As I was talking with a friend recently, we both recalled the time when we wondered about accessing academic publication opportunities during our master’s studies because we both graduated from universities that did not make it easily accessible to us. Neither of us even knew where to begin.
We never had any idea that academic publication was even a thing. It was only when we were affiliated with one of the country’s top universities that we began to explore publication opportunities and realized the importance of publishing our work as aspiring researchers. Because of where we were and the kind of network we had, what had seemed impossible became not just possible, but expected.
It only strengthened my belief about how opportunities are location-specific, even when other people try to convince me that you can prosper “anywhere.” It feels like what they propose is dismissing reality and oversimplifying the complexity of life. When someone tells me location does not matter, I wonder if they would have said the same thing to my college self, who never had mentors that could show me how to access opportunities to become a better academic.
If only I had stayed in my childhood home, I surely would never have had access to the opportunities I have now. I wonder how many brilliant minds are still where I used to be, wondering if there is something more they could be doing, but unable to know where to begin.
Image by TopSphere Media on Unsplash
jessa 