Leaving Academia: Becoming a Freelance Editor19 Feb

Why Your Academic Job Search Isn't Working (Hint: It's Not Your Resume)

Burned out, overworked, and secretly Googling "alternative careers for PhDs"—but not sure what you actually want to do next? This episode is for you.

In this conversation, I sit down with Jen Polk, one of the most well-known and trusted post-academic career coaches, to talk about what it really takes to figure out your next move after academia.

Jen has been doing this work since 2013, and she has helped dozens of PhDs—from postdocs to full professors to tenured department chairs—find career clarity and build lives they enjoy.

Here's what we get into:

🖋️ Why so many tenured professors (not just grad students) are leaving academia right now

🖋️ The #1 mistake academics make when starting a job search—and why "converting your CV to a resume" is a symptom, not a solution

🖋️ The self-reflection question that Jen uses with every single client (it's deceptively simple yet powerful)

🖋️ Whether you need coach training to become a coach—and Jen's honest, no-BS answer

🖋️ What Jen's PhD Career Clarity Program looks like and who it's for

🖋️ Why small-group coaching can be more powerful than one-on-one support (backed by what actually happened in her program last week)

If you've been feeling lost, stuck, or like academia has wrung every last bit of joy out of you, this conversation will remind you that you're not alone—and that there's a way through.

👉 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Resources Mentioned:

Jen Polk's PhD Career Clarity Program: https://fromphdtolife.com/

Jen Polk on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-polk-phd/

Want to end burnout and become an academic editor or coach? Go to AcadiaEditing.com/BecomeAnEditor

2:40 - Academic Background to Coaching

7:00 - How Coaching Changed Her Life

10:00 - The Rise of Post-Academia

14:00 - Why Tenured Faculty Leave

18:00 - Global Higher Ed Challenges

22:00 - Finding Your Next Career Path

27:00 - What is "Flow" State?

31:00 - Resume vs. Clarity

36:00 - The Power of Community

42:00 - Coaching vs. Mentoring

47:00 - PhD Career Clarity Program

53:00 - Finding Your True Calling

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(90)

$10k Months as an Editor? The Exact Homepage Structure I Used to Hit This Major Revenue Goal

Your website is losing you clients before they even scroll down.If your editing or coaching website leads with your credentials, your degree, your publications—you're doing it backwards. And it's prob...

25 Juni 1h 3min

"I Can't Leave, I Need the Insurance": How to Leave Academia and Freelance With a Chronic Illness

Is the fear of losing your health insurance keeping you trapped in academia? This worry keeps a lot of chronically ill academics stuck in jobs that are making them sicker—and the premise is worth ques...

18 Juni 46min

7 Clients in 12 Weeks: How Annie Left a 20-Year Teaching Career and Launched Her Editing Business

You've been doing everything right—teaching, advising, serving on committees, even organizing a union—and still hitting a wall.Annie Brubaker did all of that for 20 years, watched her salary get froze...

4 Juni 58min

The AI Editing Backlash Nobody's Talking About (And Why It's Good News for You)

You're worried AI is going to kill academic editing and coaching. Here's what's actually happening—and why it might be the best news you've heard all year.If you've asked yourself, "Should I even both...

28 Maj 46min

The 1 Thing Killing Your Academic Business Before You Even Start

You spent months preparing to launch your editing or coaching business, and you still haven't started.Or maybe you launched, got crickets, and shelved the whole idea. Here's the truth: it's not your i...

21 Maj 45min

The Academic Skills You're Giving Away for Free (and What They're Actually Worth)

⏱️ Stop doing this academic work for free.Every Tuesday, you wake up, drink your coffee, read a dissertation chapter, meet with a struggling grad student, teach a seminar, peer review an article, and ...

14 Maj 45min

The Identity Shift Every Academic Needs Before Becoming a Paid Editor or Coach

Does selling your editing or coaching services make you feel gross, salesy, or like a fraud?You're not alone, and there's a reason behind that discomfort, but it has nothing to do with selling itself....

7 Maj 44min

Stop Leading with Your CV: Why Your Credentials Are Repelling Your Ideal Clients

You spent years building your credentials—the PhD, the publications, the speaking engagements, the teaching experience.So when you launched your freelance editing or coaching business, it felt natural...

30 Apr 21min