Should I Stay or Go? A Mid-Career Academic Finds Clarity

“I was feeling lost… unsure of whether I enjoyed the area I was working in and whether I wanted a career change.”

How Claire rediscovered purpose in academia without leaving her career

Have you ever wondered whether you’re in the right career? Claire, a mid-career academic, holds a leadership position in higher education. When we first met, she described her role as “challenging and demanding” and she’d started to wonder whether she was even enjoying it anymore.

Claire was feeling the tension between her role as a lecturer, doing research and the demands of academic leadership. She missed having more interaction with students and felt under increasing pressure to do more research but there wasn’t enough time to do it all. Work–life balance was a constant challenge, and even when she wasn’t working, she was thinking about work.

Something needed to change, but what? There was nothing in the job ads; besides, she wasn’t even sure she wanted to leave academia. She tried to take an objective approach, but it was hard to see the “wood from the trees” and figure out what she wanted from her future career.

Should I stay or go?

Like many professionals who are feeling stuck at a crossroads, Claire was considering a career change. The first step in coaching, however, was to gain clarity. Together we explored her values, strengths, skills, interests and ideal working conditions. Halfway through, Claire realised it wasn’t academia she’d fallen out of love with; it was the way she was working.

Nicola asked “the right questions to challenge my thinking and make me truly think about my current career and what I want from the future. The blueprint and assigned work really helped focus my mind and to critically evaluate my situation.”

Claire wasn’t sure she could be honest enough with herself about her job, but the coaching helped her get clear about what she did and didn’t want in her career going forward.

Career change doesn’t always mean leaving

In her own words, Claire took ownership of how she viewed herself. She reclaimed the value of her work, including the positive impact she has on her colleagues, students and the institution she works for.

“My mindset about how I view my job has shifted… I can see more clearly what I want to work on.”

From our work together, she realised research in particular felt more like a “should” than a “want”. This freed Claire up to more fully embrace her future as a leader in an academic or non-academic environment.

“Having honest and objective conversations with Nicola in the coaching sessions has focused my mind on what I genuinely want. I enjoy many facets of my job, the value of my work and the contribution I make to my team and my workplace.

I don’t think I would have come to this conclusion on my own. The sessions were crucial for me to pick apart my values, goals, and job to objectively understand what I do and don’t want. To me that was an enormous success; this is enlightening and I feel a sense of focus and release.”

Claire went back to work when the new term started with greater clarity, confidence and a LinkedIn strategy aimed at increasing her visibility, expanding her network and laying the foundations for other opportunities should she want to take advantage of them in the future.

Thinking of making a career change? A question for you

Can you relate to Claire’s story? Do you need space to gain clarity and explore your options?

Guided reflection can lead to a greater sense of commitment to the role you’re in, perhaps with clearer boundaries, alignment with what you want from your career, and greater self-trust.

Here’s a question to consider: What would need to shift, in you or around you, for staying to feel good again?

You might not need to leap.

“Not all change has to be about changing jobs but about changing one’s mindset and comprehending one’s future goals.”

And if you’d like to gain similar clarity, you can book a Career Pivot Discovery Call, a 20-minute complimentary consult to get clear on where you're stuck and whether coaching could help.

Name changed for confidentiality.