Can you leave academia...and be happy?

I was recently approached by Jen Polk, a historian who now writes a blog on leaving academia. Jen asked me to do a Q & A about my experience leaving the academy and entering industry.  I was happy to oblige. One of the major problems with academia is the miserable groupthink that goes on. As I told Jen:

Think about how narrow their experience is and how little they know about the world. Then spend a minute imagining doing what you like to do, be it researching, writing, lecturing, teaching or doing analysis, or even something completely different. Then imagine all the other places in the world that kind of work happens. Yes, you can leave the university and yes, you can be happy.

I'm happy to share my experiences because I genuinely want others to recover from the trauma that academia leaves on their souls. Yes, I said trauma. Take a look at the whole post.