Tenure-track is hard

[JohnHammond]

Former professor complains academic hiring system is messed up because she left two tenure-track jobs to follow her husband, who had a prosperous career as a lawyer.

Why I Left Academia; or, To Publish … and Therefore Perish

 

[User 11148]

If she wants to gripe about the fact that it's ridiculously hard -- how it's almost a lottery, in fact -- to snag a tenure-track humanities job, she's got a point. To ***** that she came up aces only twice ... well, that takes some gumption.

 

[Alma]

I found her final takeaway kind of bizarre, if true:

"And fourth, if you are a graduate student or an adjunct, Do Not Publish Too Much. One article, maybe two. If you’ve already written a book, keep the manuscript in your desk drawer until you have a tenure-track job. Then pull it out, polish it, and send it to presses."

 

[User 11148]

I found her final takeaway kind of bizarre, if true:

"And fourth, if you are a graduate student or an adjunct, Do Not Publish Too Much. One article, maybe two. If you’ve already written a book, keep the manuscript in your desk drawer until you have a tenure-track job. Then pull it out, polish it, and send it to presses."

"Don't publish too much" is the academic equivalent of "They say they can't hire me because I'm overqualified" ...

 

[Alma]

"Don't publish too much" is the academic equivalent of "They say they can't hire me because I'm overqualified" ...

Is that true? I'd think strong qualifications are a pretty good deal.

 

[User 11148]

Is that true? I'd think strong qualifications are a pretty good deal.

They are ... when you hear someone say that ("I think I probably published too much") you're hearing a line.

 

[britwrit]

Wow. Such a shame that the only big law firms in existence are in Boston.

 

[JohnHammond]

Friend's text: "I saw that. I stopped reading when I saw Ph.D. in American studies and that she turned down her only job offer to adjunct."

The author of the blog post is a precious little snowflake who turned down a job offer her first year after receiving a Ph.D. to hold out for something better. Calls academic hiring "absurd" since she is "overqualified" to be an assistant professor. She thinks her work must be that special and that's what should matter, and hiring committees should ignore the part of her CV where she quit two tenure-track jobs after a year or two.

 

[LongTimeListener]

I wonder if she ever taught the guy who won't pay off his student loans.

 

[JohnHammond]

Can't get a job because she doesn't look like a professor. Also teaches American studies, which the professor above also taught. I swear, it seems most authors of articles about Ph.D.'s not getting jobs seem to be have a connection to American studies.

I Look Like A Professor ...

 

[X-Hack]

She lives in Lincoln, Mass.? That means she can clearly afford to take an adjunct position. Her salary is unnecessary.