The first time I sent someone an invoice for editing work, I stared at the number for a long time before hitting send. It wasn’t a huge amount, but it was my first paid project after years of helping people for free. It felt enormous. It felt like I was asking for something I didn’tContinueContinue reading “From free labor to fair pay: why academics struggle to charge what they’re worth”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Your academic skills are already valuable
How to package them for editing work When I tell people I help academics become editors and coaches, they always ask the same question. “But don’t you need training for that? Don’t you need a certificate or something?” I understand why they ask. We’ve been conditioned to think that every new thing requires formal credentials.ContinueContinue reading “Your academic skills are already valuable”
You don’t need perfect certainty to leave academia
Most academics don’t wait too long because they lack courage. They wait because they want control. When I spoke with Leslie Wang, her words stayed with me. After nearly a decade as a tenured professor—after building a coaching business that replaced her salary and supported her family—she still didn’t feel 100% ready to leave academia.ContinueContinue reading “You don’t need perfect certainty to leave academia”
Why your department won’t miss you
One of academia’s cruelest secrets is that your department won’t miss you when you leave. You’ve poured years into committee meetings, student crises, grant deadlines, and late-night grading. You’ve convinced yourself you’re essential. But when you step away, the silence can be deafening. That silence isn’t proof you didn’t matter. It’s evidence of how theContinueContinue reading “Why your department won’t miss you”
Myth: Your academic job will make you happy (and why it’s a lie)
I spent years living a lie. Everyone told me that if I just finished grad school, landed a tenure-track job, kept my head down and did “all the things,” I’d eventually be happy. And I believed them. Leslie Wang, a former Sociology professor and host of the popular podcast Your Words Unleashed, believed it throughContinueContinue reading “Myth: Your academic job will make you happy (and why it’s a lie)”
7 Academic Skills You Can Monetize Today
We’ve all been there. You’re complaining about academia to a friend, and they suggest, “Well, you could always do freelance editing.” You nod politely while thinking about all the challenges that come with that path. Here’s what I’ve discovered through working with dozens of academics who’ve built successful businesses: editing is just the beginning. YourContinueContinue reading “7 Academic Skills You Can Monetize Today”
How to Earn More Money as an Academic Editor
Feeling stuck in feast-or-famine cycles as a freelance editor? Learn how to earn more money, raise your rates, attract premium clients through marketing, and build a sustainable editing business with strategies tailored for academic editors.
How One Former Scientist Built a Thriving SEO Business (and how you can use SEO to grow your business, too)
Discover how Laura Jawad used SEO and not social media to grow two successful businesses from scratch. If you’re an academic editor or coach looking to attract clients online (without burning out), this is for you.
How to GTFO of Academia
I was recently chosen as a featured member in the Facebook group, Academics Say Goodbye. If you’re not familiar with the group, it’s a really fantastic community of people who are thinking of leaving academia and those who’ve already left. People ask questions, exchange job information and opportunities, and generally support each other during thisContinueContinue reading “How to GTFO of Academia”