Feeling disillusion by academia, not sure where to go next
For context, I am based in a non-Western country, currently working in epidemiology. I'm in my final year of PhD and I am due to hand in my dissertation next summer. My current team has extended a postdoctoral position to me for the next 1-2 years, but currently I'm not sure if I want to stay. A lot of our work is based on conducting mental health surveys during mass disasters, and I feel like our work is stuck within the ivory tower, and it's not generating impact for those who can genuinely make a change (policy advisors, first responders, NGOs etc.) Every time we're tasked to conduct a study in these settings, I know it doesn't generate the reach we want it to, because our work never gets disseminated when it is the most needed. I feel bad for even surveying people who have gone through these potentially traumatic events, just for us to ask them if they might have any health issues, without even providing an actual way for them to seek help. Maybe I'm idealistic, but I just wished we could do better. I just wonder if I've lost the fire within me because I'm bogged down by my thesis, or if my perception will change once I'm sufficiently paid (around x1.5 to x2 from my current PhD stipend) for my work. I've also looked at the current postings in global organisations and NGOs, and there are very few positions for epidemiologists and I'm not sure if I want to work in the government sector.
My initial plan was to take on the postdoc offer as a launchpad, and see how it goes. Now I'm not sure if I want to stay in academia, but I just don't feel qualified enough for jobs beyond academia. I'd love to get some advice on how to proceed.
Posted Dec 4, 2025, 2:50 AM UTC