How to be happy in academia

I have just discovered how to be happy in academia – Retire! The pressures, mainly due to the greed of Universities racking up student numbers (= a lot poorer qualified with zero English language skills) without appropriate institution support, is too much!

"Publish or Perish" is a major source pf stress to academics who want to be more than talking textbooks, seeing as the publishing process has been made about as onerous and unrewarding as it possibly can be (short of The Rack). Maybe find other non-journal ways of publishing your stuff. Theer are loads of alternative channels out there if you are imaginative.

None of the writer advise colleagues how to escape huge management roles that thrive on lots of meetings. Most staff in the UK have to do these roles (usually touted as a route to promotion), and if you try to avoid the resultant meetings, your school/department has zero change of pushing back at the policies that will come cascading down.. Those policies will eat into research and teaching prep time and the unhappiness spiral continues.

JD Bernal, philosopher of Science - the academic is "citizen first", academic second. Enjoy the spaces in between - cycling, creative writing, yoga, Tai Chi/CHI Quong, childcare/ grandparenting, kicking leaves on an autumn day; the overiding importance of human relationships. Paths to a HIGHER DEGREE of joyful living :)

Having worked before becoming an academic, or having a partner who isn't an academic, is also a great help. We can all bitch about academic life but a look over the garden wall into non-academic careers helps remind you of the upsides of our line of work.

Staying away from administrators who want to focus on career attainment and their next job at the expense of your expertise is a good strategy for happiness. Also, get tenured as soon as possible.