16|02|23 Out of the Box # 3. Vincent Blok - Podcast with researchers who left academia and returned to it

Some left, others returned, but they all share one thing: they cannot stop being an academic. Radboud Young Academy and Radboud Reflects present a podcast series on scholars and scientists who take the road less travelled. They started companies, they managed large organizations, or they advised the minister on educational policies. What do they value in contemporary academic practice? What should change? And how do they view the role universities ought to play in society?

Episode 3: Health care manager turned philosopher Vincent Blok

After graduating, philosopher Vincent Blok could not find a position in the clogged academic world. He ended up in various manager roles, especially in the health care sector. Yet, he had not forgotten the ivory tower he loved so much. When he got the chance to join a business administration department, he made the switch. He became a full-time philosopher, studying and teaching business ethics.

Vincent Blok compares working in academia with working as a manager. ‘What I like the most,’ Blok says about his current position, ‘is that I can learn new things, engage with new topics, and interact with new ideas every day.’ As a place that fosters curiosity, Blok cherishes the university. Yet, it is also an institution built on a competitive and individualistic system that can ask a lot from its employees. ‘Personally, as an individual,’ Blok admits, ‘I loved that system when I re-entered.’

Vincent Blok is a philosopher at Wageningen University & Research. He worked as a manager in the health care sector.

Listen also to:

Episode # 1: Floris Heukelom - Economist turned care farm owner

Episode # 2: Kinga Matula - Physical chemist turned startup CEO

This is a podcast of Radboud Reflects and Radboud Young Academy.