It was never my goal to go further than a PhD in the academic ladder. I knew this pretty much from day one. But it’s a hard thing to admit that you want OUT of a prestigious career road towards university professor (or at least prestigious is how I think it is perceived from the outside world).
The first thing people think is that you had a bad experience.
Why would you otherwise leave what you worked so hard for so many years for?! (mind you a total of 11 years, to be precise).
I did have a questionable experience, but that was not the reason.
I just… LOVE to learn.
And after a PhD, you are more stressed with writing grants, teaching, and department politics, instead of doing the actual science.
The problem is that people continue the academic path because they THINK they don't know how to do anything else.
I recently tuned in to a conversation of Paul Millerd and Ali Abdaal about quitting your job and finding your own path. The act of pursuing impressive roles and getting pulled into following a flow that doesn’t lead to your own happiness is what they call the prestige game.
In academia it looks something like this:
You start with your bachelor's (WTF is a protocol)
Pursue your master's (WOW science is exciting!)
Do your PhD (I need an abnormal amount of therapy I cannot afford yet)
Ideally your postdoc in a different country and come back to step into the process of becoming an assistant, associate, and finally a full professor (your first full-time stable job at 40, yay!)
But what if in any of these steps you decide
"This is enough for me. I want to do something else"?
It is quite hard to understand the alternatives when you are deep in your expertise. We don’t normally zoom OUT to see the full picture of our capabilities. We zoom IN as much as possible, become the best, be known doing something exceptionally great.
As a freelancer, you can play a different game. I call it the Prestige Bingo: try as many things until you find what you like and what gives you energy.
It wasn't until I started talking to people in private messages that I found one universal truth: nobody has really figured it out. You're allowed to pivot, adjust, refine, change your mind, burn it down and rebuild — at any time. That's different from just winging it. It's peace of mind, knowing your freelance work now might look nothing like your freelance work later.
In 2025, I found myself: interviewing scientists for feature articles, doing LinkedIn consulting, turning long-form content into short-form, booked for my first speaking seminar on career orientation for scientists — and earning my first newsletter ad money. A whopping $20. Enough for a few oat cappuccinos.
But in 2025, I also found my favorite people to work for (and WITH).
BING-freakin-GO.
Keep up the audacity,
Laura
