Dr Alyce Mayfosh
I am so excited to leave academia!
I’ve been in an academic/industry hybrid postdoc since January 2020, my first postdoc after my PhD. I work in an academic lab at a university, but I also work on a commercial project for a start-up biotech company. It’s given me a taste of both worlds: I’m still publishing my work, applying for grants and awards, and supervising a student. Plus, I’ve worked closely with the company’s chief scientific officer and had the chance to meet with clinicians and the business development team about the future of the product. I’ve worked hard to keep the academic door open just in case I decided to stay in research, but I’ve come to realise academia isn’t for me.
I love learning about cancer biology and immunology at seminars and in papers, working alongside great people, and mentoring students. I don’t love being in the lab every day, and I hate applying for grants and awards for myself, especially given the low success rates. It just seems so inefficient to me. Plus, I want a break from the typical work grind. I want flexibility. I want to spend more time doing things I enjoy, like creating training resources for PhD students and finding new ways to fund medical research. I want to work for myself or do some part-time or freelance work. I don’t know exactly what yet, but I know I’ll figure it out.
When I first considered leaving academia, I felt like I would be letting people down if I left. It felt like I was giving up. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised how ridiculous that was. It’s not giving up if I want to leave something I don’t fully enjoy for the opportunity to find something I do. And as for letting people down, yes, there might be people who want me to follow a certain career path, but that’s not a good reason to do so. I don’t owe anyone anything. I’ve done my job. I’ve put in more than what was expected of me. I’ve worked hard. I don’t feel guilty anymore because academia isn’t for me, because I’ve realised that I can make a bigger contribution to science by supporting researchers in a different capacity rather than staying at the lab bench. And I am well qualified for that.
Doing a PhD has set me up to do anything I want. In my PhD, I learnt the process of how to teach myself new skills: I taught myself how to do specific techniques, how to write, how to speak, how to research a topic, and of course, how to get help when I needed it. The ability to teach yourself is the most universal skill, and you can apply that to anything. Plus, there are the other skills that come with a PhD: problem-solving and resilience when things don’t work (and for me, how to pick myself up when I’ve hit rock bottom); grit, patience, and discipline to stick with projects for long periods; attention to detail and effective communication skills; and juggling multiple projects and activities (which is project management). We could apply these skills to anything. I know that I can take on any challenge and I will find a way to make it work because I’ve done it before in my PhD and postdoc.
As PhDs, we are some of the smartest, hardest working people in the world; we can do anything! A PhD gives you more career choice because you have all these skills, but ironically, it can feel like you actually end up with less choice, like academia is the only choice. It’s as if there’s more pressure to be a successful academic because you’ve done a PhD. Don’t give in to the pressure. You don’t need to settle for academia if you don’t love it. A PhD is a reason you can do anything, not a reason you can’t.
If you’re reading this you’re probably considering transitioning out of academia, but maybe haven’t decided yet. If that’s you, making that decision is your first step. Be confident in what you want and make the decision to stay or try something else for the right reasons, no matter what anyone else says (or even what you think they’ll say). Do whatever you need to do to get clear and confident on whether to stay or go. Don’t be on the fence. Think about and write out what you want and what you’re interested in. Speak to people outside academia about it. Someone who can give you an unbiased view of what might work best for you. My partner is a carpenter, and he has probably given me the best advice because he sees the world differently.
If you’re clear you want to try something else, great! You can start thinking about what you might like to do. The beauty of this part is that there’s no pressure, you can do whatever you want. And don’t feel like you have to get it right on the first go. Just give something a go. If you don’t love academia, there is something else out there that will be more rewarding for you. Only you know what that might be.
© 2024 Australian Academy of Science
