Professor mamas 2011 - Page 10

[Realrellim]

No idea. Could be funding. Could be failed search. DH's take on the fact that they're interviewing at the national conference this year is that they didn't find who they were looking for the first time around.

Though I find it interesting that they're now looking for two positions instead of just one, both advertised as "entry-level" and both still requiring a PhD rather than the typical (in my field) or ABD & nearly done with dissertation.

[namaste_mom]

Maybe if you know someone at that place, you could give them a ring or shoot an email too them to see what the situation is.

[Realrellim]

The only person I know is an adjunct there who would like to be FT and is undoubtedly applying for the job. Though I don't think they want her either, as they've specified "must have completed PhD" and she was still ABD and not particularly near finishing from what I heard this spring.

I've decided not to apply after all. It is interesting, but I do not want that commute, and agree with my husband's analysis that they didn't see what they wanted the first time around--hence the interviews at the national conference. Maybe that sounds too fatalistic, but I think it's also honest. And on the very practical side, I listen to a podcast in which one of the women recently landed a fabulous PR job--except that her job is a 70+ minute commute each way. She loves the job and the opportunities, but the commute is eating up gobs of her life. Her kids are both in school and her husband works from home. I shudder to think what that would look like here, but I hate the thought of 15 hours or more a week of my life just being spent driving to work. That'd be a lot of time I wouldn't have for being with my kids or running or anything, really.

It would be nice if I knew what my path is going to be, but I'm feeling convinced it doesn't involve driving that far north.

[kerc]

Originally Posted by Realrellim 
 I shudder to think what that would look like here, but I hate the thought of 15 hours or more a week of my life just being spent driving to work.

Yes. This. I hate the thought of you driving 15 hours a week. Honestly, that's the difference between a 60 hr a week job and a 75 hrs a week. OY!  Like there's not enough work to do in a new prof job.

[namaste_mom]

One of my students just started a job and was mad that his job was a 60 hour a week job while he trains. I just smiled and said "welcome to the world of 60 hour plus work weeks."

[Carita]

Originally Posted by Realrellim 

So, the position has opened up again. This time, they've got two positions open, both in music history. Basically everything is the same, but there's a new twist: they're doing preliminary interviews at the national AMS conference this November. I'd been hoping to go but didn't get any papers accepted and it's so ridiculously expensive. The rate for the hotel is $196 plus tax, and then there's the cost of a plane ticket (~$350 currently). Taking a shuttle from the airport is another $40 (round-trip), and the conference fee is $130. So, if I stayed two nights, it would be nearly $900 without meals. That seems like an awful lot to pay for a 15-minute interview. Because I'm an adjunct, my current institution is hardly going to foot the bill for me to go, and because I'm only teaching one class which will pay me $6k for the semester, I don't see spending two month's net income on a 15-minute interview. (Yes, there would be fabulous networking opportunities, and yes I really wanted to go, but at the same time, I'm only interested in positions in Colorado and I'm small potatoes, and for that matter,
They're only doing 36 interviews at the conference, and there's only 3 open spots left. The positions were just announced this week.
Does it make sense to apply again, or am I wasting my time?

For a local job, they actually did a phone interview with me, and they did not require me to do the AMS (in my case math ;) ) interviews.  I in the end got short-listed, and got a PostDoc offer...  so I think it still worked...

[Carita]

I am totally have a case of "grass is always greener".  I now have a new Dept Chair.  Much more difficult to work with... Love the new higher up admin
(president).  It has great potential, but potential won't lower the course load or up the salary and benefits... Love that I get to pick what I want to teach, hate that scheduling is a bear and that no one but the president and maybe 1 colleague understand what the heck I do for research.

A few other jobs are open in the state.  One isn't posted yet and I am not sure it will be in my expertise area (State U), the other two are in my secondary areas (I did my exams in that area and have used those tools in my dissertation, but I never really thought about it as a strong specialty area).  Anyway, of the latter two one requires a move (but I applied there a few years ago and made it to alternate with a PostDoc offer), the other is a 60 min commute each way, minimum.  But both are at least 15K raises + double benefits with a course load reduction of 2-3/year.  The one that isn't posted yet is at a State U, much closer, but salary and benefits would not be that much a jump.  All three would bring me closer to possible collaborators.  One has a major in my area of interest, the other two I have existing contacts.  The closer State U actually has a working group that has invited me to join in on an NSF proposal.

I feel like I only have a window of the next few years to make any job changes.  After that I am essentially too out of touch with research with my high course load to make any changes.  I am up for promotion (no TT here), so that is a small bump, but another offer could really make that a bigger bump.  I will be going to the national meeting where interviews are conducted since I am on a fellowship.  I just defended, have not published from that defense yet, and feel like I'd be a much better candidate NEXT year.  The State U *might* have some positions next year, but you know how state funding for education is so up in the air...

WWYD?  Thoughts?

[namaste_mom]

I might make the necessary inquiries to see what kind of person they are hiring.

[rcr]

Hi all: I have not been around this thread in forever. I saw you on the "new posts" at the bottom. I got tenure. Yup, I did it. I can't believe it. I am half a semester into my first year as a tenured professor, and it feels great.

[Dmitrizmom]

Originally Posted by rcr 

Hi all: I have not been around this thread in forever. I saw you on the "new posts" at the bottom. I got tenure. Yup, I did it. I can't believe it. I am half a semester into my first year as a tenured professor, and it feels great.

Congrats!!! That's awesome!

[kerc]

Originally Posted by rcr 

Hi all: I have not been around this thread in forever. I saw you on the "new posts" at the bottom. I got tenure. Yup, I did it. I can't believe it. I am half a semester into my first year as a tenured professor, and it feels great.

yay!  Excellent.

Also. I'm with namaste mom. If you think you want another place, I'd consider it as well.

I'm soldiering along, pre tenure in a teaching heavy (only?) university. I'm daily thankful that I have a job. But not at all thrilled it is THIS job. But ...my family seems to be thriving, and I'm happy enough. I just have to put up with a lot of b.s. Some of it the old folks being really out of touch with best practices in education (I hear every day about content content content. don't we live in a content free world thanks to google?)  and I get a whole bunch of b.s. from my chair. A lot of it is because I'm the pretenure female geologist. The pretenure male geologist doesn't get the same b.s. But hey. I'm daily thankful that I have a job. my family seems to be thriving, and I'm happy enough.

[kaybee]

Carita - I would apply for the positions.  It sounds like it is fairly common for people to apply for jobs the year they go up for tenure (or promotion, in your case), both to act as a buffer in case tenure doesn't work out or to help boost their salary if it does.  You have even more reasons, given the potential increase in pay, reduction in load, proximity to colleagues, etc.  

rcr - CONGRATS!  

I'm going up for tenure this year.  I've been here for 6 years now, but since the first year wasn't a tenure-track position I could technically wait until next year if I wanted to.  My chair and dean both strongly encouraged me to go up this year.  Hopefully I haven't shot myself in the foot.  I am ridiculously busy and wish we had the "we think you should go up for tenure this year" conversation back in August instead of at the end of September.  

[kerc]

Kaybee I think this is good.

[namaste_mom]

rcr - Congrats!!

kaybee - good luck. I was happy to have tenure over with. I hope it will be smooth sailing for you. I was mostly glad for the pay raise and the sabbatical :)

[Carita]

Originally Posted by rcr 

Hi all: I have not been around this thread in forever. I saw you on the "new posts" at the bottom. I got tenure. Yup, I did it. I can't believe it. I am half a semester into my first year as a tenured professor, and it feels great.

Woohooo!

I already know what specialty folks are hiring.  At least one of them looks like a good fit. I think I may apply there... I believe that applications are due over break, so I just have to get through this semester... *sigh*  Fall semester is always the hardest!

[Dakotacakes]

congrats! I am new to the website and fairly new to mothering as well (18 months). I am in my 5th year of a tenure track position. I go up next year and it is definately anxiety inducing. I have five papers out for review right now just hoping that one sticks!