In part 2 of "Is Academic Coaching the Solution?", we relentlessly ask the same question. We really did our best: we re-listened to the interviews many times, we did some yoga and meditation, and then we interpreted these interviews from a positive perspective. Alas, it did not help, we still think that academic coaching is not the solution.

This week, we go beyond the individual aspects of working with an academic coach and jump to a higher level. It was impossibly difficult to put the script together because we were dealing with a phantom–the unequal nature of higher education. Our three interviewees agreed on the fact that a system that is unequal and unpredictable by nature cannot be saved nor cannot it be ameliorated by academic coaches. The success stories of some PhDs are there for reasons that we are not 100 percent sure of. It is impossible to imitate what one PhD student did to find a job, because this system is not a meritocratic system; the system cannot be untangled by a strict calculation or formula. We need fortune tellers and some luck. Thus, academic coaches who benefit from the dark side of higher education, though that might not be their intention, exploit the desperation of PhD students in the current job market. But they do not reverse or even transform the malaise of the current system, let alone guarantee a job to an applicant.

We would like to thank one by one our guests: Craig, M, and Matt. While working on editing this episode over the last two weeks, we felt like we became friends with them. Talking with these three special people was an exceptional moment for us. Not only did we fall in love with their hearts, but we were also amazed by the fact that they stood bravely, genuinely, and honestly by criticizing a strong figure in the world of academia. Once again, we would like to thank them for helping us explain "what the hell is wrong with academia."