From Faculty to Student: Navigating Graduate School as an Adult Learner

When I first set foot on the UAlbany uptown campus, it was as a full-time Lecturer in the Writing and Critical Inquiry Program (WCI). I had been hired for this position after three years of working abroad as an Assistant Professor of Literature at a small liberal arts college in Zhuhai, China, followed by two years of being an adjunct instructor at different SUNY campuses. I had finally found stable employment after graduating with my PhD in English, a major achievement in my field, and gone through the stressful process of relocating my family from Buffalo. I thought I had finally made it.

But the truth is that despite having just landed on my feet, I was already beginning to reconsider not just my faculty position but my entire career. The job search that finally led me to Albany had taken a serious toll on my mental health. I was less optimistic than ever about my career path, and while I loved my new teaching position and the students and colleagues, I connected with in the WCI program, I knew there was little chance of advancement beyond my current role. To gain any upward mobility, I would have to re-enter the job market once again and try my luck at applying for a rapidly diminishing pool of tenure-track positions. 

While feeling disillusioned with my career decisions, I became increasingly fascinated with the field of public health, specifically epidemiology. I’ve always had a personal interest in medical history and over the years I read extensively on the impact of infectious diseases on human history and culture. Furthermore, my years working overseas had shown me the real-world consequences of a weak or non-existent public health infrastructure. It was a field that I not only found fascinating, but also offered tangible opportunities to improve the lives of others. 

I began to research what it would take to go from an academic career in the humanities to becoming qualified for entry-level epidemiology positions. It was then that I discovered that UAlbany’s School of Public Health, now the College of Integrated Health Sciences, (CIHS) was an excellent fit for my needs; not only were the degree programs accessible for working adult professionals, there were also faculty working in a variety of different areas of epidemiology and public health that I was interested in, and the relationship between CIHS and the NYS Department of Health was especially attractive because of the opportunities it offered for internships and hands-on experience. While still employed as a Lecturer, I decided to apply for the MPH program.

It has now been three years since I submitted that application, and I have never looked back. I am certainly not where I expected to be at this point in my career, but I can say with confidence that I have no regrets. Today I am working toward my second PhD, this time in epidemiology, but with very different goals than when I was enrolled in my first PhD program. I have no plans to pursue an academic career. Rather, I am now the co-owner of a small science and medical communications business. Had I not made the decision to leave my faculty position and return to graduate school, I would not have met my business partner, who is also a fellow alum of CIHS. 

Going back to school with all the “baggage” that comes with being a middle-aged adult is not easy, but I have found the faculty and staff at CIHS to be incredibly supportive and understanding. Joining the program has opened more doors and opportunities than I can describe in a short blog post. My advice to anyone who is considering a return to graduate school as part of a major career change is to start by doing your research. Do a cost-benefit analysis based on average salaries in your current field versus the one you want to enter. Find out about employment outcomes among students who graduate the program. Ask about internships and part-time employment opportunities. And most of all, approach this change with humility and curiosity. You can learn from people of all ages—and you should! That’s what is most fun and inspiring about returning to school as an adult.