- Joined
- Nov 24, 2012
- Messages
- 317
Chases recent article on identity struck a nerve with me as I'm sure it has with many of you.
The question which will be most important for most of you is: How can I build an identity without doing one of those jobs?
In my case - see below "how can I be doing something else and still maintain the identity of being "academic" - when I'm clearly no longer doing something academic" - its like that whole hard earned identity is now lost since I've switched to grad school.
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Specifically for me I previously had a very clear cut "intellectual" identity (with the credentials to match) possibly with a little "rebel" - but having realised that being an academic had its serious flaws (very little money and constantly being a beggar to funding bodies) I decided to branch out and attend grad school to get into an area which still had some of the academic but more of the money ("businessman"?) side to things. However in the process I've not only lost the clear label of "academic" but its now been replaced by what seems to be one of the worst "student" - and I have very much felt the drop in attraction that comes with that.
I've only really realised this now - my change has pushed me from bad (or at least not ideal) to worse! And the switch has also broken me free of doing what I love - the hardcore thinking and debating of the academic chase talks of is what I enjoy!
The only way I can see to proceed is this:
1. Be covert. Just neglect to mention the fact that I'm back at school and carry on as I was before, or at least just put it to the side as something done in my spare time - focus on the academic and ignore the student.
2. Change. I'd already realised to some extent that I was too purely academic and had started to cultivate the "athlete" image before (through disciplined gym attendance) - so just keep that up and keep the academic as my main identity.
or 3. quit and go back to what I was good at because I enjoyed it - but resign myself to the downsides...
The question which will be most important for most of you is: How can I build an identity without doing one of those jobs?
In my case - see below "how can I be doing something else and still maintain the identity of being "academic" - when I'm clearly no longer doing something academic" - its like that whole hard earned identity is now lost since I've switched to grad school.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Specifically for me I previously had a very clear cut "intellectual" identity (with the credentials to match) possibly with a little "rebel" - but having realised that being an academic had its serious flaws (very little money and constantly being a beggar to funding bodies) I decided to branch out and attend grad school to get into an area which still had some of the academic but more of the money ("businessman"?) side to things. However in the process I've not only lost the clear label of "academic" but its now been replaced by what seems to be one of the worst "student" - and I have very much felt the drop in attraction that comes with that.
I've only really realised this now - my change has pushed me from bad (or at least not ideal) to worse! And the switch has also broken me free of doing what I love - the hardcore thinking and debating of the academic chase talks of is what I enjoy!
The only way I can see to proceed is this:
1. Be covert. Just neglect to mention the fact that I'm back at school and carry on as I was before, or at least just put it to the side as something done in my spare time - focus on the academic and ignore the student.
2. Change. I'd already realised to some extent that I was too purely academic and had started to cultivate the "athlete" image before (through disciplined gym attendance) - so just keep that up and keep the academic as my main identity.
or 3. quit and go back to what I was good at because I enjoyed it - but resign myself to the downsides...
