So I was reading, as I sometimes do, the blog leavingacademia, and I came across a discussion on the importance of having a plan if you are going to leave academia: at least a year's income and a solid job search strategy, some were saying. And while it was hard to disagree with the prudence of what was said, I felt something was missing. So I penned the following
A plan! Darn it. I knew I forgot something. But after fifteen years of academia I left a tenured position without one of those. Fortunately, I did not have a spouse or family to worry about--but neither do I have one to support me. Although financially it was not a good time to make the move, I knew that it was time to go (actually, it was probably time to go a while ago). For me the decision to leave was not so much the outcome of a rational decision process but the result of realizing that my soul was dying and that I had to get out if I was going to save it (and a fear that it may already be too late). And I don't have a plan anymore than someone who is drowning has a plan to breathe oxygen.
So although I have nothing against a plan, I would point out the wisdom of the claim that remimds us there is no better way to make God laugh than to have one. Instead I would argue that there is the path of listening to your head and the path of listenting to your heart, and yes, in the ideal world we would combine them: listen to our heart and then plan with your head. But this isn't the ideal world and sometimes we make decisions under less than ideal circumstances. So I'm not knocking a plan. But I also think that sometimes and in some situations leaving without a plan--taking a leap into the unknown and trusting the universe--can be the right thing to do--at least that's what it seems I've done. I'll let you know how it works out.
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Hi there,
ReplyDeleteThis is Kelly from over on Leaving Academia--your post after mine on the "Money Money Money" piece made me think "kindred spirits" so I came over here and read some of your blog. It's something to read so many things that I recognize from my own life. I don't know how much help you find in self-help type books, but I've found a lot of them useful, and one of my favorites, that some of your posts bring to mind, is "This Time I Dance!" by Tama Kieves ( www.awakeningartistry.com ). She was a lawyer who left without a plan but with a love of poetry, and the book offers her charmingly-written, personally touching insights into the process of leaving the known career-world and entering into a more self-expressive, do-it-yourself lifestyle. Anyway, thought I'd mention it in case you haven't seen it and might like it as a companion in your own process.
-Kelly
Oh one more thing--picture knowing and self-effacing laughter as I read so many references to health insurance here on your blog. I've spent the past couple of months finding health insurance to substitute for the high cost of COBRA--it's definitely time-consuming and frustrating to sift through it all. At the same time, I think the terror-filled "what about health insurance" question is the standard American fear when it comes to going out on your own, and the reality isn't nearly as dire as people fear it will be. Especially compared to the dire situation people with employer-paid insurance are also in (a la Sicko). We're all in dire together. But so many people are self-employed, and it's absolutely a growing trend as the economy gets de-jobbed, that there are many quasi-group-based individual plans to buy into. I'll tell you though, this is the first time a hot policy issue has felt so strongly and immediately relevant to my life!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments, the references to the book (I will definitely check it out) and the rumination on life insurance. With me as well, this is the first time a policy issue has been of more than a theoretical concern. Keep in touch.
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