Academics must embrace change to step outside the academy: Opinion

Academics who are looking to leave the academy must be willing to embrace change if they want to be a viable candidate in the job market, writes William Pannapacker, a professor emeritus at the US-based Hope College. As Pannapacker reflects on his own career trajectory, he writes that those within the academy are often accustomed to working irregular hours, flexible deadlines, and being the resident expert. The author writes that academics have many valuable, transferrable skills, but they must give up some of these expectations when looking for a job outside the academy, a process that “may very likely shake the foundations of your being.” Pannapacker encourages other academics to learn from his mistakes as they pursue their own job searches.