Who is Zara Dar?
Born and raised in Texas, Zara Darcy (she shortened the surname) comes from a diverse background, describing herself as American with Persian, Southern European, Middle Eastern, and Indian roots. Having earned a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Texas, she had already established herself as a key influencer in the tech community. Zara’s YouTube channel, which originally served as a side project, focussed on empowering others with educational content in STEM, particularly in machine learning. But despite her success and recognition, Zara found herself questioning the traditional career trajectory that academia and corporate life presented.
The Decision to Quit: Where Did It Stem From?
Zara Dar’s decision to leave her PhD program was both a deliberate and complex one. Here is why she suddenly decided to be a track changer.
No freedom to live one’s own dreams, lack of funds and job security…
In a statement shared on YouTube, she explained that the pressures of academia were far removed from the idealised vision she once held. While she had entered the academic world with a genuine passion for research, she was soon disillusioned by the realities of academic life—such as the constant pursuit of grant funding, overwhelming administrative duties, and lack of recognition.
Zara also reflected on her initial desire to become a professor, imagining a life of teaching, running her own lab, and contributing to her field. However, she found that the sacrifices inherent in such a career—such as the lack of job security and the relentless cycle of funding applications—did not align with her personal goals and values.
In her YouTube video, Zara compared the lifestyle of corporate workers—who she had once envied for their polished office jobs—to the reality they often face. Initially, the idea of a corporate job had seemed appealing, but Zara soon recognised the limitations that come with it, including fixed salaries and the constant fear of layoffs.
“The people whose lifestyles I once envied are often tied to someone else’s vision,” she said, noting how corporate workers are often required to work in the shadows of their company’s larger goals. She acknowledged the sacrifices that many corporate professionals make, including financial instability, long-term mortgages, and limited vacation time. These factors made her question her place in such a world, ultimately contributing to her decision to leave both academia and the corporate path.
PhD not the best use of her time…
Zara also took to Instagram elaborating further on her decision, explaining that she had been enrolled in a program where she would earn a Master’s degree along the way. Although leaving the PhD program was difficult, she considered it a positive outcome since she would be graduating with a Master’s without incurring additional costs.
Zara shared that she still loved research, but after considerable thought, she realised that a PhD was no longer the best use of her time. “I’m not planning on pursuing a postdoc or a career in academia,” she admitted. As she learned more about the academic system, she realised that securing a professorship without a postdoc was becoming increasingly difficult. Zara pointed out that some people she knew were on their third postdoc, which she found ‘insane’. She also highlighted the low average salary for postdocs—around $59,022 per year in the US—describing the postdoc life as challenging and underappreciated. For Zara, the thought of being stuck in this cycle was one of the key reasons she chose to leave academia.
Zara also looked into employment statistics for PhD graduates, which shed light on the broader trends in academia. According to a survey from 2021-2022 (cra.org/resources/taulbee-survey/), 65% of PhD graduates transitioned into industry roles, 15% pursued postdocs or other research jobs in academia, 10% secured tenure-track faculty positions, 4% became non-tenure-track faculty, and 6% entered other fields.
While Zara didn’t draw any definitive conclusions from these statistics, she found them telling of the broader shift away from academia and towards industry. This shift, along with her own personal experiences, reinforced her decision to move away from the academic career path.
