Mid-career faculty often find themselves at an inflection point — without a clear map for what comes next. This set of four short reads is designed to help you name where you are, understand what you are up against, and orient to a framework for moving forward intentionally.
Read them in order, or start with the one that feels most relevant to where you are right now.
Is Your Career Happening to You?
Why most academic careers are shaped by default — and how career planning creates agency.
What Faculty Are Really Up Against
The five most common mid-career obstacles — and why they are systemic, not personal.
What Career Planning Can Do for You
Five concrete outcomes that make the time investment worth it.
The 3-Phase Career Planning Framework
Dream It Up, Make It Real, Make It Work — orient yourself to where you are and what you need most.
Start here with your AI coach
Does your career feel like something that is happening to you, or something you are actively shaping? What is one thing you would change if you could?
Discuss with Sophia