Job Concerns

[queennight]

As some of you might be aware, I'm currently applying to English Ph.D.s this season but I'm also very cogniscent of the hiring situation for those of us who are lucky enough to even be accepted. After six/seven years of studying, the fact that I might end up jobless is quite frankly a bit terrifying - although my passion is deep enough to carry me through the Ph.D. itself, I am concerned about what I would do if this process doesn't end up with a tenure track job. I'm not wearing rose coloured glasses - I'd expect to sessionally teach for a couple of years after a post-doctorate, but I am extremely concerned about the professional future of what we're all so eager to go into.

 

Any advice/thought about this topic? I know it's a harrowing one to consider or even discuss, but it's one that has been weighing on my mind recently. I'm applying to law schools as a back-up, even though the thought of going into a career that I'm not 100% about is definitely a bit nauseating. I just wish that the public (in general) could appreciate the need for fine arts, but alas, that is life.

[Dr. Old Bill]

No, don't be ridiculous, we're all going to get into the Ph.D. programs we want, we're all going to get awesome tenure track jobs at R1s when we're done, and we're all going to spend our days off deciding whether we should drive our Bentley out to the Hamptons, or hire a jet to take a quick jaunt down to Cabo San Lucas.

 

Hey, it's a nice fantasy, right?

 

Seriously though, it's probably good timing for you to have brought this up. There's a reality that a lot of folks don't like to hear around this time of year, and for good reason...but there's just no point going into application season blind to the eventual job prospects. Things are indeed bleak, and whether you read The Chronicle of Higher Education, poke around on topical websites, or just chat with professors and other students, you're bound to hear just how bad things are. I recently learned that Ned Balbo, a well-regarded poet and adjunct professor was just terminated from Loyola University for seemingly no good reason, even though all of the tenured English professors at Loyola signed a petition to try to convince the administration not to do so. Didn't matter. And this is hardly an atypical case. Tenure track positions are quickly falling out of favor, and adjuncts have no job security and no leverage, even when they have widespread support of colleagues and students. It's kind of dismal, really.

 

Here's the good news, however: you will still have a lot of control over your future once you get your Ph.D. so long as you are realistic about these job prospects. It means that very early on, you need to decide if you'd be fine with moving around from city to city on a year-to-year basis having adjunct or "visiting assistant professor" status until you can pin down a stable job. It means that you have to consider teaching at a prep school or -- heaven forbid -- a high school while constantly keeping your eye on the job market. It means being prepared to have some financially lean years ahead while maintaining a love for what you've just been studying for the past decade. But if you can get into that mindset, particularly early on (i.e. as you are even considering applying to grad school), then you're going to be ahead of at least half of your peers. There is a widespread delusion among many that "if you try hard enough, it will happen!" It's sort of the American Dream, really...though in many ways, it is categorically untrue. Fantastic as an ideal, great for self-morale, but not particularly helpful for career planning.

 

My own situation is a bit unique. I'm older and have had at least a couple of different "careers" to this point. They never satisfied me -- in the first instance, I enjoyed what I was doing, but it paid (literally) next to nothing and was utterly unsustainable, despite having a degree and assurances to the contrary. In the second instance, I made half-decent money, but could derive no enjoyment whatsoever from what I was doing, and had to relegate my creative and academic pursuits to the realm of avocation. Now that I'm in my mid-thirties and have experienced different facets of life and employment etc., my perspectives are different. I'm primarily getting this Ph.D. for my own edification, though I'm obviously just as keenly interested as anyone else to get a lifelong teaching gig once I'm done with my degree. But I don't have that as an expectation, which sounds like a simple case of semantics, but is actually an exceptionally important distinction. I'm mentally resolved to doing work that is "beneath" my eventual Ph.D. status. It's not the ideal, but I'll be fine with it. And that's not just self-delusion. I think it's essential to be realistic about the bleakness of the job market in our fields. I mean hell...I'm going into poetics. How niche can you get? (Okay, a former professor of mine was into Papyrus studies, so I guess you can get nichier, but still!).

 

The bottom line is this: if you want a degree that's going to get you a stable, well-paying job, a Ph.D. in English isn't it. It might be, but there's not the same surefire guarantee as you'd have with other degrees. But if you're fine with scraping together a living while having some measure of distinction while doing what you love, then yes, that could pretty much be the tagline for a Ph.D. in English! If you can live cheaply and/or find (or have) a significant other who makes a decent living, it makes the struggling-for-what-you-love even easier.

 

Money and job stabliity are two major concerns with this path. It just depends on how highly you value those things compared to how much you want to try to eke out a living while doing what you love.

Edited September 2, 2014 by Wyatt's Torch

[bhr]

Don't dismiss compositionalists. Embrace the opportunity to take a theory class in business or technical writing. Teach as wide a variety of courses as your program allows. The reality of the situation, for Lit/English PhDs, is that your jobs are being underwritten by the FYC program at a lot of schools (including a lot of adjuncts and TAs teaching 25-30 student sections so that you can offer a 400 level course in Jane Eyre that appeals only to Lit majors). The current model isn't sustainable longterm, and any cuts made to make more adjuncts into fixed-term faculty (inevitable in my opinion), will come at the expense of lit TT lines. The broader your background, the greater your appeal to a potential employer.

[jhefflol]

I've already come to terms with the fact that I'm going to be a waitress for the rest of my life, PhD or not. It's my actual back up plan if I don't get in to any PhD programs as well. But I'm perfectly fine with working as an adjunct wherever will hire me (my boss where I tutor is the DH for the college's LA department so that might help) and waitress 2-3 days a week. With my current serving job I make enough to pay rent in one weekend so while its completely unrelated/not glamorous/a frustrating job, it puts money in my pocket.

Edited September 2, 2014 by jhefflol

[mikers86]

A professor of mine repeatedly said "The only guarantees in this profession are negative ones." Be realistic with yourself about what kind of jobs you're willing to take in regard to tier and geography and topic. Know your own limits to these questions, what your financial limitations are, and how long you are willing to roll the dice. Network so your odds of landing a postdoc increase if that route is necessary. You're already ahead of the game by thinking about this. Opinions on this board will vary to extremes, but figuring out what works for *you* is what counts, not our thoughts.

[allplaideverything]

Of course the job market in academia is especially rough--I went on the market last year, with a book and teaching experience, and got 0 interviews--but it's worth remembering that job markets in other fields suck, too. Some of my friends who went to law school have told me that that's no longer a guarantee of a decent job, either, and that many people are pursuing JD/MBA joint degrees, now. Wild!

 

Anyway, yeah, it definitely is tough. And people here have given good advice. But at the end of the day, even if the PhD doesn't get us jobs teaching at the college level, there are so many ways to frame teaching experience and research abilities when interviewing with private sector employers. Doing a PhD, so long as you actually want to do the kind of work a PhD requires, isn't going to leave you worse off than you are when you start.

[Dr. Old Bill]

That's a great take on it by allplaldeverything (welcome, by the way!). Being willing and able to diversify and adapt is important, I think. I was chatting with a professor yesterday about this exact topic (in fact, I mentioned this thread specifically), and he talked about how a former colleague of his had the insight to apply for teaching jobs at nursing schools, and managed to get a tenured position teaching not only composition, but also literature. Perhaps it was literature with a medical focus, I don't know, but the bottom line is that it was a TT position doing what he got his Ph.D. for...it just happened to be at a vocational institution, rather than a standard R1 etc. Stories like that encourage me, because it shows that if you think outside the box, even a little, you can find a great niche that will make use of your education in a way you might not have predicted.

[unræd]

Some of my friends who went to law school have told me that that's no longer a guarantee of a decent job, either, and that many people are pursuing JD/MBA joint degrees, now. Wild!

 

The law school example is an especially interesting one. There was a glut of lawyers that resulted from blue-chip legal hires cratering during the recession, which was exacerbated by more and more people attending law school hoping to find a way out of that recession. But the situation has begun to show signs of, if not turning around, at least beginning to self-correct--after the truly horrible press that going to law school as a career choice got in the past few years, in 2014 law school applications were down a whopping 37% from 2010 and the current first-year class will be the smallest in 40 years, which is a pretty stunning shift.

 

I have zero data on the topic (out of laziness; I'm sure it's readily available) but I wonder if graduate applications in the humanities will see (or are seeing) the same decline.

Edited September 3, 2014 by unræd

[Dr. Old Bill]

I have zero data on the topic (out of laziness; I'm sure it's readily available) but I wonder if graduate applications in the humanities will see (or are seeing) the same decline.

 

I also have zero data, and this is 100% unscientific, but I do find the lack of new GC members a little interesting. This isn't a complaint, but just an observation. It looks like in years past, the English forum at GC had at least twice as many active posters as we do here now. There are maybe only 20 of us regularly posting so far this application season. It might mean nothing at all. Like I said, it's unscientific. But then again, you never know... Maybe the bleakness of the job prospects in this industry has finally scared enough people off.

Edited September 3, 2014 by Wyatt's Torch

[jhefflol]

I also have zero data, and this is 100% unscientific, but I do find the lack of new GC members a little interesting. This isn't a complaint, but just an observation. It looks like in years past, the English forum at GC had at least twice as many active posters as we do here now. There are maybe only 20 of us regularly posting so far this application season. It might mean nothing at all. Like I said, it's unscientific. But then again, you never know... Maybe the bleakness of the job prospects in this industry has finally scared enough people off.

 

I am absolutely glad for it. Less competition. More opportunities for acceptance into programs, funding, conferences, research opportunities. Although it surprised me how many students in one of my second year grad classes planned on graduating this spring and going into a PhD program this fall. It was nearly the entire class. At least they were mostly Victorianists and therefore not competition either.

[allplaideverything]

At least they were mostly Victorianists and therefore not competition either.

 

Thank Jesus for Victorianists!

[Roquentin]

Of course the job market in academia is especially rough--I went on the market last year, with a book and teaching experience, and got 0 interviews

 

I notice that your profile says that you will be applying to PhD programs in Fall 2015. Not to pry, but I’ve never heard of anyone applying for academic work so early in the game (potentially without even a master’s degree in hand). Perhaps that limited your prospects?

 

When do most folks plan to hit the market? Am I right in thinking that somewhere shortly (~6 months) before the diss. defense is typical?

[sacklunch]

Bleak prospects have made me more optimistic, weirdly enough. If you're lucky to get a decent stipend (i.e. private school) or live in a cheaper area (or both), then you will be making more money doing a PhD than waiting tables anyways. It's funny that as a PhD student I am making more money than I have ever made, and I'm getting to study things that interest me. If when I finish I have to work at Walmart, oh well. I got paid decently well considering the economy to have a wonderfully unique experience and I'm not any worse off because of it. Thank you (?), shitty economy! 

[allplaideverything]

I notice that your profile says that you will be applying to PhD programs in Fall 2015. Not to pry, but I’ve never heard of anyone applying for academic work so early in the game (potentially without even a master’s degree in hand). Perhaps that limited your prospects?

 

When do most folks plan to hit the market? Am I right in thinking that somewhere shortly (~6 months) before the diss. defense is typical?

 

No, you're absolutely right that that would be strange. I hold an M.A. in English/Creative Writing and an MFA in Creative Writing--Poetry. I'm hoping to switch to the scholarly side of things for my PhD.

[Dr. Old Bill]

No, you're absolutely right that that would be strange. I hold an M.A. in English/Creative Writing and an MFA in Creative Writing--Poetry. I'm hoping to switch to the scholarly side of things for my PhD.

 

Good for you. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one approaching academia from the creative side.

[rhetoricus aesalon]

In my opinion, anyone who is not having the same worries as you is in serious denial--though I have to be honest and say I've never met anyone who didn't have these same concerns. While there's something to be said for being aware of the issues facing us as we professionalize for the market, realizing this early and having frank conversations with your advisers and colleagues--in my opinion--is healthy and shows you are serious about what you do.

 

But putting that all aside for a moment, why not start asking about what you can do with a PhD besides working in academia? Is there really no value for our work outside the English department? Increasingly, I believe departments (at least the good ones) are trying to consider ways that graduate professionalization might take place outside of academic work.

[ProfLorax]

Like pretty much everyone has said, we all have the same job concerns! But there are strategies to help negate that anxiety. The first priority, from what other faculty have told me, is to write a killer dissertation and publish an article in at least one top journal. And I still think that should be our priority, but the reality is that the jobs that base hiring mostly on research ARE evaporating. So also focus on getting some good teaching experience. Try to be the instructor of record (as opposed to a discussion group leader) in as many different classes as possible: composition, literature survey courses, and professional writing. Keep an eye out for administrative assistantships for graduate students: can you work as the assistant director of the writing program for a year? These kinds of experiences can open up community college, full-time lectureships, and high school teaching jobs in a way that just having a killer dissertation doesn't. 

 

Then, as Chadillac suggests, consider working outside of academia. This is more challenging for some because it's hard for us to imagine an outside entity wanting to hire an expert on thing theory or some other esoteric topic, but I do think it's possible. I write about activist rhetoric, which I hope would open up positions in progressive think tanks or non-profit organizations. A TT job is the ultimate goal for me, but I think I could also be happy working in non-profit, political, or activist spheres while adjuncting on the side as my Plan B. 

 

Of course, this may all sound overwhelming: write a killer dissertation, publish, and teach ALL THE THINGS. But I do think it's possible to diversify your CV while also staying grounded. I do want to stress that it is okay to say no to extracurricular activities while in grad school. Maybe pick one or two that you think you'll really love, and just focus on those. You don't have to lead every reading group or be on every board position of your grad student organization. Pick the activities that interest you and think will enhance your CV, and say no to the others. 

 

Lastly, talk to your advisors and the placement director early on, preferably ones who were recently on the market, about your concerns. Brainstorm different ways you can graduate with the most desirable CV possible. Your advisors and DGS also want you to get a job; part of the prestige of a program is having a high placement rate! They are also invested in your success (or should be, at least). 

[mikers86]

But don't start this process by thinking what other jobs can I get with a PhD in English. If you think you're going to go down that route from the start, perhaps consider maximizing your earning potential instead of five years on a degree. Not to say this applies to queennight, just in general.

[jhefflol]

Bleak prospects have made me more optimistic, weirdly enough. If you're lucky to get a decent stipend (i.e. private school) or live in a cheaper area (or both), then you will be making more money doing a PhD than waiting tables anyways. 

 

Meh, I don't think so. What I make now is almost double what the average stipends are. I plan on serving still as I know its absolutely impossible for me to live on a financial aid package alone. And I need to keep busy:)

[queennight]

But don't start this process by thinking what other jobs can I get with a PhD in English. If you think you're going to go down that route from the start, perhaps consider maximizing your earning potential instead of five years on a degree. Not to say this applies to queennight, just in general

 

Thanks to everyone who put in their two cents - it's good to know exactly what to expect, although it is hard to predict where the economy will be in say five or six years from now. Adjuncting seems like a cruel but likely future for the majority of us, so I figure that stampeding into the process with full knowledge of this will save me some tears down the road.

 

I think it really does go back to the question of research or teaching: and I am very interested in the fact that rhetoric/composition is such a burgeoning field. I'm also wondering how exactly the job market will expand to include multicultural fields of study (Asian American lit, queer theories) or comparitive literatures, especially with the so-called 'decreasing' potential of tenure track jobs. An economist really should do a study.

[heja0805]

Thanks to everyone who put in their two cents - it's good to know exactly what to expect, although it is hard to predict where the economy will be in say five or six years from now. Adjuncting seems like a cruel but likely future for the majority of us, so I figure that stampeding into the process with full knowledge of this will save me some tears down the road.

 

I think it really does go back to the question of research or teaching: and I am very interested in the fact that rhetoric/composition is such a burgeoning field. I'm also wondering how exactly the job market will expand to include multicultural fields of study (Asian American lit, queer theories) or comparitive literatures, especially with the so-called 'decreasing' potential of tenure track jobs. An economist really should do a study.

This might be useful: https://www.mla.org/bulletin_124043

Of course, it's over a decade old, and I'm sure there are more studies out there. I think the best advice I can offer is that, the more you expand your work to be interdisciplinary, the better chances your placement in a wider range of positions. I would argue that doing interdisciplinary work is truly necessary for anyone in the humanities right now and likely into the future, too.