What I wish I’d known about academia

By Eliza.Compton, 29 June, 2023
Advice from scholars to their younger selves about career, teaching and research
What I wish I’d known about academia
Advice from scholars to their younger selves about career, teaching and research
Illustration of young woman and older woman side by side

Building a career as an academic doesn’t come with a clear road map, so what if academics could begin again knowing what they know now about sustaining motivation, teaching those first classes or thriving in a competitive research culture? This collection also gathers insight from the voices of experience on work-life balance, how to know if academia is right for you, being a good supervisor, and negotiating money and promotion.

Starting out in your research career
Resources
By dene.mullen, 27 August, 2021
Coming up with a series of questions for ECRs about each ‘opportunity’ as it arises can help them decide what is worthy of their time, says Lucas Lixinski
By Miranda Prynne, 1 February, 2023
Reflecting on her time as an early career researcher, Edzia Carvalho looks back at the things she did successfully – her dos – and the things she wishes she had done from the start – her do-overs – to help others embarking on the same journey
Reading time
6minutes
Lessons from the classroom
Resources
By Eliza.Compton, 21 September, 2022
‘Fake it till you make it’ is a useful motto for new university teachers facing a classroom of antsy students for the first time. Here are seven basic skills to master
Reading time
3minutes
Money, promotion and defining success
Resources
By Eliza.Compton, 21 June, 2023
Academia encourages experimentation and innovative thinking. Why not apply these skills to finding a more satisfying job? Greta Faccio explains how she hit on her hybrid solution
Reading time
5minutes
By dene.mullen, 10 November, 2022
It might just be possible to achieve a good work-life balance in academia, but it requires focusing on certain areas of your life and career at certain times, says Lucas Lixinski
Reading time
5minutes
How to set work-life boundaries
Resources
By miranda.prynne, 14 December, 2020
With the overhaul of teaching, soaring workloads, childcare demands and other challenges presented by Covid-19, many academics are at risk of burn-out. Psychology professor Jay Van Bavel outlines steps that stressed lecturers can take to manage workloads
Taking care of others – and yourself
Resources