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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP there are a number of academics who frequent DCUM. Tell us your field and maybe we can be more helpful. But insisting that you have all the qualifications for a high-powered academic career while asking a very elementary question (how to find funding) isn't very credible.

As a PP said, academia has its own massive structural issues. Low pay, vicious politics, and more. I routinely discourage young people from aspiring to academic careers because of the limited opportunities, especially if you are tied to a geographic area or care about being in a major city. It's even more daunting for mid-career changers. [b]Professionals, even with publications and adjunct experience, rarely make the shift to FT professorships.[/b][/quote]

OP here. The bolded is interesting and disheartening.
For the record, I never said anything about having a "high-powered" academic career. In fact, I'd be thrilled to have an exceedingly low-powered academic career. Honestly, I love teaching and working with students.

I am quite competent, expert even, in a niche area in my field and have numerous peer reviewed (not in junk not in top) journal articles, many presentations at the top conferences in my field and 2 book chapters. I'm not saying I'm set up to be an academic phenom, but I do have some credibility.

As for not knowing how academia works, guilty as charged. I have adjuncted regularly, but have been focused on my job in another sector. I've been wondering if it would be feasible to move to academia for a while and the government chaos has accelerated my wonderings.

Thank you to everyone who has provided useful information.[/quote]

You sound like an accomplished professional but the unfortunate reality is being an accomplished practitioner is NOT the same as being an academic. Getting a tenure-track or even teaching-track academic job is cutthroat, low-paying, and most accessible to recent post-docs or lateral academics with (academic) cache in this environment. It's almost akin to saying "I am an accomplished career patent attorney and want to take a job as a litigator." It's just not really analogous, and rarely works out. When I applied for my tenure-track job about 7 years ago in a "less competitive academic field" 20+ people applied, and I beat out seasoned, published academics. One exception might be a field like nursing or art where there is sometimes demand or value in having a career practitioner transition over to teaching, but the scholarship there works differently.

We are not trying to discourage you, but rather explain that the shift is not as easy as it seems, nor is it straightforward in the skills and experience.

You might want to reach out to a professional consultant that helps with this stuff. The Professor Is In is one. I find her a little extra and grating, but I do think she'd be good for this type of advice. Her website may also be helpful on its own.  https://theprofessorisin.com[/quote]

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