[Should I Quit Academia Series] Choosing to Leave Academia and Create Something New: An Interview with Jane Jones (Re-Release EP 40)

With a Ph.D. in sociology, Jane secured a tenure-track position, but after facing several challenges in academia, she decided to leave. Today, she runs a thriving writing coaching business specializing in helping scholars write books. Her story highlights the realities of academia, particularly for marginalized individuals, and the process of transitioning out of it to pursue a more fulfilling career path.

 
Throughout our conversation, we break down the importance of self-awareness, identifying harmful institutional policies, and support for academics at all stages of their career. Whether you are writing a book, navigating the pressures of academia, or simply wanting to manage your time more effectively, this episode delivers key insights into what can be possible when you pivot from professorship.

Generational Shifts in Academia

We explore how the expectations and attitudes toward academia have shifted over time. While earlier generations of PhDs viewed academia as a long-term commitment, the newer generation is more skeptical, questioning the traditional norms and considering alternative career paths. This generational shift is accompanied by a growing recognition of systemic barriers, particularly racialized experiences, that affect job opportunities and career progression in academia. Jane reflects on the need for academics to critically evaluate their paths and the narratives that have historically shaped their expectations.

The Evolution from Editing to Coaching

Jane shares how her career transitioned from editing manuscripts to offering coaching services. Initially, she provided traditional editing services, focusing on developmental and copy editing. However, she noticed a recurring pattern where clients struggled not just with writing but with time management, unrealistic expectations, and external pressures. This led to the creation of her coaching program, which addresses both productivity and mindset.

Book Coaching and Realistic Writing Timelines

Jane shares the specific challenges of writing and publishing an academic book. She introduces her new book coaching program, which combines coaching with developmental editing. The program is designed to support academics through every stage of the writing process, from brainstorming ideas to navigating revisions. We discuss the importance of shifting to realistic timelines for writing academic books by underscoring the importance of having clear expectations and adequate support to make the book-writing process more manageable.

About Dr. Jane Jones

Dr. Jane Jones is an academic book coach who helps minoritized scholars confidently write and publish their books. With eight years of experience, she has guided authors to success with presses like Oxford and Princeton. Jane aims to be the supportive coach she wished for during her tenure track, restoring faith in her clients’ writing abilities. In her free time, Jane enjoys craft bourbon, cooking, dance parties, museums, cooking shows, and relaxing at Lucille’s café in New York with an oat milk latté, a raspberry donut, and a good book.

“There was a point when I started my business, where I didn’t want to keep giving my power to other people. If I was going to mess things up, I was going to mess them up. I was just going to do it myself. I learned from being at an institution as a faculty member that you think you have a lot of freedom and you don’t.”

“There is an implicit idea of fairness, that the system should be fair to me because I worked hard, so I should get a job. It should be, but that is racialized. Black people were never taught that the system is fair for them. I think that is why the alt-academic narrative never resonated with me because I never felt that way. I never thought that everything would be fair.” 

We’ve opened the waitlist for our next cohort of Navigate: Your Writing Roadmap®. Check out the program details and get on the waitlist here.

CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION:

1. Our 12-week Navigate: Your Writing Roadmap® program helps tenure-track womxn and nonbinary professors to publish their backlog of papers so that their voice can have the impact they know is possible. Get on the waitlist here!
2. Cathy’s book, Making Time to Write: How to Resist the Patriarchy and Take Control of Your Academic Career Through Writing is available in print! Learn how to build your career around your writing practice while shattering the myths of writing every day, accountability, and motivation, doing mindset work that’s going to reshape your writing,and changing academic culture one womxn and nonbinary professor at a time. Get your print copy today or order it for a friend here!
3. If you would like to hear more from Cathy for free, please subscribe to the weekly newsletter, In the Pipeline, at scholarsvoice.org. It’s a newsletter that she personally writes that goes out once a week with writing and publication tips, strategies, inspiration, book reviews and more.

CONNECT WITH ME: 

• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• YouTube