of higher education -- one that wasn't sustaining me intellectually, financially or spiritually; one that wanted me to teach classes for very low wages -- as a grad student and then likely as an adjunct faculty member. I quit because I was exhausted and couldn't handle the obstacle course that grad school and the academic job market still required my running through. I quit because I needed to heal from the trauma of watching Anthony die. I quit because far from that so-called Ivory Tower being a place of solace and contemplation, it had become a nightmare of bureaucracy and politics. I quit because I didn't want to be a cog in that machine. I quit because I felt the system was broken. And at the time, I was broken too. Seven years later, I'm healing; I'm stronger than ever. The health and prognosis for the institution of higher education, however, don't seem quite as good. Podcast Twitter Support Hack Education This website is deliberately advertising-free. But the research and writing that I do here is my full-time work -- again, deliberately so. If you find my writing interesting or insightful, please consider a donation .