mutualist007

It's kind of disconcerting if you are nontraditional, or over 30.
 
Bias Against Older Candidates
Inside Higher Ed
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/12/17/age

The comments on this article reveal much about the truth on the ground for those who fall outside the approved trajectory of going straight through from an undergraduate degree. One of those comments is included one below.
 
"Tenured at 60 • 5 years ago
I returned to grad school and got my Ph.D. at 45, then spent 9 years before being hired tenure track. This happened despite having completed a pretigious postdoc, publishing research steadily, receiving a grant for my work, and teaching in a series of full-time visiting appointments with rave reviews. I would submit 60-70 applications and receive 3-5 on-campus interviews each year but was always the second choice. When I took my age off my vita, my interviews were at top places, such as NYU and UCLA. I honed my interview skills and am certain I wasn't saying or doing anything off-putting during my interviews. You would think someone with my training would be hired somewhere. The year I was actually hired, I had 10 interviews and only one job offer. That is clearly discrimination at work. I consider myself fortunate to have finally found a place willing to set aside prejudice and fairly consider a person on their own merits. Such places do exist but most of us do not have the stamina to keep looking until we finally find one of them."
 
 
Feel free to post more. I will post more later as well.

I'm reevaluating a lot of things now, so at this time none yet. Yourself?

I'm reevaluating a lot of things now, so at this time none yet. Yourself?

Wouldn't it be nice if rejection letters could provide specific actionable feedback? Tell me what was lacking and I will work hard over the next year to change that. Thanks!

Today I began a new day with a new perspective. After reviewing my choices this year I realized that there were some I just was not really jazzed about. I was excited about what they might could be or could do for my career, but not enough otherwise about the research. But I felt I had to make a choice. Issues of geography, career promise and actual interests were often at odds. I have no answers for how to balance what excites a person with making sensible choices that will lead to job security, but there has to be something in your education and job potential choices that leads you to an "excitatory" state for your research interests. 
I started this journey with an interest in behavioral neuroscience and in translational research in mental health. Since that's where I gravitate, I can focus around that make connections as necessary. It doesn't matter if I failed a dozen times before. I will just be smarter and more dedicated about it next time around.
 
“To be everywhere is to be nowhere.” ― Seneca, Letters from a Stoic 

Thanks everyone for contributing your input. I'm moving into a better place and ready to charge into the next rounds. I feel good.

Today I began a new day with a new perspective. After reviewing my choices this year I realized that there were some I just was not really jazzed about. I was excited about what they might could be or could do for my career, but not enough otherwise about the research. But I felt I had to make a choice. Issues of geography, career promise and actual interests were often at odds. I have no answers for how to balance what excites a person with making sensible choices that will lead to job security, but there has to be something in your education and job potential choices that leads you to an "excitatory" state for your research interests. 
I started this journey with an interest in behavioral neuroscience and in translational research in mental health. Since that's where I gravitate, I can focus around that make connections as necessary. It doesn't matter if I failed a dozen times before. I will just be smarter and more dedicated about it next time around.
 
“To be everywhere is to be nowhere.” ― Seneca, Letters from a Stoic 

Today I began a new day with a new perspective. After reviewing my choices this year I realized that there were some I just was not really jazzed about. I was excited about what they might could be or could do for my career, but not enough otherwise about the research. But I felt I had to make a choice. Issues of geography, career promise and actual interests were often at odds. I have no answers for how to balance what excites a person with making sensible choices that will lead to job security, but there has to be something in your education and job potential choices that leads you to an "excitatory" state for your research interests. 
I started this journey with an interest in behavioral neuroscience and in translational research in mental health. Since that's where I gravitate, I can focus around that make connections as necessary. It doesn't matter if I failed a dozen times before. I will just be smarter and more dedicated about it next time around.
 
“To be everywhere is to be nowhere.” ― Seneca, Letters from a Stoic 

These metrics are not quantifiable because they vary from school to school and between admissions committees. My advice is normally to talk to the professors in your department to get their input, but as you said you are not in school now, it certainly makes things a lot harder.
I think what you need to help you the most is someone who is in your field and knows you well enough to give you honest and helpful feedback on next steps. The first people you should talk to are your LOR writers. Are any of them faculty members? Talk to those first. If not, other sources are: an academic advisor during your undergrad, other research advisors (faculty, postdocs, senior grad students, mentors). Also, does your undergrad school's alumni association offer any networking or career help events? It is hard to get back into the academic world once you've left it, so if you're not connected to anyone in academia right now, I think it would be important to get plugged back in and get help from someone who knows you. 

Thank you. I'm still checking the status updates and waiting. The status remains 'To Dept For Review'

For anyone reading this in 2017, the overwhelming answer is no. That amount of loans would only be worth it if you were considering an MD as a Psychiatrist and also wanted to add a PhD. Unless you got a grantor to sponsor you so that the loan would almost be interest free - and place you in a job with a under-served community.

It's kind of disconcerting if you are nontraditional, or over 30.
 
Bias Against Older Candidates
Inside Higher Ed
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/12/17/age

The comments on this article reveal much about the truth on the ground for those who fall outside the approved trajectory of going straight through from an undergraduate degree. One of those comments is included one below.
 
"Tenured at 60 • 5 years ago
I returned to grad school and got my Ph.D. at 45, then spent 9 years before being hired tenure track. This happened despite having completed a pretigious postdoc, publishing research steadily, receiving a grant for my work, and teaching in a series of full-time visiting appointments with rave reviews. I would submit 60-70 applications and receive 3-5 on-campus interviews each year but was always the second choice. When I took my age off my vita, my interviews were at top places, such as NYU and UCLA. I honed my interview skills and am certain I wasn't saying or doing anything off-putting during my interviews. You would think someone with my training would be hired somewhere. The year I was actually hired, I had 10 interviews and only one job offer. That is clearly discrimination at work. I consider myself fortunate to have finally found a place willing to set aside prejudice and fairly consider a person on their own merits. Such places do exist but most of us do not have the stamina to keep looking until we finally find one of them."
 
 
Feel free to post more. I will post more later as well.

I found it disturbing and hypocritical, but we can always hope that the age bias is lessened when the PhD is new. Other online discussions I've read make a distinction between physical age and PhD age. PhD age is the years that have passed from the time of PhD completion to the time you are applying for a job.
 
We shouldn't let this deter us or get us down. My intention with this post was to call attention to what I see as a hidden hypocrisy and accepted discrimination in academia. We need to be aware so we can be good self advocates and maybe enlist others to help us fight these sorts of things.
 
Another possible affront to the democracy of access is the creation of the published caste. Regardless of ability or posession of a PhD level of education, those who are not not affiliated with a 4-year University or major research institution will probably find it nigh impossible to pass the peer review process and get published.

You won the internet that day with this. The last bit was a funny effective way to exit.

You won the internet that day with this. The last bit was a funny effective way to exit.

A lot can change including you! Field schools I think are good, but personally, I would favor those that are educational, offer a credit or credential, and those that actively teach. Unfortunately, some "dig" schools do not offer credit, and do not teach. My Neanderthal dig was sort of like that. I thoroughly enjoyed the "experience", but if I had to cost-benefit it, it looks like I paid them so I could help them excavate and lab process material finds. Yes, they provided food and accommodations in a 8-10 to a room hostel, but alone that may have been less had I not opted to pay to work on the team.
 
Interests:
This sounds like an overgeneralized question -- What sorts of topics in the news and media interest you? What do you find yourself talking about or commenting on? Truly, what types of anthro articles can you read and really enjoy? Identify those foci and proceed from there to find your niche.
 
Best of luck!

In regards to your husband's career - go slow and maybe suggest a mobile service where everything he needs is on a truck and not connected to a building. Angie's List and other online referral systems are good - there may even be a guild.
 
Pregancy - may obviously present some hurdles. Travel is necessary, but I've known PhD candidates and others who travel only in the summers or at most 4 months at a time. In other words, they do it in non-contiguous blocks.
 
What is your subfield? If you went to Law School I would suggest pursunig Legal and political Anthropology and "study up" at political systems in the Americas. You could definitely do this in short bursts of travel without having to do a Malinowski.
 
Subfield choice will matter as far as travel is concerned. Archaeology (including Bioarch) and Cultural Anthropology will probably require the most travel. You might could get away with less field time doing Molecular or maybe Forensic Anthropology. Not sure about linuguistic anth.
 
 
Good luck!

I'll echo repeat what I've caught wind of elsewhere.

1. If you are aiming to teach at more prestigious universities at the top of the caste: Go more prestigious or move up the ladder, and then once you're in, makeshift your thesis to your interests if you can.

2. If you're like me and just want a job anywhere but plan on lifelong research that makes you happy, pursue your interests at the school that best meets them. Getting limited to a Masters program may have been a blessing in disguise for me, but I don't know that yet and won't until I've begun

3. Applied: The school that offers you the most hands on affiliations. A lot of middle tier and smaller schools are great for this need. I know this doesn't apply but technical schools are a good model for apprenticeships.


Those are my thoughts. But as a neophyte, what do I know?