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Mourning and moving on: rituals for leaving a career (2014)

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Re: Mourning and moving on: rituals for leaving a career (2014)

#11

Post by KSteffensen »

the_real_cher wrote: post #6

Seems a bit dramatic

I don't know anything about the author and their situation, but in my experience the first time you realize that your life is not going to be as you expected in major ways can be quite hard.

I don't think mourning is an inappropriate word to use for this.

Re: Mourning and moving on: rituals for leaving a career (2014)

#12

Post by bowsamic »

the_real_cher wrote: post #6

Seems a bit dramatic

Leaving academia is like this. It's very sticky and scary to leave. I remember how devastating it was for me. I think it's because there's a very strong sense of a missed dream, and that you can never return.

Re: Mourning and moving on: rituals for leaving a career (2014)

#13

Post by swores »

the_real_cher wrote: post #6

Seems a bit dramatic

They aren't claiming their career decision is a monumental thing for anyone but themselves, but a complete change of career is a monumental moment for the person whose career it is.

If you're suggesting that having a dinner party with friends to mourn/celebrate the change, and writing a blog post about it, is overly "dramatic" then I completely disagree. If, on the other hand, you just mean that some of the minor specifics such as the invite including "Dressing in your personal version of mourning wear, the more over-the-top the better, is highly encouraged but not required." then I think you're just not in sync with her(his?) sense of humour.

Re: Mourning and moving on: rituals for leaving a career (2014)

#14

Post by the_real_cher »

swores wrote: post #13
the_real_cher wrote: post #6

Seems a bit dramatic

They aren't claiming their career decision is a monumental thing for anyone but themselves, but a complete change of career is a monumental moment for the person whose career it is. If you're suggesting that having a dinner party with friends to mourn/celebrate the change, and writing a blog post about it, is overly "dramatic" then I completely disagree. If, on the other hand, you just mean that some of the minor spe…

[flagged]

Re: Mourning and moving on: rituals for leaving a career (2014)

#16

Post by roel_v »

emmelaich wrote: post #9

Reminds me of Sabine Hossenfelder's "My dream died, and now I'm here" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKiBlGDfRU8

Not to highjack this topic, but she was recommended (like to many others of you no doubt) quite a bit in my Youtube feeds over the last few months; and the first few videos I watched seemed to be solid enough. Yet as I watched a few more, I couldn't shake the feeling that she's so out of left field that she's not just a 'quirky renegade' anymore, but rather a quack who dresses up her quackery with just enough 'real' physics to make it all sound very convincing. (By that I don't mean that she says factually wrong things, but that her conclusions or extrapolations from established facts seem to me, well, outrageous). However, I don't know enough physics to be able to tell if this is a correct feeling, and the Youtube comments are, as usual, one big fanboy fest, which is true for any large enough channel - even those of flat earthers and similarly delusional content).

So my question is - just how serious should she (and others like her, who denounce 'mainstream' academia as much as those other fringe groups who go on and on about the corruption of 'mainstream' media) be taken? Anyone have an opinion on this?

Re: Mourning and moving on: rituals for leaving a career (2014)

#17

Post by 0xEF »

bowsamic wrote: post #12
the_real_cher wrote: post #6

Seems a bit dramatic

Leaving academia is like this. It's very sticky and scary to leave. I remember how devastating it was for me. I think it's because there's a very strong sense of a missed dream, and that you can never return.

I feel the need to point out that it's not difficult for people whose identity is not centered around their jobs, since I see that disconnect in the comments. I found the author's take full of the pageantry that I often associate with people who make big deals out of fairly inconsequential things, but before I begrudge the author their take, I have to remember that my career is of relatively little importance to me.

Hypothetically, when you meet someone new, do you introduce yourself as your job? Is one of the first exchanges of self-identifying information what you do for a living? A lot of people do and while I do not understand it, I guess that is what their lives are. Tbh, I find it a bit sad. Generally, my career does not enter the conversation unless there is some relevant reason. I'd rather talk about my productive hobbies where I am making or building or learning a thing.

Breaking this down, when we use our jobs as our identity, I find it exceptionally difficult to pull the "why do you do it" out of that conversation, because a career is just a paycheck, in the end and involves very little personal enrichment. Of course, not everyone views careers that way and I'm not here to try to change minds, but shed light on why it might seem silly to many of us.

Perhaps we are not one of the lucky few with those unicorn jobs that both pay the bills, offer a bright future, and promote personal growth. They exist, I am sure, but they are the exception to the rule.

Re: Mourning and moving on: rituals for leaving a career (2014)

#19

Post by greener_grass »

bowsamic wrote: post #12
the_real_cher wrote: post #6

Seems a bit dramatic

Leaving academia is like this. It's very sticky and scary to leave. I remember how devastating it was for me. I think it's because there's a very strong sense of a missed dream, and that you can never return.

Out of curiosity, why can't you return?
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