An academic career gives you the option to tap into many areas of research while balancing your career and family life.

You’ve probably considered a career in academia at least once in your lifetime. Who wouldn’t? It’s interesting, highly challenging, provides loads of freedom, gives you the chance to interact on a day-to-day basis with brilliant minds and lets you investigate the beauty of the unknown in ways that many careers paths just simply can’t do.

If not, we’ve collated a number of reasons why a career in academia is worth the consideration, and how you can carve out your career path.

Why consider a career in academia

You enjoy teaching. Teaching gives you the freedom to design a course, develop your own unique teaching style, share ideas with students and colleagues and stand a chance to become a mentor.

You love conducting research. You have the opportunity to define an area of research, especially as you work on problems that interest you.

Flexible working hours. A career in academia gives you a healthy work/life balance.  

You can receive tenure that consists of its own unique privileges. The beauty in tenure (a guaranteed job contract that is given to individuals who have proved their skills over a certain period) is that you can embark on risky research – an area which scientists have not tackled – without having to produce short-term results. With tenure you can gain status, job security and academic freedom.

It’s an opportunity to be mentored. You can work with skilled professors in your field. It’s also an opportunity to collaborate with colleagues on your research, teaching and publications.

Read: How to find a great mentor

So how can you become an academic?

The academic industry is competitive. It’s no surprise then that the emphasis is on outstanding qualifications. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all when it comes to the route you can take to becoming an academic.

Generally, most people who enter academia at the level of a lecturer or above have a doctoral degree. This usually is an indication that they can conduct research professionally and communicate their findings in an academic manner.

In some disciplines, people who start their academic careers without professional experience are at an advantage. This is especially true for professions in the clinical and health sciences where professionals are expected to have industry experience before entering academia.

For other disciplines, there are other factors to consider if you’d like to enter into academia without experience from academia:

Your qualification

An undergraduate degree is usually a minimum requirement for any academic career. However, getting a Master’s qualification will give you a better chance of getting a job within the industry.

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Your teaching experience

If you have little or no teaching experience, building up your experience prior to applying for academic jobs can assist in building your career. Consider teaching on a part-time basis, contributing to guest lectures or training on professional development programmes.

Your network

Having a group of contacts you can reach out to comes in handy during times of need, which is why it’s so important to build a network of trusted individuals, especially in your field. You may realise that your contacts in the academic field can help you overcome a lack of an academic background. Furthermore, they may give you a chance to complete the doctoral level qualification you may need to get ahead.

If you’re passionate about research and are willing to invest the time, an academic career will be rewarding. If you’re planning on making the move, just make sure it’s the right one for you.