Burnout is on everyone's mind right now. It's the end of the academic year, and what an academic year it was. Profs and students both are at the end of their ropes. Kel and Karen talk about the symptoms of burnout, including some that might surprise … [Read more...] about Ep 3:24 Academic Burnout: What It Is, Where It Comes From
Ep 3:23 Prepping for Next Year’s Job Market
You didn't get the job this year; what to do? Kel and I talk through what makes a competitive record and competitive presentation of that record, so you can know what to prioritize this summer, if an academic job is your priority (and needless to … [Read more...] about Ep 3:23 Prepping for Next Year’s Job Market
Ep 2:22 The Violence of Professionalism
We dig into the definition of "professionalism," a term thrown around as an arbiter of correct and incorrect behavior in academia. Drawing from insights on a recent Twitter thread, Karen and Kel talk about how professionalism operates as code for … [Read more...] about Ep 2:22 The Violence of Professionalism
Ep 3:21 Surviving Your New Academic Thing
We did a survey recently and the message loud and clear was: please give us more advice about just... surviving in academia! So today we are talking about managing your transition into your new academic "thing," whatever it is. We talk about … [Read more...] about Ep 3:21 Surviving Your New Academic Thing
Ep 3:20 What Even Is Sick Leave For an Academic?
[Note: Karen and Kel were on vacation in NYC and recording from a hotel room! Please excuse the tinny sound today and next week; it goes back to normal after that!] A tweet went academic-viral recently asking whether academics use sick leave or … [Read more...] about Ep 3:20 What Even Is Sick Leave For an Academic?
Ep 3:19 Academic Labor Is Labor
We talk about the "capitalist gaze" and how it impacts the creativity of academics. Casting our research outcomes as "products" can be deeply chilling to the imaginative work of scholarship. Research as an assembly line, or as a deli counter … [Read more...] about Ep 3:19 Academic Labor Is Labor
Ep 3:18 How Is Academia Like Gardening?
When you think about academia like a garden, the analogy clarifies a lot of things. First off, not every plant can thrive in every spot; also, plants need constant resources in terms of water, fertilizer, sun, and attention. We don't judge one … [Read more...] about Ep 3:18 How Is Academia Like Gardening?
Ep 3:17 Co-Writing As a Productivity Hack
Collaborative writing is a great productivity hack when it works. But how to make it work? In this episode Karen and Kel talk to Dr. Julia Hornberger and Dr. Sarah Hodges, who have maintained a weekly Zoom collaborative writing practice over two … [Read more...] about Ep 3:17 Co-Writing As a Productivity Hack
Ep 3:16 Leaving Academia – All The Cool Kids Are Doing It!
It's the newest trend! Join the thousands who are saying goodbye (and good riddance?) to the academic career! If you spend any time on Twitter, you know that lately, it seems to be packed with academics loudly and honestly pretty happily announcing … [Read more...] about Ep 3:16 Leaving Academia – All The Cool Kids Are Doing It!
Ep 3:15 Managing Rejection
Karen and Kel talk about coping with rejection, moving beyond the typical advice to "take a break, come back to it later, etc. etc." (which is good as far as it goes!) to discuss the deeper issues of identity and emotion that rejection triggers. … [Read more...] about Ep 3:15 Managing Rejection