A future of intellectual exploration and research drew Tory to grad school. But two seasons of an unfruitful tenure-track search prompted her to question what she wanted out of work — and where she wanted to do it.

After 40 or 50 informational interviews with anyone willing to chat about their careers, Tory landed a data science role in Silicon Valley. She soon discovered a passion for coaching as she mentored her employees.

In May 2020, she founded Academic Exit to help social science PhDs succeed in the tech industry. Now she focuses on what she enjoyed most from her time at Meta (Facebook) and Google with the independence she missed from her academic days.

And her  willingness to explore what she truly wanted out of a job and to untangle her academic achievements from her work — and overall — identity made all the difference.

Where to find Tory & her work

Tory (Academic Exit) on Gumroad

Tory on Twitter and LinkedIn

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