A friend recently called for advice about making the move to academia. Many nurses and other professionals in government civil service and uniformed services have doctoral degrees in their chosen professions and of those, a significant number have worked in policy, research and development, and administration. If they entered public service right out of college they are relatively young when they reach the years of service necessary to retire. I was 48 so I had time for another 20-year career and I couldn’t think of anything I would rather do than teach.

Why Make the Move

A life of service is hard to leave. Any person that has dedicated their life and professional career to the service of the country is unlikely to be fully satisfied in corporate America or staying at home. When you chose government service you clearly do not do it for the money and that is a characteristic that is unlikely to change. You may like having money, but most likely it is not the key driver for making a decision. The retirement check gives you the freedom to follow the heart and the ability to take a salary less than what you were making in the government and still break even.

When I left active duty I applied for four jobs. Three jobs were in academia and one was with the state government. I almost immediately had three interviews and three job offers. I took the one that paid the least but was most likely to be an easier transition. As my husband told me, I was used to people “kissing my ass” and doing what I said without question and in academia neither would happen. That would turn out to be a very pleasant change. There is little that is more limiting to personal growth than blind loyalty or loyalty out of fear of position.

You may have given a lot, but a lot was given to you.  If you are retiring you have given your entire adult life to service to the country. But, your country has been giving too. My Ph.D. was fully funded, every training course I took was paid for by the government, and every effort was made to help me succeed. I may have given, but I received in equal or greater measure. When the Ph.D. program in nursing began at the Uniformed Services University one of the hopes was that after completing service to the country those they educated would then teach as a way of giving back. Never forget the country you served also served you.

There is a difference between what is taught and what one needs to succeed. Senior officers and government official hire and train hundreds if not thousands of young people fresh out of college. They have seen what makes those young people successful and what leads to difficulties in their professional lives. It is true that what is taught in college is essential knowledge and if done well gives a young person the necessary skills to adapt, but in many cases, it is the skills of listening, respect, professional presentation, and teamwork that are missing. As an officer or a senior official, you know how to blend this information into impactful lessons in a way a person who spent their life in academia will not.

I am easily able to explain to students why it is important to always be early for work and to think before you speak. I have a dozen real-life stories of things that have happened. I also have stories of people that thought they were on the right path but didn’t recognize that they had strong talent that would take them further if they had the courage to chose a different path or make a career change. One of our Presidental Management Fellows who was a nurse turned out to be the best champion of the Combined Federal Campaign our office ever had. She was missing her calling in fundraising and went on to be very successful. Not every student in nursing wants to be a nurse. It is okay to point out other paths they may take after finishing their degree. It isn’t necessary to change majors. It is fine to take a nontraditional path.

Academia needs people with well-developed leadership skills. There are things universities do well, but teaching leadership is not one of them. From day one as an officer leadership is taught and emphasized. It is not about learning to administer, which is definitely emphasized, but about leading. Don’t misunderstand, there are some amazing Deans, Provosts, and Presidents of universities, but there are even more that have little formal leadership training. What makes a great researcher isn’t always what makes a great leader.

If you work for the federal government until retirement you will have been sent to courses on strategic planning, financial management, personnel management, and leadership. You have probably managed large numbers of people, large and small budgets, grants, pilot projects, policy development and implementation, and a plethora of special projects. You have in your toolbox things the average academic does not have and in addition, you have been tested under different leaders and multiple administrations with all the political appointees they bring with them who may are may not have any knowledge of the area they oversee. Most importantly you have grown a thick skin and learned how to work fast and under pressure.

I was privileged to work with an amazing President, Provost and Graduate Dean when I first came to academia. They hired me for my leadership skills and not my academic history. The department had been without a Chair for a couple of years and the one before me had left quickly. I had looked for the job that needed my skills and was also willing to let me teach. When those three job offers came in there was no doubt which one I wanted and which was the best fit. It was the small school where I could learn academia and help them to address several years without a department chair. It was a win-win.

Transition Planning

It is a good idea to start your transition plan one to two years before you retire. Here are 10 must for your transition plan:

1. A curriculum vitae is a must and it should look like one in academia. There are many things in government that are the same as academia, but academics will not understand government speak and if you don’t use academic terminology you will hurt yourself.
2. If you are not publishing you need to start. I would highly recommend two to three peer-reviewed articles a year. It may seem intimidating, but it is easier than it sounds.
3. Never turn down an invited presentation. All of the invited presentations you did now need to be on your CV. You are most likely going to have to search for them.
4. Make sure your CV includes the number of people you supervised, budgets managed, and major accomplishments by position.
5. You didn’t get to retirement without serving on many committees, task forces, and probably at the national level. You need them all on your CV.
6. Start teaching by working as an adjunct instructor or lecturer. You do not need to be paid but you do need a letter of appointment. If you have ever taught a government course, precepted students, or developed training it needs to be on your CV.
7. If you haven’t practiced clinically in a while you may want to renew that skill. Most places will want to know that you still understand the clinical setting even if they will not expect you to teach clinical courses. Volunteering is a good way to make sure you are current.
8. Attend professional conferences where you are likely to run into academics. Use all of the skills you ever learned about networking. You need to start a new Rolodex.
9. Start looking at university requirements for tenure and rank and make sure you are writing to those requirements.
10. You need a good mentor for the transition and you need to reconnect with your dissertation advisor. Both can couch you on negotiating rank, salary, and start-up packages. If any university tells you that a retired Captain O-6 or senior executive service needs to start as an Assistant Professor you need to look elsewhere and this is especially true for women as it is more likely to happen to you than your male counterparts.

Teaching is a great opportunity to continue your life of service and it will remind you on a daily basis why you chose your profession all those years ago.

I have had a long career and a wonderful life that I look back on with joy. There are a few exceptions and most of those are the times I could not find it in myself to walk in the other person’s shoes before passing judgment. I excused my behavior as putting the mission before individual needs, including family needs, when in reality it was poor communication and a lack of trust.

As both a staff member and a leader I have been a horrible judge of how much time it takes to do a task. I’m not any better with home repairs. If you ask me how long it will take to paint my home office I imagine I can do it in one day. Having painted many rooms I know I can’t do it in a single day, but none the less my mind tells me I can.

One day our office was preparing a briefing for the White House. As the Assistant Secretary and staff worked on the brief I reminded them how much time we needed to print and collate the required copies. As they passed the last possible minute we could get it printed on time and leave adequate time for them to get in the car and make the trip to the White House I was stressed. A copier doesn’t work faster because the presentation is going to the White House and neither can a person. The Assistant Secretary was so angry that it wasn’t completed when he needed it that he threw his briefcase, but that also didn’t make the copier work any faster. It is a common failing of highly motivated and highly successful people to think the world revolves around their expectations and needs. It doesn’t.

In academia, the stakes are much lower, but the passions are just as high.  How many classes can a faculty member successfully teach and how many papers can be carefully graded in a normal work week? Is it more work to grade a graduate or an undergraduate paper? How many grants can be written and how many papers published? How much time does committee work actually take? How much time does it take to grade the work of a student after a nursing clinical and how early must the faculty member be at the clinical site before the students arrive so everything is ready for a seamless day? How much time is actually spent on research with and without a graduate research assistant?  And then there is all of the unaccounted for time of mentoring, advising, writing letters for jobs for former students, and being active in professional organizations. But work isn’t all that a person must do. My experience is that everyone is working hard and maybe even too hard. It is an American characteristic.

All people have things they need and want to do that are not related to work. Each person has tasks of self-care such as dental and medical appoints. There is the task we all hate but must do such as getting vehicle inspections and anything to do with the DMV.  Moms and dads must care for sick children and even attend the extracurricular activities of those children. Who hasn’t had to be home to sign for a package or wait on the plumber? We all will eventually have to attend a funeral. These are all tasks of life and they are not optional. A well-rounded person must do these things and a productive employee should be supported when doing them. Why do we judge them?

Judgment is not new. Consider that at the time of Jesus they were writing about the Father judging no one I assume that the message is that we have done it throughout history and it has always been an undesirable behavior.

²² Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,²³ that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. John 5:22-23

I know my inability to see the perspective of the other did not end at the office and I doubt I’m alone. How often do we try to walk in the shoes of our spouses, parents, or children?  How often do we try to understand the store clerk whose line is slow or the driver who makes a mistake or the person that doesn’t understand stand right and walk left on the metro escalator? How often do people try to understand issues of equality without trying to justify the current norm?

Ultimately to walk in the shoes of the other person we must be willing to trust the person is working as hard as we are, cares as much as we do, and has intentions that are honorable. We must see the other person as equal and deserving of respect.

I’m finally at the point in my career and my life that I would rather trust a person than find fault. I would rather underwrite the mistakes of others than limit them and me with my judgment.

See each person for what they bring to the table and not what you would bring if you were them.