Beyond the Academia

A few months before my post-doctoral contract ended, I started looking for a new position. I did not have experience in teaching and preferred to do research, so I was looking for another postdoc. I also considered shifting to non-academic jobs but was less successful than applying for another post-doc and getting invited for interviews. Location was also one of my considerations when selecting jobs. I didn't want to move to another city, especially if it was only for a one or two-year position. Can you imagine uprooting your life every two years? I know people who do it for research, moving places, bringing the whole family, looking for schools, and finding new activities. However, after my 40s, I don't have the energy anymore.  In my early days, I have been moving places. I did my PhD in the Netherlands for 5 years, worked in Indonesia for 3.5 years, returned to academia as a post-doc in Singapore for 3 years, and in the UK for 2 years. Each place has its beauty, but it also ...

It's been too long since I posted regularly on a blog. I started blogging in early 2000, when the Internet had just become a thing, and most content was text-based instead of video. And here I am, trying to return to my old habit of writing regularly.  A bit about the title. I have been living in the academia almost my whole life. Studying, more studying, research and more research. While I love doing research, being a research fellow or being in academia always put me on a pedestal. Am I good enough? What if I cannot catch up to the latest research trend? Do I publish enough? Why have I not heard anything from reviewers? I know that in life, you will always have questions, but the amount of self-doubt I had when I was in academia was not healthy. So, after I finished my contract as a research associate at one of the best universities in the world, I decided to have a break from academia.  This blog is about that. Navigating my career/life after 40.