I’m not saying we can simply wake up and decide today will be joyful, and repeat this every day. I am saying it is useful to think about joy as something we can influence.
Written by Nick Hopwood
Nick Hopwood (he/him/his) is based at the University of Technology Sydney (Australia). In research he studies agency – how people change the future that is ‘given’ into a better version, the future that ought to be. In this work he focuses particularly on families with young children who are affected by disadvantage or ill health. Nick has a longstanding interest in researcher development and academic careers, having worked at the Centre for Preparing for Academic Practice at Oxford, and subsequently had administration roles overseeing higher degrees by research. Through his blog, youtube channel and twitter handle @NHopUTS, and workshops offered around the world, Nick engages with issues around rejection, publishing, research methods, and life and work in academia.
Joy in academic careers: What can I expect?
There are many reasons why you might want an academic career. In this post, I reflect on the kinds of joy you might experience over a career as an academic.
Research in Academic Careers
It is easy to get disheartened when thinking about research in academic careers. The endless quest for funding, the sense of wasted effort and feeling wounded when we are rejected. In this post I offer an alternative, positive way of thinking about research in academic careers. This is based on two principles: