bike wrenching. I love solving practical mechanical problems. I draw detailed sketches of how to build something we need, even if I don't have the knowhow to actually put it together. So what exactly am I doing in an office shuffling paper and writing?

I know, it's because I also like a lot of that stuff, but I'm beginning to feel that I've had enough and am neglecting another, fairly large part of me. It really appeals to me to create something, not be creative in the sense of art and beauty, but creative in the sense of actually creating something solid and useful and practical. I feel really jealous of Owlie, applying for a job at her LBS.. (Best of luck, btw!)

Ok, I won't ramble on. I'll have to think this over, but for now I'm just curious - has anyone here made a major career change and switched from an academic job to a non-academic job? I'm interested in your experiences and thoughts, not least in what I might be romanticizing or what I haven't thought about missing. I dropped out of school when I was 16 to work full time for 4 years in a racehorse stable, so I'm not a total stranger to plain hard work But of course I went back afterwards and did the only "sensible" thing, which in my family was a university degree...

I'll go look for the career change threads that I have noticed here earlier, and see what I can find. Much appreciate any thoughts.

[Crankin]

lph, can you investigate this while still working? Don't do anything abrupt. Sometimes the grass always looks greener.
If you don't have any financial constraints about switching careers, then why not? I am in the ending process of a career change from a teacher (I've always had my summers off!) to a psychotherapist. Yes, both human services, but very different. I think for someone changing careers after many years, investigating the "culture" of the new work environment is very important. Can you do this?
One thing that I didn't think would bother me, is the fact that I will be making so little money. I didn't go into this for the money, but one of my things has always been that I could support myself nicely on my former salary. It's a "head" thing. I'm going to be making less than both of my kids do .
And there's the idea that I've always been on an academic schedule, sort of a rhythm to the year, that now is different.

[Mr. Bloom]

Lph, you've always struck me as having a very balanced and sober perspective on things. My guess is that you have already thought through this and see that it might be possible.

While I'm not really answering your question, I think you should take this to the next level - investigating how you could make this change rather than whether you should make the change. That process may assist in determining whether it would make you happy.

[ClockworkOrange]

I have no background in which I can offer advice, cards on the table, I have no qualifications either, I left school at 15 years of age and that was that, like most in the early 1960's. Although saying that I do have a lot of common sense and I am most certainly not stupid.

Perhaps I have been fortunate in blagging jobs through my life, although I have done alright BUT if I had my time over again, I would have done something using my hands, most certainly nothing like what I have done for the last 45 years!

For me I am happy trying to mend things or coming up with ideas how to overcome problems.

So, in my very humble opinion, give it a go, what do you have to lose, surely you can always return to what you are currently doing.

Maybe this old biddy is slightly jealous too.

I wish you every success if you do follow your dream.

[Grog]

No advice to offer - I am more into the business of convincing PhD students that there are cool careers to explore outside of academia - but you may want to explore the Careers section of the Chronicle of Higher Education (chronicle.com). I am pretty sure that I recall that topic being discussed before...

Keep us posted!

[Melalvai]

Grog, that is a worthy pursuit. 90,000 postdocs in the US, and 24,000 tenure track faculty jobs. Too few people know this important fact and get their PhDs without knowing what they'll do with them.

lph, I think it's awesome that you're considering a career change, whether you go through with it or not. Something I learned recently is that it doesn't have to be a choice between this or that. Sometimes you can have both, and there's more than one way to skin a cat (isn't that a horrid saying?). For years I've secretly and guiltily dreamed of dropping out of academia and going into bicycle advocacy full time. (Guiltily because if I did that, why then did I get the PhD and endure so many years of postdoc servitude?) Then I started up the bike/ped advocacy group and realized that I'd rather be president of this group than executive director. My day job supports my bike advocacy habit.

In other words although my deep dark secret desire was to quit academia and go into bike/ped advocacy full time, my real desire is simply bike/ped advocacy and I can do that without quitting my day job. Which is nice on the family finances, and I love my new employer (which is not a Research I institution) and I enjoy research again, though I may never be as passionate about it as I was when I first began graduate school, such a naive young thing that I was.

Good luck finding the path that works for you!

[lph]

Thank you, everybody, for kind words and good ideas. I'm not going to quit my job any day soon even though I'm mightily frustrated sometimes, if anything I'm more likely to analyze things to death before I do anything...

I think I'm in the process of sieving it out exactly what it is that frustrates me most (whoever wrote "the mills of God grind slowly but they grind exceeding small" was thinking of governmental processes) and seeing how I can change that while keeping the parts I like. I don't think I really want to ditch the analytical, theoretical parts of my job, 'cause I could analyze the elements out of sheetrock, I just want to see more results, get more feedback, and work with something I find more meaningful.

Thanks again!

[Mr. Bloom]

Good for you! At least in the meantime, you live in the country with the world's happiest people!

[nscrbug]

No advice to offer, however I've been contemplating something similar. I've been at my job for 24 years now. I'm a computer operator at a small community college. I am 5 years away from early retirement. I need 30 years of service, but I can "buy" 1 year of service because I have accumulated enough sick days to do so...which brings me at 5 years before I'm eligible. I honestly don't know if I can make it there 5 more years. I'm extremely bored and unhappy with what I'm doing...and we are currently going through a major software/hardware conversion which may (or may not) end up eliminating my position altogether. I haven't been told anything yet, nor have I been trained on the new system (most of my colleagues I have already gone through some training). Lots of unknowns, for sure. I would LOVE to try something totally new and different...even if it's just part-time (w/benefits).

I admire anyone who is unhappy in their job and is contemplating a career change in a totally different direction. I'm too "chicken" to actually go through with it right now...but I guess if I'm forced to (if my job is eliminated) then I'd take that leap of faith and do it.

Linda

[malkin]

Of course you must "follow your bliss," but it is easier to be blissful when the bills are paid.

Best wishes for this transition!

[shootingstar]

Of course you must "follow your bliss," but it is easier to be blissful when the bills are paid.

Very true.

It feels wierd to be where I am ...a boomer who just recently joined an organization (govn't) while people close to my age are taking early retirement from the same organization.

Yes, true sometimes change can move more slowly in academia and govn't.
But as long as I'm learning something new on the job, I consider that a big plus. Some areas of govn't are changing where internal depts. are charging back their services to other internal depts.: it forces the dept. and clients not to take internal services for granted and controls (abit) on getting things done on time and on budget.

[redrhodie]

lph, if you decide to do it, you'll be an ace. I say go for it, don't hold yourself back. I know bike mechanics don't make a lot of money, but the ones I know are the nicest and happiest people I know. It looks like fun work.

[SheFly]

Last year, I made the reverse change - from corporate America into academia. The advice I would offer is to analyze, analyze, analyze (though knowing you, that isn't an issue). When we are bored with our jobs, the grass always looks greener elsewhere. What I've learned is that it is really just another shade of brown .

The environments are different between the two cultures. Academia can be slow (or relaxed) with projects that last for long durations, but there seems to be patience for that and money to fund it. In a corporate environment (I come from high tech), everything moved fast, I worked on a global clock (my team was across the globe and scheduling meetings was a profession in and of itself) and all eyes were on the almighty $.

I'm not saying one is better than the other. Both have their upsides and downsides. They are just different.

Good luck whatever you decide! You'll do well if you stay, or if you make a change.

SheFly