Back in 2007, I conducted a small series of interviews for the first incarnation of the Leaving Academia podcast. Some of those interviews ended up being hosted by University Affairs. This is one of them.
This interview is with Gaby Zezulka-Mailloux, a Ph.D. from the University of Alberta who took her background researching environmental issues for her dissertation and parlayed them into a job as a “rabblerouser” in the not-for-profit sector.
My interview with Gaby highlights a few things:
- Gaby’s passion for her topic material (the environment) guided her Ph.D. research and guided her into her first post-academic job.
- She wanted her dissertation to be a practical document with real working solutions in it, so she took a legal angle. This interdisciplinary approach made it difficult for her to get an academic job in an English department (or in any other discipline) but fed directly into her post-academic job.
- One of the key benefits she got from her grad school experience was that it thickened her skin, which helped prepare her for the work she does speaking to the media and politicians.
- She also notes that her research skills were a key transferable skill.
- Gaby’s advice for those thinking of leaving academia? “Go for it.”
A final note: at the time of this interview, Gaby wasn’t 100% certain that she had left academia forever. As it turns out, she has returned to the ivory tower. I will be posting a follow-up interview with her within a few weeks.
Listen to the 13-minute podcast here.
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