There was a time, right after my PhD, when I dreamed of joining the World Bank or UNICEF. Maybe becoming a program officer, flying into remote field sites, contributing to some bold agenda for change. Or maybe pivoting to the corporate world....finally earning a real salary, sitting in glass offices, feeling “important.” Life didn’t unfold that way.
I landed in academia, not by design, but by accident. And for a long time, I wondered if I had taken a wrong turn.
I envied friends who had job titles the world recognized. Who made money. Who had clear KPIs and were “on the ground” making change. Meanwhile, I sat in offices with flickering fluorescent lights wondering what my purpose was, reworking journal articles a dozen times and watching rejection emails pile up. Academia is a slow grind. And often, an invisible one.
But something shifted when I became a mother.
I’ve had four children. And with each one, I realized that academia, despite all its flaws, offers something rare: flexibility and freedom. I can work from home. I can work at night. I can pause in the middle of a paper revision to tie a shoelace or wipe a tear. I don’t need to apply for annual leave to attend a school performance. I can do nursery drop-offs without guilt.
It’s not easy. No choice is easy. But if you’re a mother, and if you want to be both mother and professional, then I can’t think of a better sector than academia to hold that duality.
This photo was taken in 2016. My youngest was perched across from me, “working” as I edited a manuscript. We sat at a pink IKEA plastic table covered in chalk dust and crayon scribbles. He was my colleague for the day. And honestly, the best one I’ve ever had.
Do I still wonder about purpose? Every day.
Do I wish academia paid more? Often.
But would I trade this for anything else?
No.
I landed in academia, not by design, but by accident. And for a long time, I wondered if I had taken a wrong turn.
I envied friends who had job titles the world recognized. Who made money. Who had clear KPIs and were “on the ground” making change. Meanwhile, I sat in offices with flickering fluorescent lights wondering what my purpose was, reworking journal articles a dozen times and watching rejection emails pile up. Academia is a slow grind. And often, an invisible one.
But something shifted when I became a mother.
I’ve had four children. And with each one, I realized that academia, despite all its flaws, offers something rare: flexibility and freedom. I can work from home. I can work at night. I can pause in the middle of a paper revision to tie a shoelace or wipe a tear. I don’t need to apply for annual leave to attend a school performance. I can do nursery drop-offs without guilt.
It’s not easy. No choice is easy. But if you’re a mother, and if you want to be both mother and professional, then I can’t think of a better sector than academia to hold that duality.
This photo was taken in 2016. My youngest was perched across from me, “working” as I edited a manuscript. We sat at a pink IKEA plastic table covered in chalk dust and crayon scribbles. He was my colleague for the day. And honestly, the best one I’ve ever had.
Do I still wonder about purpose? Every day.
Do I wish academia paid more? Often.
But would I trade this for anything else?
No.
