Worried about a future job

[dillonr1]

Hi guys (and gals),

I don't know if this is the place to write this, but I'll give it a shot. I am just graduating and have been seriously considering going for a PhD in history. However, I am worried about getting a job as a history professor. I'm just wondering about the prospects of getting a job (tenured) in my state. Are the rumors really true that is extremely difficult to get a job as a tenured professor? Will i have trouble getting a job, nevertheless in my state (leaving my family and friends scares the hell out of me and this is something I really am not willing to do)? I mean i have heard of PhD's driving cabs, but I really don't believe it.

Also, I have a question about the nature of being a professor. I am really interested in teaching students, more than publishing. Is publishing required for every tenured professor? Even at the so called "teaching colleges?" Also, how hard would it be to get a job at one of these "teaching colleges?"

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Stories]

It's pretty much "yes" to almost every question you asked.

Getting a professor job is difficult. Particularly in fields that aren't expanding or have a private sector where PhD graduates have an alternative to academia (ie. humanities).

Some schools might have one or two professors in each department as "teaching faculty", but the big schools all do have their professors publish and research. That's what brings in the recognition for the school and how future PhDs are trained. Without the publishing, it's just high level teaching. This is more commonly found at community colleges and non-prestigious schools where many faculty members only possess a master's.

[dillonr1]

Yeah, I plan on just wanting to teach at a lesser known schools. Looks like getting a job as a history professor is pretty bleak huh? Couple of more questions, heh. What constitutes as publishing? Do you have to publish books or can you publish just journal articles (and how long do they have to be?)? Also, does giving lectures count as publishing?

[purplepepper]

Take a look at The Chronicle of Education forums.

There are several threads that address these topics.

http://chronicle.com/forums/