sonofcioran

Not my field at all, but I dabble every now and again in some related research areas. Those books - the Sandberg and Jannach have just been added to my wish list. Thanks! I'm sorry if this is off-topic, but while we're on the subject of languages, does anyone have any suggestions for gaining a reading knowledge of Medieval Latin or Church Slavonic? I have a reading knowledge of Russian and superficial knowledge of Ancient Latin. Figured one of you folks might know. Both languages are more or less firmly in theological territory.

Not my field, but the number of people interested in Metaphysics and Philo Math, quite frankly, shocks me given what I see at my U. Does the board skew againts Positivism, or is this a recent trend in the field as a whole? Also, when we say Metaphysics, are we talking Heidegger, et al, or are we talking mereology, direction of time/philosophy & physics, etc.?

I honestly liked Derrida's notions of Deconstruction in "Writing and Difference", but I liked it better the first time I read it - when it was a 2000+ year old text written by Nagarjuna called the Mulamadhyamakakarika, and the sophistic notions it expounded upon were called "Mahayana Buddhism" instead of "Deconstruction".

I'm sorry if this is out of left field, but ever think about teaching High School math? You have a work visa or citizenship, no? No criminal convictions? There's lots of jobs in math ed. Pretty good field if you're outgoing and have a laid-back disposition. Good health benefits, 3 months off (and holidays! I'm off this week). All that. Starts at about 50k, too. Considering the hours, not bad. Plus it sounds like you really like math. That's always a plus. I dropped out of LS a few years back. It sucked, I know all about it. I had an absolutely terrible job in customer service for 3 years after that. I teach (so yes, I'm a tad biased). It's honestly not that bad. If you did I-banking, you'll love the hours. The kids are a tad crazy and not very bright and they'll get on your nerves, but *eh* they're kind of cute. Otherwise, why not just look for a job in the sub-field you're interested in? I doubt having another degree will help all that much in the current job market. At a glance, it seems like you're an academic refugee to me.

t_ruth, This may be the case. Perhaps my frame of reference is limited to my institution which likes to do this for whatever reason (most of the profs at my U are Teacher's College or from my school's grad program). Granted, my school has a placement problem. A very bad one, so that could be part of it. From what I've seen, this occurs at most similarly ranked (and not particularly prestigious) schools.

You should go to an academically oriented program or you're probably not working in academia, even in Education, unless you already have your own connections (maybe your program is a top one, I don't know). There are a lot of Ed doctoral programs that are not academic degrees, but professional ones (which is fine, if you're looking for that - they tend to have relatively good returns per dollar). Look at the faculty at some of the lesser schools in your area. Is it possible you'll get a job in academia from a lesser program? Yes. Is it probable? Not really, except maybe at the school you attend. Also, have you looked at the placement rates of the program you applied to? That's the surest way to gauge this. Forget what me, the other guy, or anyone else said. Check for yourself. That's the best solution. Like I said though, these are not bad degrees to have (unlike most academics, they have an actual skill set) so long as you're willing to work if you can't get something in the ivory tower. Also, for the love of God, learn to use SPSS if you haven't. I don't like it (I type out formulas myself in Excel), but it's the standard in the field. Plug and chug. Good skill to have and list on your resume. I wish I had picked it up sooner. Ever read the OOH? Here's the sociologist entry. http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes193041.htm Ed prof salaries tend to be relatively miniscule compared to other dep't's too (@45-55). Trying to find the chronicle article about it. If I find it I'll post it. In the mean time, here's the regular salary survey. Subscribe to the Chronicle (or at least the free article they e-mail you), if you don't already. Read it religiously. You will find a lot of useful info there. http://chronicle.com/stats/aaup/ I still think you're better off financially getting a soc of ed degree, esp if your ug was soc, and I think you'd be insane to teach college with a doctorate in Education when you can make twice as much money doing consulting or working for the gov't, but you have to do what makes you happy (there are things besides finances to consider after all). It's 5-7 years of your life, not mine. I also have something of a distaste for the academy, so take it fwiw. On an aside, have you taken high level history classes? They're way different at the grad level. Primary sources galore. Personally, I like them, but a lot of people think it's incredibly boring compared to the surveys. Also, at least with a Soc or Ed degree you have legitimate backup options and skillsets if the academy doesn't work out. History - not so much. Hope that helps!

Try to pick up relevant languages - at least French. Latin too, preferably. If you're interested in the Gothic novel, read Gothic novels. People are generally confused about what the Gothic novel is and when they were written since the technical usage in literature is a tad different from the everyday, architectural, or historical one. Generally they were written in the mid to late late 18th and early 19th century. It's stuff like Northanger Abbey, Castle of Udolpho, Mystery of Otranto (or maybe vice versa - I always forget which is the mystery and which is about the castle). In general, they're fairly forgettable, give or take. Most English majors have never read any of them. I can't blame them. The books really aren't very good - creaky castles, secret princes, twins, hidden passageways. Kind of like reading any of the late romances. Lots of longwinded sentences riddled with genre cliches. If you'd like to learn more, Lovecraft has a great piece of literary criticism called "Supernatural Horror in Literature" that has a subsection on the Gothic novel. It's the most succinct outline of the genre I've ever seen. Oxford has 3 Gothic novels in a single paperback, too. It's Udolpho, Otranto, and Valthek, I think. Maybe you're interested in Victorian Gothic novels rather than Gothic ones. Apologies if I got off on a bit of a tangent there. Where was I? Ah, yes. I think it's too early to think about a specialization, to be honest. Relax. Take a deep breath. Keep doing what you're doing. Just stay away from the drugs and French post-structuralism and you should be fine.

Make sure that the PhD programs lead to the requisite certifications if you want to work in a child or adolescent school setting. I know this sounds ridiculous, but many don't. Ask them specifically if the program addresses (grammar, middle, HS) certification requirements in the state you are looking to practice (these requirements vary from state to state). I was thinking about doing school psychology, too, a year or two back. Delaware's a great school, btw. Of course, I'm a tad biased. Go Blue Hens!

"I am also considering applying to study PhD science education at an English speaking Asian university, perhaps because the kids those societies raise are top performers in international math and science assessments. I do not know what this can do for my career. But, I think THIS is for another conversation." I'm sorry, I don't quite follow your train of thought. If you explain, maybe I can help. 1) Did you teach physics in America at any time? 2) Do you want to teach in this country, or Asia? 3) Do you want to teach Physics or English? I would recommend Physics - more jobs. 4) Just so you know, EdD's, like PsyD's, are almost never funded. 5) If you want to teach English, is English your first language? Have you thought about teaching HS? You can probably get transitional certification if you're a US citizen. What state would you be returning to?

I teach HS and I'm finishing up my M.Ed (and I'm considering a PhD in Ed Psych). I know a few folks who are getting EdD's and PhD's in Ed. If you get a Doctorate in Ed, you're teaching in an Ed dep't or working for a school district. Ed PhD/EdD's are virtually unhirable in other dept's. For reasons outside the scope of a single post, Ed dept's are pretty much at the bottom of the academic totem pole. That's not to say there aren't plenty of jobs, though (especially outside academia in the school system or the federal gov't). Job possibilities aren't bad (probably better than just about anything in the social sciences excepting econ, hard psych and hard soc degrees)- even for not so great schools, especially if you're considering Curriculum or something. You probably won't be teaching at the college level though. At what level have you taught already? What's your content area? What area of specialization is the PhD/EdD? These degrees really run the gamut. Some are basically "phone it in" degrees and others are research degrees. Oddly, the "phone it in ones" (which are mostly administration oriented EdD's) have the best financial return on their investment, but are generally unhirable in academia. Make sure you're getting the one that suits your financial or career interests. If you're interested in Sociology - consider getting a degree in that too, if you haven't. If you are interested in "hard" sociology and are good at number-crunching (and know your way around SPSS), there are always jobs with the gov't. Hope that helps!