(University of the Free State, 2010) Wolhuter, Charl; De Wet, Corene; Higgs, Philip; Higgs, Leonie; Ntshoe, Isaac
English: This article aims to explain how South African academics experience their professional
lives during different career phases by employing data from the international
Changing Academic Profession (CAP) investigation into the academic profession.
Two perturbing aspects emanate from the research. First, how academics during
the early career phase (ages 20-39 years) experience being constricted, in view of
their roles as researchers and the fact that this phase is typically the most creative in
one’s career. Similarly, the fact that academics in the mid-career phase (ages 40-55
years) show the lowest levels of job satisfaction is a cause for concern, as these years
are typically the most productive in one’s career.