Why I Reject the Academic Ladder

I still remember the day I got into my PhD. I was walking down the street, listening to It’s a New Day, It’s a New Life on an old, half-broken iPhone with one earpiece barely working, but it was enough to live the moment. The acceptance email kept replaying in my mind. Wow, I am pursuing a PhD at a top 50 institution. My chest felt tight with excitement, my steps lighter than air, and for a few minutes the world seemed impossibly bright. I believed I had reached the summit of life itself.

Then came my first postdoc. I walked into the department and suddenly I was part of the team. A member of staff, not student. I remember thinking wow, this is real. The thrill was quieter than the PhD moment, a steady pulse that made me feel at home, part of something bigger.

A few years later came the fellowship and an academic position. I was ecstatic. I remember video-calling my mom, her face lighting up as I laughed and blurting out my happiness, barely able to get the words out. My heart felt impossibly full. I thought happiness would finally be permanent. I could finally stop chasing.

It was not permanent in the way I imagined. Each achievement became the new normal. The thrill dulled, excitement faded, and the next goal appeared almost immediately. I realised slowly that no amount of academic achievement could make life feel complete.

I see it now in established professors with incredible CVs. Their accomplishments are extraordinary, but what they remember most are quiet dinners with family, laughter with friends, and moments when life slows enough to notice. The human, messy, ordinary moments are what give life depth and richness.

Several years ago, I made a conscious decision to pursue goals that resonated more closely with my heart. I chose to help people via social media, to share my thoughts, to reach as many people as I could, and to venture into projects that would never appear on a CV. None of these brought traditional academic rewards, yet they made my life vibrant, colourful, and profoundly more satisfying.

A colourful CV with a dull life means nothing. Achievements alone will never make life meaningful. Life moves quickly, loved ones are precious, and time is irreplaceable. Chasing the next milestone can blind you to what actually matters.

The lessons I have learned from this journey are simple but profound:

1) Enjoy the process. Even with its hardships, the experience of pursuing a goal lasts far longer than the brief moment of achievement, which fades quickly.

2) Focus on your current position. Many PhD students cannot wait to finish, postdocs cannot wait to secure an academic job, academics cannot wait for promotion, and senior academics count the years until retirement. If you are always waiting for the next step, you will miss the life you are living now.

3) Work with people you love. Your academic achievements are shaped more by the people around you than the titles on your CV. Toxic colleagues may get you there faster, but they will drain the joy from the journey. Choose to collaborate with people who excite you, challenge you in a good way, and make the work feel alive.

4) Do not neglect your personal life. Constantly chasing goals creates tunnel vision, and neglecting relationships or personal growth leads to regret when it is too late.

5) Do academia your way. There is a weird unspoken rule that academics should stay within their lane, be serious, and maintain an unapproachable persona. I did it my way and I am proud. Call me the LinkedIn guy any day of the week, or the person with a podcast on topics that matter deeply to me. Neither will add points to a CV, but both have made my life richer and more vibrant.

Yes, this blog is not one of those “how to get into a PhD programme” or “how to publish your review” guides. Some will shrug because it will not help them climb the ladder, but the choice is yours.

Academia is a demanding journey, but happiness is found in connection, curiosity, authenticity, and courage, not in the next email, the next promotion, or the next accolade.

P.S. Happy birthday love. You know who you are.

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