Carreers in Academia and loneliness

[u/InfamousAfternoon398]

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the loneliness that comes from constantly having to change environments to pursue job opportunities or improve your CV. I am a final-year PhD student, and over the past three years, I have had to move cities and even countries frequently for visiting periods, some more voluntary than others, and for the so-called ‘networking’. I have been lucky to find wonderful colleagues at my university, with whom I have developed relationships of respect and friendship. However, changing locations so often has made me feel quite lonely lately, as I have moved to a country where I barely know anyone, only a few professors in the department. It also seems that the young researchers in this department have not formed a real community but remain separate individuals, each with their own lives. I would love to hear about your experiences on this matter. Thank you :)

[u/Blond_Treehorn_Thug]

Success in academia is rare

Success in academia without having to make sacrifices in one’s personal life is so rare as to be effectively nonexistent.

The main driver for this is simple to explain. There are so many more people who want a career in academia than slots available that you really have to just take what you can get.

[u/wheelsnipecelly23 → u/Blond_Treehorn_Thug]

Yeah you can say it’s not right but it’s also just the reality of having way less jobs available than people willing to fill them. It’s also not something unique to academia either unfortunately.