Andi is an academic psychologist who began a career as a full-time instructor at a community college. Andi focused on teaching for the first four years in the classroom, but after receiving tenure, they encountered some uncharted territory: becoming a department chair. Meanwhile, at another university, Alex was promoted with tenure and is unsure whether to transition to administration or get involved in leadership in a national organization, or both. Will this hurt their research productivity? Now what?
Maybe you’ve been in academia for one year, five years, 15 years, or 30 years. There was likely a time in which you felt established in your career, but either not sure what was ahead in terms of teaching, research, and/or service or you encountered something unexpected on the job, such as having to deal with administrative tasks. Many times, early career psychologists receive institutional support from mentors on how to navigate the first few years of their career, but come mid-career, there may be less mentorship. While the transition from early-career to mid-career looks different at various types of institutions, one thing is certain across all institutions: mentoring can be beneficial at any point in one’s career.
In fact, one might argue that mentoring is necessary for any mid-career professional because navigating the landscape of new opportunities mid-career may open or foreclose future options. For academic psychologists, it’s at this point that, for example, a decision to assume an administrative position at one’s home institution may provide the experience needed for senior-level administrative positions later. Great! But was this the goal, or was one hoping to pursue research? Are these two goals mutually exclusive or very difficult to accomplish? How does one evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of each option? Is there a trusted advisor or “sounding board” who can help weigh these options, and which career path will fit best with one’s professional and personal needs and aspirations? Sound daunting? It really is manageable with a little help and guidance.
In February-May 2021, APA’s Committee on Associate and Baccalaureate Education, in collaboration with the APA Center for Learning and Career Development, will be hosting a series of four midcareer mentoring webinars to guide academic psychologists through this process. Whether you are an early-career psychologist looking to learn more about what to expect in your academic career long-term, or a mid-career psychologist facing some transitions, these webinars aim to address the interests and needs of academic psychologists at both two and four-year colleges/universities. Some topics include: how to evaluate and weight work productivity (includes teaching, administrative/committee work, service and research), identifying the “likes” and “dislikes” about the current job, building networks, balancing service and teaching, understanding institutional culture, contributing to the field outside of your institution, staying current in your field, being a mentor, being a “complete academic,” and the road to promotion. We hope you will consider joining us for these upcoming webinars to learn from mid- to late-career academic psychologists who have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share.
Look for updates in January about how to register for the webinar series.
