Dream job.... I'm a fool.... academia

[SignalFailure1]

www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2017/feb/17/i-want-to-make-a-difference-in-academia-but-im-drowning?utm_content=buffer9d2f2&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
This is my life, almost every word, not my actual story but not far off, and made me want to cry this morning. I gave up a fabulous career, worked my arse off every day on a PhD, landed a fab job and now I'm drowning, I work 50hours + a week easily, I oversee 300 students, 5 courses, and then have huge expectations on research generating income.I want to make a difference in my area, and I know I can, but I have no time or space to do that! I look back at the days I dreamt of this and laugh at myself!! On one hand of course I'm lucky, I'm in a steady job, not quite stable but safe as long as I keep swimming but it worries the hell out of me what the government are doing to academia and how much research and evidence based work is being undermined. I wish I could go back and tell myself to stay put, all the work to get here feels wasted!!! Not sure what I really asking, just needed to verbalise it somewhere...

[SignalFailure1]

I was the CEO of an international relief charity, I was and am passionate about what we did and PhD was based on evidencing the work. The jobs are few and far between but I entered academia on a false hope to amplify that voice, I had more impact on the frontline than I do now.

[rollonthesummer]

Yes-i agree with the previous poster. Go back to your fabulous career. What was it-out of interest?!

[VeryBitchyRestingFace]

Could you not go back to, if not your fabulous job, then at least that industry?

[Dreamanddream]

It's like this at all levels of teaching.

[Booboostwo]

I felt the same way as you. I studied for 10 years to qualify in my field, had what I thought was a dream job not once but twice, and both times it ended up being a nightmare. I gave up on academia. I miss my students and I miss my colleagues but every time I read a job advert and see the demands for international quality research and attracting grant money it makes my skin crawl.

Sorry that is not helpful at all. Sadly more and more people feel like you do. Depressingly I also think the author is deluded if he/she thinks that there is security and improvement in work conditions after probation.