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<p>I think some academics aren’t outside-of-the-box thinkers, which may be why they get stuck once they’re out of academia. They might not consider looking for jobs in completely different fields from the ones in which they trained. My husband ended up in a field with many engineers and they’re often shocked to find out he isn’t an engineer. I don’t think it’s just hard work or luck that helped him. I think what sets him apart from other colleagues of his who didn’t get tenure and had a hard time finding jobs is a mindset or personality trait–don’t know how to describe it, but it’s not a trait of mine. Part of it might be what’s I’d call excessive optimism; another part of it is being driven to finding a solution. I’m sure I’m not making it clear but it seems to me that there are just people with forceful personalities who always end up doing just fine even when the odds are against it.</p>