Nicholous M. Deal is an Associate Professor of Management in the Department of Business and Tourism at Mount Saint Vincent University, Canada.Kristin S. Williams is an Associate Professor in Management with the FC Manning School of Business at Acadia University, Canada.

"The unique and diverse stories offered here prove that there is no linear path to becoming an academic. Each journey is different and full of twists and turns. The authors share their stories in a heartwarming and readable way that makes them a joy to read." Jean Helms Mills, Saint Mary’s University, Canada"As an Indigenous scholar, I see in these pages an honest reflection of the colonial barriers that continue to shape who is deemed “hireable” and whose knowledges are deemed “credible.” The collection captures the tension of balancing institutional demands with the equally sacred responsibilities we carry - to family, community, and land. It also reveals how much courage it takes for many of us to step into academic spaces not built for us, and to keep showing up with integrity, heart, and purpose despite the weight of those structures." François Bastien, University of Victoria, Canada"Drawing from critical, feminist and decolonial theories, this volume offers precious insights around some salient themes in contemporary academic careers: identity and belonging, marginalization and resistance, motherhood and care, cultural hybridity, and the reimagining of academic practice. It offers an understanding of different ways of being an academic and inhabiting this professional context by delivering theory informed chapters which are also creative, evocative and personal, and sharing experiences across continents and socio-cultural backgrounds." Ilaria Boncori, Essex University, UK"This book will undoubtedly encourage early career academics to embrace the legitimacy of their own paths and to claim their place in academia on their own terms." Paulina Segarra, Universidad Anáhuac México, México"Maybe business school professors can address grand societal challenges, but first that means rocking the boat. I cannot wait to share this book with my doctoral students as they start their own winding journeys. I know it will inspire them, and the cohorts that follow, to chart their own course – and then tell their stories, knowing they have a community of fellow travelers." Maureen Scully, UMass Boston, USA

• 1. Introduction 2. ‘Othered’ early careering: What is it like not to be born at the finish line? 3. An analytical autoethnographic exploration of Tall Poppy Syndrome and the Politics of Visibility in Early Career Academia 4. Composing Myself: A Reflexive Dialogical Inquiry 5. Dreaming Got Me Here and Will Keep Me Going: Reflections on a Journey to Academia 6. You Want Me to Lead? But I Feel Like I Just Got Here! 7. A Year of Rejections and Reflections: Starting Anew as a Migrant Researcher 8. Early Career or Alt-Ac? Educational Development Career Trajectories9. An Inquiry into the Lived Experience of the Business Professional in Academia 10. Achievement Unlocked: My Journey through the Academy 11. Jill of All Trades, Master of Some: An Early Career Academic at a Polytechnic Chapter 12: Pursuing Pre-tenure Pregnancy 13. The Climb In: Gender, Work and Early Academic Life 14. This is not Valhalla”: An (Older) Woman Early Career Researcher as a Loki Plaything 15. ‘Late bloomers’ Navigating the PhD Journey and Early Career Academia 16. Aristotle or Confucius? Friends or Foes? 17. Shifting Identities: A Chinese-born Japanese Scholar’s Journey of Resilience in a Hybrid Academic Space 18. Navigating Career Transition to Western Academia as Female Asian Scholars: A Collaborative Autoethnography 19. The Crystallization of a Young Scholar Identity: Have I Grown too Fast in Global South Academia? 20. Academic Identity Engineering: Stories About Identity Construction from Academics in the Global South 21. From University Dropout to Department Chair: How the Hell Did that Happen? 22. Answering the Call: Reclaiming Scholarship, Identity, and Community 23. Between Two Worlds: My Journey as a Scholar Navigating Western and Indigenous cultures 24. Hacking Academia: A Self-interview Study 25. Scholarly Horizons: Cultivating Influence Inside and Outside Academic Walls 26. Whose Early Career is it Anyway? Asymmetric Reciprocity and Abusive Friendships in Academia 27. Just Say No (To Pubs, for Now) 28. A Time-Traveling Gangster Talks to a Drunk Soviet Bear 29. All of You is Welcome Here: Nurturing Radical Acceptance in the JEDDI-A Classroom 30. Just Another Statustistic: Being Indigenous in Industry and Academia 31. Adjunctification as Early Careerism: A Duoethnography Exploring Precarious Academic Work Chapter 32: Manifestations of Curiosity and Nimbleness on the Way to Academic Success

Nicholous M. Deal is an Associate Professor of Management in the Department of Business and Tourism at Mount Saint Vincent University, Canada.Kristin S. Williams is an Associate Professor in Management with the FC Manning School of Business at Acadia University, Canada.

"The unique and diverse stories offered here prove that there is no linear path to becoming an academic. Each journey is different and full of twists and turns. The authors share their stories in a heartwarming and readable way that makes them a joy to read." Jean Helms Mills, Saint Mary’s University, Canada"As an Indigenous scholar, I see in these pages an honest reflection of the colonial barriers that continue to shape who is deemed “hireable” and whose knowledges are deemed “credible.” The collection captures the tension of balancing institutional demands with the equally sacred responsibilities we carry - to family, community, and land. It also reveals how much courage it takes for many of us to step into academic spaces not built for us, and to keep showing up with integrity, heart, and purpose despite the weight of those structures." François Bastien, University of Victoria, Canada"Drawing from critical, feminist and decolonial theories, this volume offers precious insights around some salient themes in contemporary academic careers: identity and belonging, marginalization and resistance, motherhood and care, cultural hybridity, and the reimagining of academic practice. It offers an understanding of different ways of being an academic and inhabiting this professional context by delivering theory informed chapters which are also creative, evocative and personal, and sharing experiences across continents and socio-cultural backgrounds." Ilaria Boncori, Essex University, UK"This book will undoubtedly encourage early career academics to embrace the legitimacy of their own paths and to claim their place in academia on their own terms." Paulina Segarra, Universidad Anáhuac México, México"Maybe business school professors can address grand societal challenges, but first that means rocking the boat. I cannot wait to share this book with my doctoral students as they start their own winding journeys. I know it will inspire them, and the cohorts that follow, to chart their own course – and then tell their stories, knowing they have a community of fellow travelers." Maureen Scully, UMass Boston, USA

• 1. Introduction 2. ‘Othered’ early careering: What is it like not to be born at the finish line? 3. An analytical autoethnographic exploration of Tall Poppy Syndrome and the Politics of Visibility in Early Career Academia 4. Composing Myself: A Reflexive Dialogical Inquiry 5. Dreaming Got Me Here and Will Keep Me Going: Reflections on a Journey to Academia 6. You Want Me to Lead? But I Feel Like I Just Got Here! 7. A Year of Rejections and Reflections: Starting Anew as a Migrant Researcher 8. Early Career or Alt-Ac? Educational Development Career Trajectories9. An Inquiry into the Lived Experience of the Business Professional in Academia 10. Achievement Unlocked: My Journey through the Academy 11. Jill of All Trades, Master of Some: An Early Career Academic at a Polytechnic Chapter 12: Pursuing Pre-tenure Pregnancy 13. The Climb In: Gender, Work and Early Academic Life 14. This is not Valhalla”: An (Older) Woman Early Career Researcher as a Loki Plaything 15. ‘Late bloomers’ Navigating the PhD Journey and Early Career Academia 16. Aristotle or Confucius? Friends or Foes? 17. Shifting Identities: A Chinese-born Japanese Scholar’s Journey of Resilience in a Hybrid Academic Space 18. Navigating Career Transition to Western Academia as Female Asian Scholars: A Collaborative Autoethnography 19. The Crystallization of a Young Scholar Identity: Have I Grown too Fast in Global South Academia? 20. Academic Identity Engineering: Stories About Identity Construction from Academics in the Global South 21. From University Dropout to Department Chair: How the Hell Did that Happen? 22. Answering the Call: Reclaiming Scholarship, Identity, and Community 23. Between Two Worlds: My Journey as a Scholar Navigating Western and Indigenous cultures 24. Hacking Academia: A Self-interview Study 25. Scholarly Horizons: Cultivating Influence Inside and Outside Academic Walls 26. Whose Early Career is it Anyway? Asymmetric Reciprocity and Abusive Friendships in Academia 27. Just Say No (To Pubs, for Now) 28. A Time-Traveling Gangster Talks to a Drunk Soviet Bear 29. All of You is Welcome Here: Nurturing Radical Acceptance in the JEDDI-A Classroom 30. Just Another Statustistic: Being Indigenous in Industry and Academia 31. Adjunctification as Early Careerism: A Duoethnography Exploring Precarious Academic Work Chapter 32: Manifestations of Curiosity and Nimbleness on the Way to Academic Success