#140 - Should You Leave Academia? Advice for Researchers with Joe Stubenrauch

Episode notes

The decision to leave academia can be difficult. Often, it involves giving up a stable career path and a lifetime commitment to a particular field of study. But as Joe Stubenrauch explains, the move also offers researchers the opportunity to pursue new career paths, improve work-life balance and geographic flexibility, and reinvent their lives. And he should know: Formerly a professor of history, he walked away from tenure to join a big tech company as a UX Researcher at AWS. In this episode, Joe discusses his decision to walk transition to the private sector and shares thoughtful advice for others considering a similar move. Highlights from the episode [04:06] Joe reflects on feeling burnt out, bored, and doubtful in academia [11:23] What makes you happy? Joe weighs the pros and cons of things like mental health, geographic mobility, and proximity to family and friends. [19:41] Breaking into a new field, experimenting, and talking to people.

• #191 - Throwback: UX Lessons from a Decade Researching AI with Jess Holbrook of Microsoft81 / 100
• #190 - How to Navigate the Constant Change in UX Research with Learners CEO Alec Levin70 / 100
• #189 - Throwback: Quantifying Research Impact with Ruby Pryor of Rex68 / 100
• #188 - Why AI Can't Replace Qualitative Research with Sam Ladner of Workday
• #187 - Throwback: Harnessing AI For Better Insights with George Whitfield of MIT and Google