abitriez

I seem to be hearing the exact same warnings about future job prospects at Canadian Universities. Unfortunately academics have a tendency of being 'trendy, somewhat like fashion. Things that are popular right now tend to lean towards race, culture, social, gender, etc history. A couple of my undergrad profs warned me about potential job prospects in the future and that my fields of interest are typically not in a very high demand. All they suggested was that you make yourself 'as marketable as possible' with your major/minors (in ph.d) and with what you study to give yourself the best chance of getting a job. Honestly though, with the comments here about this being typical for the last 30-40 years, historians have generally succeeded so hopefully we will too!

This forum has been a savior for me. I feel that I must share my horror story for all of those still waiting for the SSHRC for their MA or phd. After reading this forum for several hours yesterday I finally built up the courage to call my graduate administer (UofT) to find out the results of my MA SSHRC application. I had already found out a few weeks ago that my OGS application had been unsuccessful and I desperately needed this SSHRC money for my Masters degree this fall. After a few confusions on my name (its only 6 letters and nothing too complex) I was informed that my name was not on the winners' list, and was therefore an alternative. Crushed, especially after receiving an e-mail from UofT inviting me to a celebration dinner event for recipients of SSHRC/NERC/etc awards, I e-mailed the awards department at UofT to double check, hoping that the Graduate Administrator just misheard my name and rather than asking for another clarification decided to just say no. I was told by the Awards Department that they "believed" I was on the list, but all this uncertainty was killing me. Now, I am happy to say that after checking the mail this morning my SSHRC letter was sitting in the mailbox and that I DID win the MA award for this fall. So after almost 24 hours of confusion/depression my ordeal has come to an end! So for all those who just haven't heard anything, I'd have preferred that to a misleading no. Also, to all of those recipients who had also won - congrats! - and to those still waiting good luck.