Like most breakups, those between higher education and the academics who choose to leave it typically happen quietly. But as in romance, sometimes these breakups become very public affairs—usually when an academic decides to reflect on the decision in a blog or other medium. The genre, called “quit lit,” has been around for several years, at least according to social media. And it’s enjoying a resurgence of sorts, thanks to some recent high-profile Dear John letters.
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It's sad that so many people are leaving academia, but as Peter Sacks pointed out in "Generation X Goes to College" (in 1996), "corrupt" is not too strong of a word to describe higher ed today, and for so many reasons. As Peter Feibelman pointed out in "A Ph.D. is Not Enough" (in 1992), "If enough of you answer 'no,' maybe the job conditions will improve." He also says: "I harbor a secret hope: If enough of you start to act rationally, the system may eventually be rationalized."
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