Exploring uncharted territory : Pages from an academic nomad’s diary
I had a rather interesting conversation with my running companion on a Sunday morning run. We connected and shared our similar experiences of migrating to other continents for our careers. It was a heartfelt chat on not just career growth, but personal factors that nudged us to traverse outside our comfort zone, as they say.
It made me contemplate on the evolution I have gone through myself after nearly a decade of stepping outside (literally and figuratively) — right from the clutches of a stable, protective household into a vast plethora of people, cultures and opportunities.
In this article, I shall attempt to generalize my experience to gauge various changes that can be inevitable in an academic nomad’s life.
To give you a brief background, I moved to Germany when I was 22 to pursue a PhD in the Physical Sciences with a focus on Biophysics and biomimetics. The thought of moving outside my home country isn’t foreign to me, owing to our familial history of stepping out to explore careers. Since my parents had themselves immigrated to Africa seeking specialized opportunities, I should say, there was no dearth of support in this regard. Coming from an academically inclined Indian family, adding a PhD feather to one’s cap was always considered a major plus.
Four years later, after earning my degree, I made a rather spontaneous and uncomfortable decision to move to the US for a postdoctoral position — what is seen as a transitional stage between being an early researcher to a Staff scientist or Tenure-track faculty.
Two postdoc positions later, my mind has opened up to the various career options in and outside academia that we have access to, in this country. I have cultivated a fresh perspective on creating my own work-life balance and have nourished my desire to keep learning and moving forward in all aspects of life —
- An impressionable age to migrate
I look at early 20s as an appropriate timeline to travel to study or work abroad. You are not only at the peak of your learning capacity, but you are also less rigid in your opinions and perspectives. You are easily influenced more by the good rather than the bad, and you do not necessarily have a premeditated life plan set in stone. This lack of forethought is actually a good thing — it allows you to be open to new experiences and impetuous changes. Various studies have also shown youth who migrate for short-term exchange programs generally develop well-rounded self-confidence as a result of their exposure to change.
2. Navigating environments and cultures
While culture shock can be seen as a more obvious initial outcome of moving to a new country, humans are built to adapt to new ways of life. All the initial problems such as informational overload, technology gaps, time zone differences and homesickness, language barriers eventually give way to seeking comfort in this disparity.
3. A journey of self-discovery
Living independently in a new environment and sustaining oneself by preparing your own meals and paying your own bills may seemingly look like simple chores. But these actions teach you incredible life lessons to be self-reliant, financially and emotionally independent which can be extremely empowering. This well-rounded experience can contribute towards your resistance in handling unavoidable challenges you may face.
4. Intellectual restlessness
As a traveler hungry for knowledge, you are constantly bombarded with new information that you learn to filter and absorb at the same time. With continuous learning, you develop technical expertise which is the primary motive of moving abroad. As a by-product of experience and with time, you are rewarded with more valuable skills such as strong communication and strategic thinking, supporting the theory of a permanently plastic brain.
5. Optimal anxiety
The ‘living abroad’ experience, in general, leads to more mature and socially confident individuals. According to research into the impact of novel experiences on the brain, regularly stepping outside your comfort zone can lead to what is called “optimal anxiety”. These slightly elevated levels of stress owing to ever-changing environments can help develop new neural pathways and boost productivity.
6. A unique profile
Unconsciously, traveling the world for vaious reasons can help you create a unique identity that constantly evolves and a diverse experience base. Rather than merely fixating on your own goals, you are also accomodating items on your ‘on-the-go’ bucketlist.
In my case, I have met some of the most internationally diverse folks and different types of personalities through my research environment. I have learnt to communicate and work with them, while learning about their backgrounds and quirks. Moreover, I discovered and ‘grew up’ with my partner along the way, a fellow academic nomad. Today, we share a somewhat-planned life together and an equally excitable dog who will travel with us through all our adventures…..
