Decision about my career

Hello, I’m about to make a significant decision about my career. I work in academia. I’ve received third-party funding and have the opportunity to conduct my own research for two years, starting in April. However, I have really strong doubts whether this position is the right thing for me. I’m currently working as a lecturer at university, which I really enjoy. I like interacting with students and it gives me meaning. However, my current contract as a lecturer ends in September next year. So if I would accept the third-party funded position, I would have a longer perspective. My gut says that I can’t accept the third-party funded position. The main reasons for this are that I don’t feel comfortable in the team that I would be a part of and that I don’t want to work on my own for such a long time. I’ve noticed that it’s good for me to have a structure (i.e. regular seminars that I give), which I wouldn’t have if I took that third-party funded position. I live on my own so it’s nice for me to have regular interactions at work. But then there are the voices that are telling me to accept the third-party funded position because it’s a privilege and maybe creates better opportunities for me in the future. That’s where I’m at at the moment. I’m also talking to some other people to see if there are other opportunities for me at our institute. I would appreciate any feedback. Thank you in advance!

 

 

Answer:

 

First of all, that sounds like a nod to you and the kind of educator you are. How are you celebrating all of the ways that you’ve gotten yourself to getting to make this decision!?

What I’m hearing is that you have some strong awareness of the reasons you’d say no, and the reasons you’d say yes. And as with many things, there are trade offs – if you say no, it’s possible that you might be saying no to certain opportunities. If you say yes, it’s possible that you’ll feel isolated and nostalgic for your days as a lecturer. Compromise can often be a part of decision making. We get to decide which discomforts we’re willing to weather to make the decision that’s most supportive of the greatest percentage of our needs, wants, and desires.

My first question is what values do you want to be leading you through your decision making process? How do you want to feel about yourself and what you’re doing while you’re in the thick of it?

Next, you mentioned both your gut and other voices – notice the quality of the energy behind each of these voices. Describe the quality of the energy of the voice coming from your gut. Describe the quality of the energy of the other voices. Notice what comes up after having identified that. What information or wisdom does it have to share?