It Started with a LinkedIn DM
What the past six months taught me about how opportunities actually unfold in higher education
Hello work friends,
Today’s post is going to look a little different from what I usually write here.
Over the past few months, I’ve been navigating a huge transition—leaving my faculty position and building something new. I’ve realized recently that I want to be a little more candid about what this process actually looks like.
Not because I’m interested in oversharing, but because the lessons I’m learning right now feel bigger than just my own experience. I have a strong sense that many of them could be useful to others in moments of transition, reinvention, or experimentation.
Many of you have been following along as I document this transition in real time through Notes from a Work Friend. What you see here each week is often the polished reflection after the fact. But there’s also a lot happening in the background—conversations, experiments, and small decisions that are slowly shaping my next chapter.
Today I wanted to pull back the curtain a bit and let you into that part of the process.
Photo by Damon Hall on Unsplash
If you’re curious how a LinkedIn DM turned into a six-month chain of conversations, travel, and collaboration, the full story continues below.