Stuck in the middle: Reflections from the AMCIS mid-career workshop

Studies often show that mid-career faculty are some of the unhappiest people in academia. Many mid-career faculty have tenure, have more freedom to pursue different types of projects, and have many options ahead. Yet, mid-career faculty members also deal with the personal politics that arise during the tenure process, with figuring out what to do with the newfound freedom, and with finding their own way among the many options in an academic career path. As a junior faculty member, one often has a singular goal: obtaining tenure. However, mid-career faculty members need to concern themselves with not only becoming a “full” professor but also figuring out what to do once they have reached that milestone and feeling full in their overall career path. In this paper, we discuss the challenges associated with being a mid-career faculty member based on research and insights discussed in the mid-career workshop offered at the Americas Conference on Information Systems. We offer examples of how to support mid-career faculty through workshops and mentoring relationships. We also provide insights on how individuals at different career stages can support and understand the challenges among mid-career faculty in information systems.