Every year, researchers decide to leave the university either because they discover that they’re no longer enjoying what they do or are lured away by new interests and professional aspirations. The prospect of leaving the academic world after years of professional dedication, training in research, and personal sacrifice is often scary. The Recovering Academic podcast series, launched by a group of friends including biochemist Amanda Welch and botanist Ian Street, both Americans, and Brazilian psychologist Cleyde Helena, seeks to guide researchers in different stages of professional development who are unsure if they’re making the right decision. All three were researchers who left academia to pursue other professional activities in the United States.
The goal of the podcast series, they say, is to discuss the emotional aspects related to the professional transition between the university and the larger job market, and to help scientists who have left or are about to leave the academic environment. As of October 2017, 22 episodes had been produced, each with an average length of 35 minutes. They feature interviews and personal accounts of how to plan a career outside the lab, identify skills developed during the university years, and use social networks to stand out in the job market, among other subjects. Podcasts are available in English at bit.ly/RecAcademic.
Republish