To leave academia for a more routine job

[googlenut]

I tried posting elsewhere but got no traffic. I have a chance to stay within the university on the same pay scale but in more of a support role. I'm currently on temporary grant reliant contracts. I am thinking of accepting due to the crazy expected work hours in academia and the constant competitive atmosphere that exists. Has anyone moved into research support and loved it/hated it?

[googlenut]

And as I've mentioned before I am worried about losing the autonomy. I more or less work my week to suit myself at the moment and can work from home if I want

[TheListingAttic]

I think a lot depends on the job you would be going into. Is the working interesting? Would it be challenging? Would you be engaged by it?

If you're on the same pay scale as you were as an academic then it's probably stretching enough not to be boring. I work at what is presumably a lower grade in research support (I'm on about £22k) and I would chew off my own face for the chance at an academic job (this is my second year of applying since I finished my PhD). Admin is dull. It's repetitive, mundane, and uninteresting - at least the various uni admin jobs I've worked alongside the PhD and since have been! The "challenge" tends to come from the volume of work, rather than what it is you actually have to accomplish. The tasks themselves are thoroughly tedious, and the main reason I'm out the door at 5.30 and don't think about work again till I'm in the next day is because I couldn't give a flying fuck about what I do.

This is probably grass-is-greener syndrome, but at least you can be engaged, interested, and care about your hideous 70-hour week! I'd look very carefully about what the alternative entails day in day out, and think about whether the gains outweigh the drawbacks.

[googlenut]

You are quite right TheListing - hence my dilemma.

[TheListingAttic]

I'm an embittered academic failure, so you should probably take what I say with a pinch of salt. I have experience of the tedious admin bit, but not the draining academic bit.

If you have a chance to have a long talk with the person who is doing/did the role you're looking at, or does something similar, and can get a good picture of what you will actually doing all day you might be able to weigh things up more easily!

[BackforGood]

I think Kundry's post is interesting.
We were sitting in the sun on holiday, by the side of the pool a couple of years ago - picture the scene, and I breathed a big sigh of contentment and said 'This is the life'. dh (who has recently secured a lecturer position, but at the time was a research fellow) instantly said "What do you mean? I'd hate to live like this. If we won the lottery, I'd still go to work you know"
Now, if you are a researcher like dh and most of the people he works with, they find it all so fascinating and exciting, that they wouldn't want to not be able to do that. I know he would hate to change role.
Financially however, we've only ever been able to get a mortgage, etc.,etc., because of my salary. ^That's the issue for a lot of academics, they don't have a wife to support them financially.
I do agree with the flexibility of hours things being a real bonus too - as long as the work is done, nobody is bothered what hours / days dh works. He's been able to take our ds for weekly physio appts since the beginning of the year, which not many jobs would be too happy about.
Much to think about.

[ginpig]

Things have gradually evolved over the last three years.

To begin with I was based soley at one institution, an hour's commute away and working under the scrutiny of someone who can be quite challenging to work with at times. If I was needed in other plaes this was always accommodated, but very ad hoc.

When I returned after maternity leave I had to make it clear that ad hoc working practices were no longer possible due to childcare. I am very lucky that I have two very flexible nurseries so can juggle things around as necessary, but the upshot of this is that I now work in the same city I live in 2-3 days a week. This means I pretty much organise my own work load and for most people I know involved in research and clinical trials support at a similar level the same is true- your working practices are inevitably dictated by the work load.

For me it the work can be quite varied, and generally interesting. This role allows me quite a lot of human contact, with patients and professionals, where as before hand I was often on my own in the darkness and silence with the company of rodents!

The red tape can be rage inducing at times- and often it seems like no one is ever concerned with getting things done, just creating further hurdles and more problems. However, once approvals come in/ studies are opened it can be very satisfying.

I feel like I've managed to create a bit of a niche for myself- I have taught myself a lot about Research Governance guidelines, GCP requirements and how to get things done at the various institutions I work in. Other people just run a mile from this stuff so turn to me to navigate it for them. In return I'm often acknowledged in publications with a middle of the pack authorship.

The drawback for me is that I often don't feel I'm viewed as an integral part of the research team-that my expertise and qualifications are quickly forgotten, and I often wonder 'what if' I'd stayed in a pure academic career track. Realistically I know that would have been a lot harder and I might not have made tenure, no matter how good I was- I think people who are successful have worked hard and been fortunate enough to work on the right thing at the right time and get the right publications. Hard work, intelligence and talent don't automatically translate to publication and that seems to be all anyone ever cares about these days..

My goodness- that was a ramble

[googlenut]

Gin that's really useful information. I can see the red tape being a less satisfying part of the job - but I imagine when you learn to navigate the system it is easier ( then say us researchers who only go through it occasionally).
One of the things I definitely don't like about research is not working as part if a team and I think a job in research support might be more like that.

There are things I would be losing though - and being in charge if my own research and first named author type things would be one thing I'm giving up.

[googlenut]

It's interesting about the career progression. I'm at a research intensive university and over the last year have been on a lot of training courses with research support staff and they seem to have quite a lot of opportunities for self development and promotion.

[RevoltingPeasant]

Google you should also look at how often or whether they have been restructured over the last decade. IME support staff of any stripe get dicked about a whole lot in this way.

It is tough. I had 4 years of temp lectureships prior to my current, permanent lecturing contract. By by God, I'm lucky. I had about 15 people in my year as PhD students and afaik, only 2 of us ever got permanent jobs. And this was an elite 'Russell Group' university which boasted of its employment rates. The insecurity is horrible. I remember totally breaking down one day and sobbing on my knees on the living room carpet because I felt like I'd never have the security so many other people seemed to take for granted.

I love my job and cannot imagine life without it, but I also think there is a MH cost in hanging on in academia and I'd leave if I didn't have security. You put too much in not to have the basic security of knowing you will have a salary next year.

[googlenut]

Hi revolting thanks for input but not sure what you are saying. Do you think I should go for non academic permanent post or not? I agree that the lack of secure work is a big drawback to research and I'm not sure I can put in the hours without any guarantee of a job.

[HemlockYewglimmer]

I've moved from academia to Uni professional staff in a Uni Registry. For me, the reduction in stress and pressure is brilliant. I still get to be involved in academic type activities if I want to which is good. I still publish but on my terms (though most research work has to be done in my own time, but I do get some days off to write/attend conferences because my boss likes having someone a bit researchy on his team).

I don't have to do much work in the evenings and weekends and do feel like I have more free time as I'm not constantly thinking/worrying about all the things I haven't got done yet. But my days are not as flexible. I'm grade 9, so have a lot of autonomy about what I get done during the day but I have to be in work for core hours so I do miss stuff with the DCs at school etc but feeling more relaxed makes up for that.

I do also feel the academic/non-academic divide in my interactions with the academics which I find annoying but I can cope with it! The work also isn't as creative and intellectually challenging and as a PP says, the volume is what creates the pressure but I think it is less pressure than academia. For me, at the moment the benefits outweigh the costs but I am keeping my options open in case I change my mind

[googlenut]

Thanks Hemlock. The ability to switch off when you leave the office is not to be underestimated.