hola
New Member
Posts: 49
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Post by hola on Oct 9, 2012 20:05:32 GMT -5
joiningin
Tell us more about your experience on the job market. This is my first year and it looks like it is going to be very tough. Do you have any advise? Thanks in advance!
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Post by straight shooter on Oct 9, 2012 20:15:11 GMT -5
Well let me just say, I have not been passed over by any of those schools, despite a terrible record and negative-digit publications.
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Post by around a while on Oct 10, 2012 5:02:49 GMT -5
Every year, there are people who complain about their lack of success despite excellent publication records. Then there are people who come and make fun of the people complaining, arguing that they are either lying about their records or making fun of them for wanting an ego boost. As someone who was watched the last 4 years of job markets, sometimes as a participant, I would say there are two things that are probably true...
1) a lot of the most attractive jobs in the last few years have gone to candidates with really excellent records. A few of the top from last year, if I remember correctly, were someone with two books, people with 2+ articles in AJS/ASR, including at least one solo-authored, someone with large grants already going. I can easily imagine that there are many candidates this year who are coming out of post-docs or tenure-track jobs themsevles and have amazing credentials. I mean beyond publishing in specialty journals in their area. It takes a lot to really stand out in this job market.
2) It is probably also likely that people with some amazing records will not get a single tenure-track job offer in this market. There are more jobs than there have been in previous years, but my feeling is that the new norm in sociology is one of really intense competition and a need to look to post-docs and other temporary positions as a way to transition to an R1 tenure-track job if you are really committed. By all means, apply to faculty jobs, but don't view post-docs as a failure or a last-minute backup plan.
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Post by same here on Oct 10, 2012 10:08:22 GMT -5
I'd love to hear what everyone's plan B, C, and D are. Here's mine:
B - work as a research assistant, publish articles, adjunct 2 classes/year, apply again next cycle
C - land a job in a federal agency
D - start a research consulting business
E - take a corporate job doing market research *shudder*
F - live hand-to-mouth, set up camp in the vacant lot behind the liquor store
my Plan B is already happening, so at least I have a sliver of security. I have to be thankful for *any* paycheck.
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Post by same here on Oct 10, 2012 10:14:36 GMT -5
Oh and I'd just like to add that my Plan A is postdoc/TT/VAP. My record doesn't give me a lot of flexibility to distinguish between them.
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Post by plansbcdlmnop on Oct 10, 2012 10:51:08 GMT -5
I'd love to hear what everyone's plan B, C, and D are. Here's mine: B - work as a research assistant, publish articles, adjunct 2 classes/year, apply again next cycle C - land a job in a federal agency D - start a research consulting business E - take a corporate job doing market research *shudder* F - live hand-to-mouth, set up camp in the vacant lot behind the liquor store my Plan B is already happening, so at least I have a sliver of security. I have to be thankful for *any* paycheck. My plan A is the same as yours, but tentatively. I don't think I'd be willing to take on a ridiculously high teaching load in a conservative location with subpar colleagues just to stay in academia. Also, the following are jobs that I plan on applying to - which is not to say that I'd necessarily get an offer. B - Assistant Dean/Resource Center Director/Program Coordinator for initiatives or programs in my specialty area. C - Program Director of outreach/education in non-profits related to my specialty area. D - "Diversity Specialist" for companies in the private sector. E - Do any type of work at a local food co-op. F - Find an independently wealthy "sponsor" who I find attractive, is ridiculously good in bed, supports my autonomy, takes me on lavish vacations, and who publishes my book from their alternative independent press. <--- Clearly not my first preference, but I'd be okay with it if it were to happen.  |
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Post by whoa on Oct 10, 2012 12:03:52 GMT -5
"with subpar colleagues."
wow. just wow.
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Post by whywhoa on Oct 10, 2012 14:52:21 GMT -5
Why is that a wow? There are subpar colleagues in every job. What makes you think academia is any different?
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Post by Michelle Tanner on Oct 10, 2012 15:37:21 GMT -5
I don't at all mean this in a snarky sense, but how is it possible for an ABD to have two books? I really ask this question in the spirit of wonderment. I don't mean "How could a person work so hard?" And I don't mean to imply that it is untrue. I simply mean, how is it physically possible? It took me three years to publish my first book, and that was coming into the process with a complete manuscript and hitting every deadline a month or so early. My second book, with a different publisher, took nearly as long. Book publication is just a long fricken bureaucratic process. Is there some trick to hastening it?
Security check: "out of gas." Seriously, whoever produces those things must have gone to grad school.
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Post by Kimmy Gibbler on Oct 10, 2012 16:04:39 GMT -5
My guess would be that is has a lot to do with being fully funded and not having other responsibilities. Being super sharp and well connected probably doesn't hurt either.
Basically all grad students have to compose two "books" just very few have the time, resources and raw talent to convert their MA and PhD into a publishable manuscripts.
Don't want to out anyone here but both of the books in question are quite good and make pretty major contributions to their respective fields.
To the previous poster- were you in grad school when you finished your first book? Not having to teach, advise or serve on committees probably frees up a lot of writing time....
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Post by Uncle Joey on Oct 10, 2012 20:59:54 GMT -5
I know two people who wrote books in grad school based on their honors theses from undergrad and some follow up work on the project in their pre-grad school years.
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Post by gradnomore on Oct 13, 2012 11:38:14 GMT -5
Hey all,
I did three rounds of academic jobs searching. I have pubs, presentations, taught, etc. No, I was not the most well known grad student on the market, but not the worst. While I did round 2 and 3, I worked for my university in an admin office, and an R1, mid-atlantic. I was present in meetings, where honestly I should not have been (ones with high, high level admin). In terms of how a so-called "good school" or one of those US News and World reports "Best-Value" schools, thinks about sociology, and hiring, let me tel, you, they don't. The big push is for STEM faculty, and big-money grants coming in, to help off-set the budget deficit occurring from poorly implementing policy, like Responsibility based budgeting, for which, depts (after the fourth year of implementation) have not been paid by this great university, what they are owed, they thought very little in matters of culture, and honestly, faculty in general. If they had their way, they would do away with tenure, and hire all adjuncts. In my role, I also somehow got placed in a position to learn about hiring practices across depts, and OMG, insanity prevails. When you literally watch 20 faculty, debate for 40 minutes, why one candidate is actually a "4" and not a "2", for their short-list, you know these people have very little in way of a systematic or even logical approach to hiring. Honestly, this happened in many depts. My sample, is an N of 1, but this is highly regarded 1.
Oh, and the abundance of PhDs, to compete with, yes, that is a reality. In 2010, there were 180 applications for a Soc Stat job, that 6 years earlier, would only have drawn 70 applications. And someone from an IVY, got the job. We never, never had an IVY at a job talk, not until after the economic collapse.
I don't know why I rambled, I just want all to know, that if it seems unlikely, you will get a job, the second, or third time around, and it seems like, it won't happen, it is ok to say, "that's it, I am done".
You can earn $55K as a entry level market researcher. Who knew?
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