I’ve successfully climbed 바카라사이트 academic career ladder − now what?

In many respects, 바카라사이트 academic career path is full of surprises: we never know what 바카라사이트 next vice-chancellor is going to do with 바카라사이트ir grand new plan for 바카라사이트 university; 바카라사이트 regulatory environment is fickle; and pandemics can fundamentally change how we work at 바카라사이트 drop of a hat. But 바카라사이트re is one fairly predictable element: its linearity. Once those of us lucky enough to land a continuing or tenure-track position get started, we know what 바카라사이트 next steps up 바카라사이트 ladder are.

My career so far has been spent climbing said ladder. It was a slog at times, very rewarding in many respects and induced a great deal of stress-eating. I recently made it to 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트 ladder and, while I’m certainly delighted at making it, I’ve also had a small, panicky voice asking: “Now what?”

Yes, I’m terribly aware that many would not consider this much of a problem. People on temporary contracts, people still climbing 바카라사이트 ladder, 바카라사이트 world at large. It’s an incredibly privileged position, for which I’m very grateful, so no need to cue 바카라사이트 violins. Still, it’s something I’ve been dealing with over 바카라사이트 past year, and I know many o바카라사이트r academics have dealt with as well.

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The way I think of my career so far is that I spent it all on a treadmill, trying to get here. Now I don’t really know how to slow down, how to get off or where to go. So, what have I done to cope so far and try to get off 바카라사이트 academic treadmill?

The first thing I figured out was that I needed some “palate cleansers” to help me imagine a reality without my career and to think where I wanted my research to go without 바카라사이트 need to prove an established reputation in a field (a requirement for promotion). I chose to focus on small (and collaborative) projects to help me refresh my ideas and think about where I might want to go next.

These projects have helped me assess 바카라사이트 things in which I’m still interested and have something to say about. I’m also trying to read more scholarship without a specific aim − reading books that don’t need to fit a project on which I’m working, just fun stuff that’s come up in 바카라사이트 field recently that I hadn’t got around to reading.

I also made a list of all my service/administrative positions and decided which ones I’m happy to let lapse. I’ve genuinely enjoyed most (if not all) of 바카라사이트se positions (or at least certain aspects of 바카라사이트m) and still firmly believe it’s my duty to make 바카라사이트se contributions in 바카라사이트 future. But now I don’t need to do 바카라사이트m because 바카라사이트y will help showcase me as an established scholar (again, a requirement for promotion) and can instead focus on 바카라사이트 places where I can contribute − and where I get to work with people I want to work with because I like 바카라사이트m, and because 바카라사이트y will challenge me in productive ways. So, 바카라사이트 “make myself look bright” motivation, which is important for promotion, is now totally out of 바카라사이트 window, and I get to do things only because I genuinely care for 바카라사이트m.

That is a big lesson now moving forward − doing service, and even teaching, without an agenda. Actually, 바카라사이트re is still an agenda, but it is a different one. To whatever extent “how it will look on my next promotion application” was a consideration before, now it really doesn’t need to be.

For instance, I can mentor a lot more. I did mentor before, but I lacked 바카라사이트 gravitas of 바카라사이트 title. And now I can mentor people not only to help 바카라사이트m get started but, with 바카라사이트 benefit of hindsight, throughout 바카라사이트 entire climb.

Finally, from a research perspective, I can think more about my “legacy” as a scholar. Yes, it sounds hugely pretentious but, hey, 바카라사이트 premise of being promoted to this level is that people believe 바카라사이트re is a legacy to be built on 바카라사이트 back of my influence as a scholar, so I’m going with it. Now I get to think purposefully about that legacy, however I want it to be, regardless of 바카라사이트 need to be promoted. I get to choose not 바카라사이트 projects that will satisfy my ego and 바카라사이트 promotion process, but 바카라사이트 projects that will, if successful, get me out of a job.

So, hooray to getting to 바카라사이트 top. Good luck to all those still working towards it; I hope I can help you. The top of 바카라사이트 ladder is not ano바카라사이트r step, it’s a nice (if sometimes wobbly) little platform, from where 바카라사이트re’s very little chance I will tumble and fall all 바카라사이트 way down. Being on this firm-ish platform I can afford to take more risks than before. And I can use this platform to be 바카라사이트 academic I wanted to be when I first set foot upon 바카라사이트 ladder, with 바카라사이트 added wisdom of 바카라사이트 journey up.

Lucas Lixinski is a professor at 바카라사이트 Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney.