So should I assume you’re really passionate about a university tenure track? How much have you looked into how your skill set can benefit other institutions / industries? (Am I pushing too hard? You’ll tell me to drop it if I am, won’t you?)
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Wouldn’t it be fine if I found something else? Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? Maybe if I can’t find a tenure track job, maybe that really means I’m not good enough to be there?
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Hasn’t this been well-documented in some fields, including yours?
So few? Would you believe that we get anywhere from 4-600 applications for every TT opening, and that this has been the case at least since my own application 25+ years ago (excepting a downward trend in the mid-2000s, up until the crash)?
Isn’t that a bit like saying that if your lottery ticket doesn’t pay off, you aren’t good enough to win the lottery?
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Isn't that a bit like saying that if your lottery ticket doesn't pay off, you aren't good enough to win the lottery?
Isn’t the work I did a little more than buying a lottery ticket?
Shouldn’t I shut up with the “white wine” for the night? Doesn’t no one want to hear it, since I’m already privileged for getting to do some of this for a short while anyway (although I suppose I could have spent this time find a real job that I could actually do)?
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Since I wound up an an Annie bender this evening, can I just leave this here?
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Sorry… didn’t mean to be a jerk…?
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Sure, but doesn’t it play essentially the same role, in that it is the entry ticket to the TT job lottery? And isn’t the reason that your work doesn’t automatically translate into a job the existence of so many others who also have an entry ticket?
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Wasn’t that all on me? Weren’t you just expressing your feelings?
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Shouldn’t I probably just shut it, as it’s bringing the whole room down?
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Is there any reason someone outside of academics should be aware of how completely screwed up the system is? Especially with popular magazines continuing to list “professor” in “top 10 desirable jobs” clickbait pieces, without any clue as to what’s really involved in getting such a job, and how likely it is that a huge investment of time and effort will have no payoff at all, possibly even negative payoff?
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Don’t I feel dumb for thinking I’d be different somehow?
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I don’t know? Wasn’t I trying for a Chemistry degree at one point, with family working in a prominent physics institution? Aren’t all the click bait adds about getting ahead in “tech” and “security” equally bad? What about the news stories about the landscape, in comparison to “meaningful work” in the tech industry?
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Did any of your undergraduate professors encourage you to go to grad school? If so, isn’t the onus mainly on them?[quote=“tropo, post:3293, topic:76536”]
Aren’t all the click bait adds about getting ahead in “tech” and “security” equally bad?
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Do jobs in tech and security typically involve 11+ years of higher education - more if done part time - with the conclusion a tiny chance at a job in the field, one which probably pays under $60k?
But isn’t there a difference between being in a graduate program and actually experiencing the academic job market? Hasn’t the discussion about how bad the market is, especially in the humanities, only become a real topic of conversation at the grad student level in the last few years? And can you imagine that in Chemistry there are more obvious options for someone with a PhD than there are in History?
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Somewhat? Wasn’t it still my own choice and I take responsibility? Didn’t I feel as if I didn’t fit in anywhere else and now I don’t fit in here and now what am I supposed to do other than try and make the best of it? Aren’t they looking for teachers in private schools? Or in the private sector? Or in the public sector? Or wherever?
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Can I suggest that while this is admirable you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it?
Also, can I suggest that - judging from stories at the CHE and IHE - the people who have the worst time of it are the ones who tie their sense of self-worth to being an academic? And that you’ll probably be OK as long as you don’t do this, and make sure you actively explore alt-ac paths in addition to academic ones?
Can I add that your odds of landing something in academics are greater provided you have some flexibility, especially geographical flexibility are committed to (and verifiably good at) teaching? Also, if you don’t give up prematurely? Will it make you feel better or worse to learn that my current TT job came after 4 non-TT jobs in 4 very different locations?
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Or maybe every post except mine? 
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Would it make you feel better to know I have a terminal degree and I know you are awesome?
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Did you know that you’re not the only one who knows it?
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Did you spot the members of Fishbone that made cameos in the video?
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BTW, how is Iowa City treating you?
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