Career satisfaction and academic profession: differences between junior and senior academics from a comparative perspective

Mägi, E.; Beerkens, M. (2026)

Part of book or chapter of book

Concerns about worsening working conditions, increased stress, and alienating performance control have led some to question the sustainability of an academic career. This chapter explores career satisfaction among junior and senior academics in six countries across different world regions. The findings reveal that only a small minority are dissatisfied with their career choice, though dissatisfaction is more common among junior staff.  Personal strain has the strongest association with career dissatisfaction, followed by teaching-research incompatibility and poor employment conditions. Among senior academics, strong identification with their academic field is the most significant factor associated with satisfaction, highlighting the enduring relevance of traditional academic value of disciplinary/scientific community as central for academic identity. In some countries, dissatisfaction is also linked to lack of recognition for external activities or the prevalence of managerial evaluation practices, pointing to important cross-country differences in academic expectations and/or institutional environments. Overall, patterns across countries are surprisingly similar despite of different traditions and career models.  While academics can be (strongly) dissatisfied with certain aspects of their work,  they do not easily lose faith in an academic career.

• Career
• Satisfaction
• Academic profession
• Person-organization fit
• Academic identity
• Career motivation

• All authors: Mägi, E.; Beerkens, M.
• Editor(s): Huang, F.; Jones, G.; Teichler, U.
• Date: 2026-05-01
• Title of host publication: The shifting balance of academic systems: national, regional, global?
• Pages: 109 - 126
• DOI: doi:10.1007/978-3-032-17936-4_6
• Link: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-032-17936-4_6