Making Sense of Late Academic Careers: Stories, Images, and Reflections

Abstract

Four late-career academics take a “first person” view of their careers over time, using written autobiographies. These stories were coded for common phases, themes, and tensions, retold as narratives, reimagined as metaphors, and recreated as visual stories. A brief overview of relevant career theory and identity theory is presented, and various activities undertaken during the self-discovery process are described and linked to storytelling or narrative theory. Interpretation focuses on similarities and differences in the four late academic careers and identity work during role transitions. Connections are made to career theory and identity theory. The authors believe this article might serve as a catalyst to others wondering about their careers, their identities, and future possibilities.

Keywords:

• academic
• career
• identity
• narrative
• retirement

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank First Person Research section editor Michael Elmes for his encouragement and support, and four anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.

Notes

1. 1. Abstract or summary of the substance of the narrative (the writing prompts); orientation, identifying the time, place, situation and participants; complicating action, describing the sequence of events; evaluation, expressing the significance and meaning of the action and the attitude of the narrator; resolution, describing what eventually happened: coda, returning the perspective of the narrative to the present.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Stephen Brown

Stephen M. Brown is a professor of management at the John F. Welch College of Business at Sacred Heart University. He has had a long career as an administrator in higher education including time as the Dean of the Welch College. His current research interests are older workers, pedagogy, and teams. He has been published in Organization Management Journal, The Journal of Executive Education, and Management and Marketing. He is the author of two books, Outsourcing Human Resources and Evaluating Corporate Training. He can be reached at [email protected].

John Ogilvie

John R. Ogilvie is a professor of management at the University of Hartford. His research interests include negotiator style, organizational commitment, and issues in higher education careers. He has published papers in Group and Organization Management, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Organizational Change Management, Human Communication Research, International Journal of Conflict Management, and Organization Management Journal. He can be reached at [email protected].

Diana Stork

Diana Stork has spent more than 25 years working in higher education—as a faculty member, an administrator, a leader, and a change agent. Over the course of her career, she has taught at the University of Hartford, UMass Dartmouth, Simmons College, Emmanuel College, and Capella University. She has been an active scholar, with numerous conference papers and journal articles. Through her LLC—Practices and People—Diana applies her organizational expertise, analytical skills, and interpersonal skills to organizational and people issues, particularly within higher education. Her clients (individuals and organizations) are committed to ethical practices, service, and people. She can be reached at [email protected].

Jill Woodilla

Jill Woodilla is an affiliated researcher with the Business & Design Lab and an honorary visiting professor at the School of Business, Economics and Law, both at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Previously she was an associate professor of management and associate dean at the Welch College of Business, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT. Her current research in artistic interventions in organizations is part of her larger interest in opportunities for confluence of art, design, and organization. She has published papers and book chapters on design thinking, irony in organizations, organizational discourse, and intercultural competence. She can be reached at [email protected].