European historian Constantina Katsari says she embraces her life outside academia

This week it is two years since I left academia. So, I thought it is the right time to reflect on the past year and the lessons I have learned.

As you probably know, I left my full time academic post in September 2013 in order to pursuit a life of freedom. This may sound improbable, since universities supposedly guard intellectual freedom. Unfortunately, my experience in European institutions taught me that you can exercise this freedom only within the tight limits of the brand under which you operate. 

Since I am not the type to follow guidelines, obey orders, or comply to the dubious decisions of departmental hierarchies, I decided to create my own brand. For the past two year, I built a reputation online and in traditional media. I even wrote an ebook in an attempt to become better known to an entirely new public! Now I operate under my own banners. I am running two companies: 1) Startdoms (http://startdoms.com), a growth accelerator for startups, and 2) Ekonomia (http://ekonomiaconsultants.com), a growth accelerator for established businesses.

So, what changed in my life during this time? Some areas certainly changed radically, while others remained unaltered, as it is to be expected.

My main aim when I entered academia as well as the reason I left was Freedom. The freedom to define my own career, the freedom to follow my own program, the freedom to live in any country I want, the freedom to take care of my loved ones, the freedom to write what I want when I want it, the freedom to adhere to my own principles. Have I achieved all of the above? YES! ...