Why Did You Become an Academic?

A neon sign that says “don’t quit” and “do it”.

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Regularly reminding yourself why you became an academic is the key to long-term job satisfaction. Reconnecting with your “why” shifts you from passive passenger to active navigator of your career.

Why did you become an academic? This is a question I ask myself regularly as I come up against the sad bureaucratic realities of our day-to-day work. I understand that for some people navigating bureaucracy is nothing short of exciting. I am not those people. I became an academic to think about big problems with others in hopes of finding big solutions.

That I could be an academic hadn’t occurred to me until my intro sociology class. In this class, the professor designed a series of panel discussions in which WE, the lowly undergrads, were responsible for leading them. No lectures or slide decks, just reading and talking. The professor chose the readings, but never once told us how to think about them. Thinking was up to us.

He also participated alongside us, challenging our thinking and conceding to “good” ideas when they were brought up. We were thinking partners. To this very day, it is one of the most fun classes that I have ever taken.

The rose-colored glasses phase:

That feeling of camaraderie and purpose propelled me into graduate school, sustained me through the trials of getting a PhD, and secured my first academic appointment. Even as I started my real job, I was excited about the possibility of working with my new colleagues to solve new problems and train future pharmacists, and I worked hard to make that happen.

 However, very little of what academics are evaluated on requires solving problems for communities. For me, this realization was a slow accumulation of little moments. Committee memberships that started as “opportunities” turned into obligations with no clear purpose beyond meeting, alongside a constant push for MORE. More publications, more grant dollars, more student experiences, and more tracking and evaluation metrics to “count” my efforts.

The jade-colored glasses phase:

I also began to realize that the communities I started grad school to serve couldn’t access the results of my work because I couldn’t always afford to publish open access. This meant taking time to develop policy briefs and project summaries for distribution and endless road trips so partners could hear directly from me what our work found. Persevering to make progress in purpose-driven work requires multiple streams of work. Some that traditionally “count” and others that move the needle on the problem you want to solve. 

Doing double or triple work is overwhelming and demoralizing. A 2026 article in the Chronicle of Higher Education reported that 64% of faculty members feel regularly burned out, due in part to heightened workload, low morale, and institutional concerns. Consequently, many faculty simply downsize their ambitions. This is a real option but isn’t the only one.

The realignment phase

I know institutional change is slow. Slower than any of us would like. However, it will never happen if we all step back. That said, I also know we are very tired. So, what can we do right now? Consider these five relatively low-cost/effort practices to help you reconnect with your “why”, and buffer yourself for the long-haul.

1. Yearly –Review committee and service obligations with your chair and cycle off what is not serving you. The world is full of people who LOVE doing the things I don’t. Let them find their passions so you can find yours.

2. Monthly – Break down your projects into smaller steps, then list which small steps need to be completed each month. Put these steps at the top of your “to-do” list.

3. Weekly – Block your calendar for dedicated and uninterrupted time to complete those steps you outlined above. Start small (15-30 minutes) and build over time.

4. Daily – Stick with the plan you created. It’s easy to let others’ false urgency drive your day. DON’T DO IT. Every minute you spend on someone else’s priority is a minute lost to yours.

Academic careers are longer than I realized as a new assistant professor. Surviving and thriving long enough to see the change you hope to make depends on finding ways to keep your purpose centered. These small steps will get you started.

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