The venom and exaggerations of some anti-higher education posts in social media by those who market their services toward helping people leave the academia really bug me. I am all for deconstructing and working to change the various oppressive and problematic aspects of university life, but the highly charged, overly generalized tones of some of these pundits is really troubling. They use fear mongering in much the same way as do anti-immigration, law and order right-wingers; throw in small bits of fact, create moral and pragmatic panic, and then capitalize.
Look, if you want to leave higher education; do it! It is not for everyone. There are some fantastic people out there to help you do so. Find them; use them! But make sure you search deeply within yourself and explore your motivations for doing so. Making choices based upon fear and anxiety fueled by others may not be in your best long term interest.
And yes, I do get that I am starting to be a big redundant with this topic, but I feel compelled. I may not be done :).
Also, please note: I am not suggesting that all of those who help others transition out of the academe use hyperbole and fear as marketing strategies. Just this week I referred a client to someone who offers these services; many are wonderful and offer invaluable support. Take for example, Jenifer Polk. We had a lovely conversation a couple of weeks ago about our philosophies of helping, and I think she would be wonderful to work with!!
I do wish, however, that some others would turn down the at attacks based upon very selectively presented data and personally experiences that may or may not be representative.
Look, if you want to leave higher education; do it! It is not for everyone. There are some fantastic people out there to help you do so. Find them; use them! But make sure you search deeply within yourself and explore your motivations for doing so. Making choices based upon fear and anxiety fueled by others may not be in your best long term interest.
And yes, I do get that I am starting to be a big redundant with this topic, but I feel compelled. I may not be done :).
Also, please note: I am not suggesting that all of those who help others transition out of the academe use hyperbole and fear as marketing strategies. Just this week I referred a client to someone who offers these services; many are wonderful and offer invaluable support. Take for example, Jenifer Polk. We had a lovely conversation a couple of weeks ago about our philosophies of helping, and I think she would be wonderful to work with!!
I do wish, however, that some others would turn down the at attacks based upon very selectively presented data and personally experiences that may or may not be representative.
No comments:
Post a Comment