Another Pre/Post-Academic Blog-Forum

If you're in graduate school and thinking about leaving, either part-time or temporarily, Phoenix Rising may be a good site for you to visit. Most appreciated is the author's Pledge, in which she refuses to take any stance that makes those who leave feel bad about their decision. For post-academics looking to make transitions out of academia, much of the site will feel like it's aiming at a different though clearly kindred audience -- BUT the links page includes several sites addressing that experience. The site as a whole seems to be a work in progress, but what's there is good -- let's hope that the Phoenix can keep rising.

{edit} Some of the links are outdated. "Escape Pod" has been retired, for example. Sellout has been recommended in my own comments and reviewed earlier by me (along with some other transition sites). Again, pre-post-academics (or whatever you want to call pre-degree departers) will probably find more here than post-degree career changers.

Carine's related site, PhinisheD, is "A discussion and support group for people who cannot seem to finish their dissertations or theses." Again, not terribly helpful for those of us who've been there, done that, but it looks promising for members of the target audience. More useful may be the "phorum" called Phinally Phinished, which is for people who have, obviously, finished. If I have time, I'll take a look and report back.

A small stylistic warning, by the way -- "ph" (as in Ph.D.) is used in place of "f" in a number of words (like "phorum," "phinally," "phinished," "phriends" and "pholk." I wearied of this cutesiness fairly quickly and found it hard to focus (and hard afterwards not to write "phound" and "phocus") on the actual information. Your mileage may vary.