What if you don’t want to climb the academic ladder of ‘success’?
Photo by Mathurin Napoly on Unsplash
When reaching for the next level of success in their careers, academics are often faced with a decision of whether or not to relocate, in order to take a postdoctoral fellowship, or to begin their assistant professor journey, or even later in their careers for senior positions in leadership and administration. For some, of course, moving is simply not possible, and in the last blog post, I discussed ways in which you can still level up in your career without needing to change locations or institutions. But, this leaves open another question: what if you just don’t want to? What if the idea of leveling up—continually working towards new strategic goals—sounds like the last thing that you want to do?
The culture of academia is such that we expect people to continually work towards creating some bigger, better version of their career; that’s the assumed default. Not wanting to climb the academic ladder, or not wanting to level up in some way, doesn’t signal a lack of ambition; it’s just a difference in values and tactics. For some people, continuing to level up is how they are able to achieve the impact and derive the meaning they want for their lives. But, this sentiment isn’t universal. Some people find meaning and impact outside of their jobs: they may pour their energies, love, and support into their families or communities. Others may have watched their elders work hard every day, chasing the next promotion, only to never get the chance to enjoy their retirement. Those experiences then change their relationships with work. And still other people simply crave stability, finding joy and comfort in dedicating their efforts to a few, consistent, activities: teaching their signature class, or supervising one honours undergraduate research project each year, for example. There is a place and a role for each and every one of these outlooks on life and labour. The key is deciding for yourself what you value and how you want to put those values into practice.
Alternatively, continuing to climb the academic ladder, or leveling up, may just not be possible at this time in your life. Career growth requires other sacrifices besides possibly moving between residences. You may be caring for young children, or for elderly parents, or you may need to focus on your own health at the moment. Or you may be in a season of life where you simply need or want to pause and redirect your focus. Remember that careers are long. Just because you feel like you can’t, or don’t want to, level up right now doesn’t mean that you can’t ever level up in the future. In fact, I would argue that it’s impossible to keep climbing the ladder to success year after year, without ever taking a pause. That usually results in burnout along the way. Take each year as it comes and see how you feel and then decide what activities you would, or would not, like to pursue.
There are many ways to live a life with meaning and impact, and they don’t all require climbing the ladder to success, or plotting out ways to level up to achieve strategic goals. Ask yourself how you want to feel, what matters to you in this season of your life, and what your constraints are. Then, use those reflections to guide your choices. If you need help building the life that is right for you, reach out.
Next week: The identity transitions that come with career transitions
