2026 Updates
Academia is in turmoil; You are not alone.
We offer support on:
1) your academic career
[from job search through retirement]
2) your sustainable productivity and success
3) your post-ac transition
We reduce rates to be accessible to as many as possible. Don’t let finances stop you from reaching out.
GET IN TOUCH; TALK IT THROUGH
Academic Career Help*: email us at gettenure@gmail.com
*Learn more about Dr. Karen Kelsky and academic job application, grant proposal/book proposal editing, tenure and promotion statement editing, interview and campus visit prep, and career consultations/negotiating help we offer.
Productivity Help*: email us at tnl@theprofessorisin.com.
*Learn more about Kel Weinhold’s productivity coaching options. Includes individual or group coaching with Kel on getting your writing done at any stage of the academic career, overcoming writers block, finishing your dissertation, establishing a *sustainable* work-life balance and writing routine, and/or finding a supportive writing accountability group. Learn more about current coaching programs here.
Leaving Academia Help: email us at postaccareers@gmail.com.
One-on-one coaching with Dr. Karen Kelsky and Kel Weinhold; find information here. Also visit The Professor Is /Out/ private Facebook group for more!
Visit our On-Demand Courses page and explore resources in “The Professor Is Out” dropdown menu above for more Post-Ac Guidance. It’s Ok to Quit.
CORE COMMITMENTS
1) Your Mental, Physical and Financial Health Matters More Than Any Career.
Academia is a system of external validation and nobody can change that, but you CAN find autonomy vis-a-vis that system, reclaim your own values, and establish boundaries that allow for a healthy, balanced life.
2) #BlackLivesMatter #LandBack
Since 2017, our publicly posted company policy has been to support Black and Indigenous women in the academy. Contact us for reduced rates.
3) We Support the Trans Community Unconditionally
If you need help moving away from a job/location that is dangerous to you, contact us for reduced rates.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
We can be reached any time 7 days a week (although we only answer during West Coast business hours!) at
gettenure@gmail.com (academic careers)
You will reach Dr. Karen Kelsky.
postaccareers@gmail.com (leaving academia)
You will reach our ace post-ac coach Kel Weinhold.
tnl@theprofessorisin.com (productivity and wellness)
You will reach productivity coach Kel Weinhold.
More Information:
Are You Tired of the Academic Run-Around?
…an Advisor Who’s Never In, a Grad Program That Doesn’t Care, Funding That’s Never Enough, a Job Market That’s in The Tank, and a Tenure System That’s a Total Mystery—And No One to Give You an Honest Answer
I am here to help. I am Karen L. Kelsky, Ph.D.. I spent 15 years as an R1 tenured professor, department head, and university advisor, and now over ten years as an academic career coach. I tell you the truth: the truth about grad school, the job market, and tenure. To the best of my ability.
On the ‘Pearls of Wisdom’ Blog (see the categories to the right), I offer the hands-on information you need now to get through the hoops of academia.
I also work with you, one-on-one, with complete confidentiality, on the writing, speaking, and interview skills you need to move closer to your professional goals. I focus on your particular strengths and challenges, and outline the steps you need to take to be successful in each of your specific applications and projects. Together we chart a path to make you competitive. I can’t guarantee a particular outcome, but I can guarantee that I will deliver to you, to the best of my ability, bullshit-free advising on your grants, writing, the job market, and tenure, as well as coaching on professional and career dilemmas.
I am the available and career-savvy adviser you need, that you should already have, but probably don’t.
Interested? Learn more about why to trust me and get in touch.
Testimonials
Recent Posts
52 Career Actions: Week 21: Collect Testimonials and Endorsements
Today we tackle something uncomfortable, which is collecting testimonials and endorsements from people who have worked with you. Academics generally hate the thought of this,
52 Career Actions: Week 20: Practice Telling Your Research Story for Non Academic Audiences
Whether you stay in academia or you leave, you will need to master the art of explaining your research in accessible ways. In academia, you
52 Career Actions: Week 19: Submit a Piece for Publication
This week’s task is short and sweet: Submit something. Ideally, this means an academic article, essay, review, commentary, chapter proposal, or other appropriate piece of
