What if you don’t want to move?
Photo by Rodrigo Barona on Unsplash
Moving often accompanies a transition between stages in academia—from undergraduate to graduate school, from graduate school to a postdoctoral fellowship, and from a postdoctoral fellowship to the first faculty position. Moving happens at transitions throughout your career. People may relocate, or move to a nearby institution, when they get a position with promotion and tenure, or when they take on a higher leadership role. Moving happens so often in academic careers that it’s become the expected course of action; of course you will move at some point in your career, and probably a few times. But sometimes, when you reflect on your values, your personal definition of success, and how you want to live your life, you may come to a stark realization: I don’t really want to move anywhere.
This insight may not be an easy one. Once you recognize that maybe you don’t want to move, even if that might be the only way for you to find that next promotion and get to the next level of “success”, then you may find yourself asking what that means. Does that mean that you’re not serious about your career? Does that mean you’re not ambitious? Does that mean you can’t be an academic anymore?!
No, of course not. But, we are so conditioned by the history and culture of academia that we start to think that our colleagues might perceive us in a negative light if we don’t follow the same paths they have taken, or if we don’t conform to their expectations to move anywhere in order to secure the most prestigious job.
So, how do you change the narrative for yourself so that you can confidently own your decision to stay where you are?
Reflect on how staying can be a strategic decision for your career. What kinds of work (teaching opportunities, research projects, clinical cases) would you be able to do in your current location that you wouldn’t be able to do elsewhere? What kinds of expertise could you cultivate in your current location that would be more challenging to develop elsewhere? What other kinds of professional development activities do you have time for now that maybe you wouldn’t if you took a position somewhere else? Who else is local that you can network with, solicit as a mentor, or collaborate with on new, exciting projects?
Be clear on how staying provides value for your personal life. Deciding not to move may mean that you get to remain close to your family, or that you can continue to remain part of the supportive community of friends and colleagues that you have built up over the years. Maybe it means that you get to keep walking in your favourite park every day, or that you don’t have to sell the condo with the incredible views that you love. It may mean that you get to increase your financial stability. Staying may mean that your spouse gets to advance in their career more readily, or that you get to raise your kids in an area with incredible schools and sports clubs, thereby providing opportunities for them that they wouldn’t get elsewhere.
Remember who pays your bills. Whenever someone gets a bit too judgy with me about my career choices, I ask them, “Would you like to pay my bills?” That usually ends the conversation. Seriously though, if someone’s not paying your bills, then they don’t get to have an opinion. Or, rather, they can certainly have their opinion, but, at the end of the day, you’re the one living your life, and sorting out your own responsibilities, in a way that is most authentic to you. What brought success for someone else may not work for you. The same outcome might not even look like success for you.
Since moving to Toronto many years ago, I’ve had chances to consider moving again, for other opportunities, but moving would have come at too high a cost both professionally and personally, so I have stayed here. I don’t regret these choices because I’ve been clear with myself about what opportunities I can immerse myself in by staying here. If you decide that staying is the best choice for you too, stay grounded in that decision and be clear on how it brings you value and new opportunities every day. If you need help in reframing your mindset about staying in your city or town for your career, reach out, and we can discuss all the ways staying can prove to be a fruitful strategic direction.
Next week: How to level up in your career when you don’t want to move
