3: Finding Your Place in the Academy and Industry

Featuring the stories of early career researchers: Alfred, Amy, Harry, Jane, Lucy, Mark, Ole and Steve

In this chapter, we explore the tension between pursuing career pathways into the academy or industry. Stories of early career researcher experiences deepen our understanding of pursuing these pathways (Gasson, 2023). Three career trajectories are introduced that linking pathways to researcher identities: teaching and service innovators, research leader and portfolio engager. In Your Story, we show you how to use those trajectories to develop your pathway.

Industry offers pathways to professional, managerial and development roles in higher education, government, industry, business and the community. The academy offers teaching, research and service roles within universities. This distinction allows consideration of concerns raised about sustaining the academic workforce (Hugo, 2005) and preparing graduates for careers in industry (McGagh et al., 2015; Roberts, 2002).