Summer Kim, PhD's Linkedin Analytics

I didn't leave academia because I hated it. It was fine. It just wasn't good enough for what I wanted my life to look like. So I chose to leave. 👩🏻‍🏫 I was an award-winning teacher, but I didn't love teaching. 📚 I liked research, but not so much that I wanted to continue having to design the rest of my life around it. I knew what this meant. I knew that I wanted to leave the career path I'd trained for for the past 5+ years. But vetting this decision was a lengthy and, at times, painful process. 💭 Am I about to make the biggest professional misstep of my life? 💭 This decision seems irreversible. What if it's the wrong choice? 💭 Is my committee going to let me graduate knowing I don't want an academic job? 💭 Were the last few years kind of a waste of time? 💭 What if I forget everything I worked so hard to master? So if you're currently somewhere in this space, know that you're not alone. Ultimately, the decision is yours. For every handful of pivoted PhDs, I know at least one who explored non-academic paths then chose to stay in academia. Either is fine. You just owe it to yourself to give the exploration a full effort. #phdtoindustry #phdlife #altac #altaccareers Invited speaker appearances at: - Texas A&M International University - Cornell University - University of Kansas - West Virginia University *the opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily those of my employer.