WHAT YOU’RE “SUPPOSED” TO DO AFTER A DOCTORATE (And why I’m not doing it)

I’ve been thinking a lot about what someone is “supposed” to do after finishing a doctorate as I did 2 weeks ago.

Because there’s definitely a script.

And if I’m being honest… I followed that script for a long time. I had to. A doctorate is under more "political" scrutiny than is talked about.

Most people would probably say I should be doing something very different right now.

I just finished my doctorate.

So the expectation is pretty clear:

Move up, make more money, and get into leadership. Be more “professional,” play the game a little better

But here’s the truth:

Nothing shifted.

No big realization. No moment of clarity. No sudden change in direction.

I’ve always seen what I see.

The only difference now?

I don’t have to stay quiet anymore.

Before, there was always something attached:

Finish the degree first. Don’t say the wrong thing. Don’t hurt your chances. Stay professional

I understood it.

And I played it.

But that’s over.

There’s nothing left to protect.

I still want to teach.

At the graduate level, if I can.

Not to repeat the same models…but to challenge them.

To help people think for themselves before they get fully absorbed into systems that don’t always work the way we pretend they do.

And I still want to stay on the front lines.

Because that’s where the truth is.

Not in textbooks. Not in meetings. Not in policies.

With real people. Real situations. Real consequences.

But I’m not staying silent anymore.

Not about what I’ve seen and experienced. Not about what doesn’t work. Not about the gap between what we say and what actually happens.

So my direction is simple:

Teach — if I’m allowed to do it, honestly. Work — where I stay connected to reality, and build something of my own — where I don’t filter any of it

I’m not chasing status anymore.

I’m not trying to fit into something that was never built for people who think like this.

If that limits where I can go…

Good.

Because I’m no longer trying to go everywhere.

I’m only interested in the places that can handle the truth.

And if those places are fewer…

Then at least they’re real.