Abstract: This roundtable will interactively examine how broader institutional contexts, formal rules, and norms that shapes the opportunities available to early career scholars both on and off the tenure track. Better understanding the logic behind these contests, and how they vary across institutions, will aid early career scholars in making decisions about career priorities. Topics include about how to understand the balance between teaching and research at a particular institution, practical strategies for pursuing work-life balance, how to approach interdisciplinarity, and what change looks like at a University (especially around topics of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion).