In the past five years, I have talked to a lot of people about why they chose not to pursue academic jobs after graduate school––a choice that is more common than people assume. Geography might be the number one reason that I hear; not everyone is willing to throw a dart at a map of North America (or the world, for that matter) and live wherever it lands, which is essentially what one does on the academic job market. But very close behind it is this:

“I found academic research in the humanities to be too isolating. Sitting in a library carrel alone all day made me miserable.”