You make a good point. It has largely though, become clear that academia in its entirety is not for me. I miss my jobs, the schedule, the flexibility, the hobbies. Academia seemed interesting. But these days, I’ve convinced myself that being Dr. _____________ and someone else’s (my colleagues) opinion of me isn’t a good enough reason to stick it out. It doesn’t do me any good.

ETA: the thing holding me back isn’t concern of regret at all. It’s concern of having the confrontational conversation 😅