Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?
I don’t.
I’m approaching 35 and all I know about this question is what I don’t want to be.
One thing I don’t want to be: a professor. Up until recently, I was a professor. But being a professor made me miserable. So, I quit. Ok, it wasn’t that straightforward. I spent the summer of 2025 crying and making pros and cons lists about whether or not I should quit, only to decide to give it another year… which I then spent crying and making more pros and cons lists. The definition of a good time, right?
So, despite all that fun, I quit. And now I find myself asking (and being asked) what’s next?
But, the truth is, I have NO IDEA. I don’t know what I want to do, what I should do, what I can do.... what would be valuable. Honestly, I am struggling with where to even begin.
So here we are. I'm gonna do what this ex-professor does best, research and writing. Welcome to When I Grow Up. I’m going to break down why it’s so hard to answer this question, at least for me, while also trying to answer it. Who knows, maybe this will be helpful for you too.
So, cheers to figuring things out, together. What’s next for me? When I grow up: the research project.
