Self-Employment or Academia?

[Magician-Blue]

Hey guys,

Anyone has experienced with choosing between self-employment or academia? Can anyone weight the pro's and con's? Who might each path be right for?

[maxhgns]

Generally speaking, the academic route means relatively low pay and little to no choice over where you live. Depending on the field, it might mean a long series of temporary posts all around the country/world, with little to no benefits, and no real prospect of a TT job at the end of it.

Self-employment is risky, since you're the one in charge of building your business. If you're in the US, it also means that you get no benefits (including healthcare, which you'll have to provide for yourself). Generally speaking, my understanding is that people who go the self-employment route usually need a few years to build up their client base so that the work can pay the bills. Many start their businesses part-time and on the side, while they rely on something else for proper income. On the plus side, though, self-employment means total control over where you live.

[Duns Eith]

13 hours ago, maxhgns said:

Generally speaking, the academic route means relatively low pay and little to no choice over where you live. Depending on the field, it might mean a long series of temporary posts all around the country/world, with little to no benefits, and no real prospect of a TT job at the end of it.

Self-employment is risky, since you're the one in charge of building your business. If you're in the US, it also means that you get no benefits (including healthcare, which you'll have to provide for yourself). Generally speaking, my understanding is that people who go the self-employment route usually need a few years to build up their client base so that the work can pay the bills. Many start their businesses part-time and on the side, while they rely on something else for proper income. On the plus side, though, self-employment means total control over where you live.

Hey, only tangentially related, but ...your advice on this site is consistently clear and helpful. It is great to have you here. Many of my posts can add nothing after you've made your rounds. Hah.

Edited May 16, 2019 by Duns Eith