Maybe you work long hours and are done with it. Perhaps you do not enjoy developing projects as part of a business plan anymore, and you are graving for a new challenge. 

In the first place, it is essential to analyze your career goals, qualifications, and hard and soft skills to define a starting point. 

Consider the disadvantages you will face; for example, moving from the corporate to academia almost always implies a cut in the finances that will change your lifestyle and that of your family. The next critical point then is to discuss it with them.

Reflect also on the favorable aspects academia has to offer, from the flexibility of allocating your teaching, research -focused on long-term goals- and publishing time, to touching others’ lives by student mentoring, for instance.

If academia is your call, it is time to think and plan on how to proceed.

The transition from the Corporate to Academia

Get Guidance

Talking to people already working in a university will be of great help to give you insights about the academic culture and application process. You may want to get started with your academic network by attending educational conferences, seminars, and even continuing education courses. Try to get the specifics for the job requirements.

Get Immersed

Try volunteering as a guest lecturer and starting with a part-time teaching or lecturing job to gain experience and also learn about academic research if that is the aspect that interests you. For example, become knowledgeable on how to write research proposals and apply for grants, but mainly, become aware that timeline flexibility encompasses the responsibility to publish your work, which is a must. Also, dig into teaching loads, courses, mentoring students, and departmental projects and duties.

Write

Use a blog, post articles on publications in the area of your expertise, as a springboard to publish scholarly articles in prestigious journals.

Research or not research

Becoming a faculty member may involve research or not. Keep in mind that if you are only teaching, then the salary will be lower.

Going up the ladder as a faculty member can take a long time, from two to three years to get a continuing contract as an Associate Lecturer and two more years to get one as a Lecturer. Suppose you can convince the hiring institution to hire you as an Associate or Full Professor based on your work experience, even without tenure. In that case, you can better your salary as well as paving the way to it, which, when achieved, will give you substantial job security.

There is no way to say if moving from corporate to academia is the right choice or not. It will all depend on your personality, priorities in life, how you want to spend your day by day, and in the long-term. But, above all, be honest with yourself and find out what you are more passionate about. Once you have found out, stick to it and move on. 

Hispanic Outlook’s Job Board allows applicants to search for jobs by category, by city and by state.  Both Featured and Latest Job Positions are available at https://hispanicoutlookjobs.com/ 

And for employers, Hispanic Outlook’s Job Board offers a wide variety of posting options.  Further information is available at https://hispanicoutlookjobs.com/employer-products/