In light of the shitshow of unprecedented proportions that is academia at the present moment,  post-ac coach Kel Weinhold and I have launched a new 12 part series on leaving academia called, Twelve Steps To A New Job.

Reach out to us for support, no matter where you are in your transition, at postac@theprofessorisin.com, or gettenure@gmail.com. Learn more about what we offer here.

Karen and Kel

Step 1: Admitting Powerlessness (Without Giving Up)

Welcome to the first installment of our 12 Steps to a New Job series, part of The Professor Is In’s ongoing Leaving Academia project, where we use the 12-Step model (completely secularized, we promise) to guide you through leaving academia.

I’m Kel Weinhold, productivity coach for The Professor Is In. I work with postdocs and academics at every stage of transition, and if you’re interested in talking through your options with me, you can always reach me at postac@theprofessorisin.com.

And, of course, each week on our free webinar, I’m joined by Dr. Karen Kelsky, founder of The Professor Is In and The Professor Is Out, who’s been helping academics both stay in and get out since 2011.

Below is the synopsis!

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The Hardest Step

This step is modeled loosely on AA’s first step: admitting powerlessness. It’s powerful, it’s painful, and it’s the hardest one. In AA, this means acknowledging addiction. In our case, we’re talking about the structural collapse of academia—and our inability to fix it alone.

We’re not pushing the addiction metaphor too far, but let’s be honest: some of us are deeply attached to academia, even when it harms us. And this first step is about facing that reality.

You Didn’t Cause This

One of the biggest traps we see is personalizing a structural failure. Academia’s collapse isn’t your fault. It’s the result of systemic forces—neoliberalism, austerity, disinvestment. You didn’t create this mess. And you cannot, as one person, fix it. Trying to do so only leads to burnout, disillusionment, and sometimes, financial or physical harm.

The Myth of Merit

This is a brutal step, especially in a system that taught you to believe in merit. From the moment you enter academia, you’re fed the idea that if you work hard enough, publish enough, teach well enough—you’ll be rewarded. But that’s not how it works. Merit doesn’t protect you from program cuts or job eliminations.

Giving What You Get

We’re learning to give only what we get. Especially for white women, who’ve been trained to rescue systems and fill institutional gaps, this is hard. The caretaking instinct is strong. But over-giving only perpetuates harm—both to yourself and to others.

Academia as an Ethically Broken System

Let’s go further. Some voices are beginning to name what has long been true: academia is structurally unethical. It depends on a permanent underclass of exploited adjuncts, postdocs, and grad students. That’s not just unfortunate. That’s a moral crisis.

The famed “Graph of Doom” shows the vast number of PhDs produced each year compared to the shrinking number of available jobs. The system isn’t broken; it’s working exactly as designed—for those in power.

Grieving What You Thought Academia Was

Many of us are heartbroken. We believed in the ivory tower once. We believed in the free exchange of ideas, in transformation, in service. Watching those ideals corrupted by capitalism is devastating.

But we can’t go back. We’re not here to save the academy. We’re here to face what it is, so we can build lives worth living beyond it.

The Stockdale Paradox: Facing Brutal Truths, Holding Future Possibility

This isn’t about toxic optimism. It’s about realism with self-belief. Admiral James Stockdale survived eight years as a prisoner of war by holding two truths simultaneously:

1. Face the brutal reality of your current situation.
2. Believe, deeply, that this is not the end of your story.

You can’t control the outcome. But you can control your process. And that process begins with this: admitting you can’t fix this alone.

Your Homework: Five Characteristics of Your Future Work

As we close, we offer a small but powerful exercise:
Write down five characteristics of the job you want in the next five years.

• Do you want to work collaboratively?
• Do you want flexibility?
• Do you want fun?
• Do you want to work from home—or not?
• Do you want a clear 9-to-5 with weekends free?

This is not about finding a perfect job. It’s about reclaiming your right to name what matters to you.

What’s Next

Next week, we take on Step 2: Seeking strength beyond yourself. We’ll talk about building support, finding community, and letting go of the isolating myth of individualism.

Until then, remember:
This moment is not the end of your story.

As always, we welcome your insights and input! Feel free to comment here or email us at postaccareers@gmail.com.

And don’t forget you can start your own journey any time with an initial 30 minute appointment with coach Kel Weinhold.