What are the motivations, needs and interests of academics entering mid-career? To answer this question, we drew on data from our longitudinal research program to examine the career trajectories of thirteen social scientists and scientists, five or more years post-PhD, in research-teaching positions. We used an identity framework to understand how they navigated their work in the context of jurisdictional, institutional, and other pressures. The results suggest that though others might characterise them as entering mid-career, they still saw themselves striving towards their post-PhD goals of a) gaining permanence and b) feeling more established in their field. Institutional implications are noted.