tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post116510231755101555..comments2024-01-28T03:35:51.182-05:00Comments on Reassigned Time: While the Casserole Cooks, Some Musings about Being On the Market and in a T-T PositionDr. Crazyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457967076373916629noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-1165463775634921982006-12-06T22:56:00.000-05:002006-12-06T22:56:00.000-05:00Oh god - I'm glad Tiruncula linked to your post! ...Oh god - I'm glad Tiruncula linked to your post! I got my first rejection letter today - it wasn't snarky like the one you described, it was just...early. Like, "we DEFINITELY want you to know that you have no chance at this job - happy holidays." I'd be interested in any blogger meet-up (I think the panel I'm presenting on might be the same time as the blogger panel...)<BR/><BR/>But really, good luck and I hope that you have lots of options, whatever you decide to do!medieval womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17278854285443306227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-1165254977771758932006-12-04T12:56:00.000-05:002006-12-04T12:56:00.000-05:00Like Nels, I'm on a committee too this year, and L...Like Nels, I'm on a committee too this year, and Like Nels, we've getting apps from everyone from MFAs (for a job that's nothing like a creative writing job) to tenured faculty (two, in fact, from the same institution, oddly enough). And I'm learning that all sorts of different factors come into play. So while I wholeheartedly support the effort to find a better fit, I can say that when/if we meet some of these later-career folks, I'd be surprised if we weren't asking the questions (at least implicitly, which may be even more dangerous to the candidates, I'd imagine) that Liz has laid out. I'm guessing, Dr. C., that you'll want to have your response laid out. <BR/><BR/>That said, I think the answer you've laid out here--that you are not dissatisfied with the institution, and are committed to teaching, but would like to find some time in your teaching to concentrate a little more on research, while also finding a better fit in the community at large--to tread that fine line pretty convincingly.<BR/><BR/>Obviously, I'll be at MLA, and as I've only ever met a handful of bloggers IRL, I'm dying to meet you and some others. Let's set something up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-1165247736689073382006-12-04T10:55:00.000-05:002006-12-04T10:55:00.000-05:00I have no intelligent comments to make about this ...I have no intelligent comments to make about this post because I'm only on the grad student and not on the market yet. All I can say, from the land of no ovens anywhere (and not even a proper stove in my lousy flat) is ...<I>I really wish I could have a bite of that casserole.</I> Oh, and of course I hope your search goes well, and no guilt. The kiddies'll make do without, as will the grad students who NEED the job. I applaud you doing what's best for you.ZaPaperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11024820349475732092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-1165236659184555662006-12-04T07:50:00.000-05:002006-12-04T07:50:00.000-05:00Thanks for the comments, everyone. I'm glad that ...Thanks for the comments, everyone. I'm glad that this long-winded post was something worth reading for you - for me it was worth writing in large part because getting it all down on paper has made me a lot less stressed out. Of course, we'll see how that continues as we move through this week. :)Dr. Crazyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12457967076373916629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-1165176341253072102006-12-03T15:05:00.000-05:002006-12-03T15:05:00.000-05:00I think this is a good post. There is (or at least...I think this is a good post. There is (or at least was at my grad institution) a huge infrastructure for helping grad students negotiate the job search. Once you're employed, it's very different, even if you still have some support from grad school mentors. <BR/><BR/>I did a half-hearted job search a couple of years ago, and one of the reasons it didn't go anywhere is that I didn't really know how to deal with the transition from grad student applicant to tt employed applicant, and I didn't really want to move enough to make the effort (I just thought I was supposed to apply as a backup since I was up for tenure that year.)<BR/><BR/>After my first year on the market, I actually thanked a search committee chair for his rejection (when I saw him at a conference the next year), because it was so considerate, and such a contrast to the worst ones I got ("pretentious" is a good description).luolinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00213308635831376287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-1165172830545518012006-12-03T14:07:00.000-05:002006-12-03T14:07:00.000-05:00Hasn't Liz Ferszt already made her views on this k...Hasn't Liz Ferszt already made her views on this known? Frankly, I'd like to stop seeing people make you (Dr. C) feel bad about this decision. <BR/><BR/>In any other career, people do what they need to do to move forward in the profession in a way that allows them to grow as scholars and teachers (and they don't feel guilty for applying just because they already have a job!). I just do *not* think you should feel bad about this! And if a hiring committee can't understand why you'd want to move on to a "better" institution (in terms of research and teaching load), then there's something wrong with them.heleneschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00379096203492608139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-1165171793113915212006-12-03T13:49:00.000-05:002006-12-03T13:49:00.000-05:00Thanks for writing this--it's a really interesting...Thanks for writing this--it's a really interesting look (possibly) ahead.<BR/><BR/>And I'll be at MLA, with or without that damn nametag (or with a homemade one of my own). I'm planning on trying to make the blogger panel, so perhaps we'll all run into each other there? If not, maybe a bunch of us should coordinate something. . .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-1165162369526933742006-12-03T11:12:00.000-05:002006-12-03T11:12:00.000-05:00Since we're interviewing, I'll be at MLA, so if th...Since we're interviewing, I'll be at MLA, so if there is a blogger thing, let me know. I'm not sure I'm going to the blogging panel on Sat. Morning, but I might.<BR/><BR/>It's also interesting on my end to be reading applications from people who have jobs and from those who are ABD. We've even had people with tenure at other places apply for our asst. prof. position. Quite a range, more than I expected.Nels P. Highberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-1165160800240661272006-12-03T10:46:00.000-05:002006-12-03T10:46:00.000-05:00Yeah, thanks for writing this post--you articulate...Yeah, thanks for writing this post--you articulate a lot here, and pull together various things you've been writing about for a while. It seems to me that while you (probably rightly) have this sense that others think you really don't know what you're doing--that you're going on the market for reasons that are not good ones or are somehow selfish--in fact, you've put *lots* of thought into this decision. Although I'm tempted to tell you to just try to stop second guessing yourself, I can see why you feel so alone here. People outside of academia just don't understand much about the academic job market (my non-academic friends try, but I think they just can't understand what it's like for humanities folks to find a new job). And yet many people in the profession have their own issues--they may be jealous of you for having a job at all, or think that you should be happy to have a job that you at least don't "hate."<BR/><BR/>But you deserve so much more than that! And I think you know this, which is why you're at least trying to see what else is out there for you. Teaching a 4/4 load really can get tiresome. I only teach 2/2, and I find it hard to do much else during the semester. Plus you want to be at a place where you're able to thrive research-wise and continue to grow as a scholar and teacher.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I'm rambling now too... I guess I just wanted to thank you for writing this post and for being so honest about the whole process. Although I'm not applying for anything at this point(I just got tenure and love my job, though wish I could live someplace else), there's a lot here that I can really relate to.heleneschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00379096203492608139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-1165159967553392102006-12-03T10:32:00.000-05:002006-12-03T10:32:00.000-05:00I sent in an application for one, yes one, job--ba...I sent in an application for one, yes one, job--basically the fantasy job for which I actually have some serious qualifications. Like you, I also find myself wanting to tell the people I care about at my job--certain faculty, students, etc. But the part that I'm really feeling is the--what if I'm not even here next year? Then who cares?--it's ridiculous in my situation, really, as the chances I'll get it are anorexic. But it's difficult to continue to plan ahead and invest in the future of your present institution when you're also thinking about how you might fit in at another. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for articulating all of this.kfluffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09067013188119828400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-1165118980927871872006-12-02T23:09:00.000-05:002006-12-02T23:09:00.000-05:00Hey Crazy: I sent you an email awhile back- you sh...Hey Crazy: I sent you an email awhile back- you should email back so we can compare job search notes! I feel a lot of the same things you do, but it's even weirder because (1) only one person in my department knows, (2) my husband is in the same department and ALSO on the market, (3) I am on committees to decide things for next year, knowing that I may not even be here, (4) we are interviewing candidates right now and I feel somewhat indifferent, since I may not be here next year, (5) I can't BLOG about any of this, because I'm not entirely sure that nobody from work reads my blog (I feel fairly safe commenting on others' blogs, since I don't blogroll, and (6) I already have an interview scheduled for February, but am wondering how I will handle my classes if I get others- btw, my husband also has an interview for a different position at the same place! This certainly makes it look like a serious possibility now. We feel so much like nobody here would even think of us doing this, because we should "just be grateful" to have tenure track jobs together in the first place! It is a bizarre sort of situation and I sometimes feel I am sneaking around behind my colleagues' backs. OK- this comment is becoming as long as your post! Please, do email back soon! And good luck with your search, too!Addy N.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18189517809852357469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-1165117695985595172006-12-02T22:48:00.000-05:002006-12-02T22:48:00.000-05:00Heh. I SO could have written this three year ago (...Heh. I SO could have written this three year ago (or whenever the hell I was on the market in your situation - I can't do math). Seriously, I agree with everything you say here. It's quite the strange position, and it always seemed so sneaky, and weird to be so obsessed with something about which most of the people in your life know nothing. So, anyway: YES.New Kid on the Hallwayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04982506415757771218noreply@blogger.com