FIRST PERSON Rationalizing Anxiety An economics Ph.D. seeks to conquer his stress about the job market the only way he knows how. FIRST PERSON Betrayed by Your Adviser A dissertation shows your potential as a scholar; it shouldn't simply be a long footnote to your mentor's glorious career. THE TWO-YEAR TRACK The Community-College Interview The odds are against candidates who are unfamiliar with our values and don't speak our lingo. FIRST PERSON Ready for Round 2 What is the best way to respond to a conference interviewer who says, "I don't see the scholarly value of your work. Care to comment?" BALANCING ACT Working Toward Motherhood If male academics don't have to choose between their personal and professional goals, an assistant professor wonders, why should she? An Academic in America Leaving the Academic Village It's time for professors to abandon the genteel pose of being aloof from the sordid marketplace. CAREER TALK Switching Sides For Ph.D.'s who can't find, or don't want, a teaching job, but would like a career on a campus, what are the options? FIRST PERSON Were the Road Signs Wrong? A junior scholar reconsiders the advice he got from senior professors on how to win tenure. FIRST PERSON The Professor as Instant Messenger Determined not to be left behind, a faculty member decides to become IM buddies with her students. FIRST PERSON Sometimes, I Wish I Were A Rhino For rhinos, the answer to alienation and anxiety is food. Ph.D.'s on the academic job market are less fortunate. FIRST PERSON Not a Counselor What, exactly, is a professor to do when confronted by a student with psychological problems? FIRST PERSON Begging for a Postdoc, Part 2 The cover letters led to interviews. Now if only one of the interviews will lead to a fellowship. FIRST PERSON Just Shut Up About It It's easy to get caught up in sharing every little detail of your job search, but is all that talk doing you any good? FIRST PERSON First-Interview Jitters A Ph.D. in the physical sciences has been contemplating the job search for a year, but getting his first callback made it real. MS. MENTOR What if I Don't Know the Ropes? Just because most of the rules for academicians are unwritten doesn't mean you're not supposed to learn them. FIRST PERSON The Search Is Over It took him more than two years, but a Ph.D. in political science has finally found good work in the nonacademic world. CAREER TALK Asking the Right Questions When you're given an opportunity to quiz your interviewers, the last thing you want to do is draw a blank. FIRST PERSON A New Job and a Hurricane As she heads back to work, an assistant professor feels lucky to have only lost the experience of being a new faculty member in the normal way. FIRST PERSON Maybe Virginia Woolf Was Right A nonacademic job had seemed the best way to find money and a room of her own. Now a Ph.D. in comparative literature has doubts. FIRST PERSON Thinking Beyond the Dissertation Too many doctoral students get so focused on the burdens of the moment that they graduate without being truly prepared. CAREER TALK Next Question? Two graduate career counselors answer questions from readers about the academic job market. FIRST PERSON Trusting the System A job candidate in economics wonders how much external cues and perceptions will skew the way that search committees view his application. CAREER TALK Inside the Hiring Process A look at how a Ph.D. in the humanities shifted gears to become a graduate-career counselor, and why she was hired. BALANCING ACT Keeping Up Appearances A Ph.D. thought her transition from graduate student to faculty member would be a good time to lose weight. Somehow, things got out of hand. FIRST PERSON Do Not Fear the Blog Until recently, it had never occurred to a graduate student that her blog and her professional fate might be connected. FIRST PERSON My Credentials Gap He has a Ph.D., publications, a book contract, great teaching evaluations, and experience. What he doesn't have is the right pedigree. BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER The Dentist and the Oracle Once you realize you're unhappy in academe, the question becomes what to do instead. CAREER TALK Go Ahead, Haggle Fail to negotiate your first job offer and you risk sacrificing thousands of dollars in potential income. CATALYST Life in a Nobel Lab Postdocs consider the ups and downs of working in the laboratories of famous scientists. FIRST PERSON Plotting Our Strategy An academic couple begins a search for two tenure-track jobs in the same field and the same city. FIRST PERSON The Truth about the Nonacademic Job Search Be prepared to lose your friends, your mentors, and your sense of self-worth. FIRST PERSON Scared Silly Five years into his doctoral program in the physical sciences, a Ph.D. candidate realizes that his heart is not in his research. THE TWO-YEAR TRACK Crisis Management You're teaching a night class when a student confesses to suicidal thoughts. The counseling office is closed. What should you do? FIRST PERSON Not Dead Yet Ready to give up on academe, a trailing spouse manages to resuscitate her career. FIRST PERSON Begging for a Postdoc Dear Professor, you don't know me and you're not actively seeking new postdoctoral fellows right now, but here's why you should hire me anyway. FIRST PERSON The Smell of Indoctrination in the Morning Why can't an undergraduate think more like a Ph.D.? FIRST PERSON Talking the Talk A department with a zeal for academic jargon leaves a job candidate wondering about her preferred pronoun. FIRST PERSON Intellectual Immigration A philosopher newly arrived from Denmark prepares to tackle the American academic job market. FIRST PERSON The Dark Side of the Moon A Ph.D. in history who landed a great job on the wrong continent wants to come home. FIRST PERSON On the Market A Ph.D. candidate in economics takes his best shot at a tenure-track slot in a top-10 department. FIRST PERSON Just Visiting A new Ph.D. finds herself caught in the void between the end of graduate school and the beginning of an academic career. THE TWO-YEAR TRACK Know Thy Students The truth about community-college students often flies in the face of long-established stereotypes. FIRST PERSON The Sixth Time's the Charm A Ph.D. in the social sciences shares a few lessons she's learned after five years on the market. FIRST PERSON On the Market A Ph.D. in biology prepares to go on the market for her first tenure-track job. FIRST PERSON Turn and Face the Strange Is it ever a good idea for an applicant to tell an interviewer that he looks like an aging androgynous rock star? FIRST PERSON Being Bad A job candidate makes a case for misbehaving a bit during the interview. FIRST PERSON Free Fall Two job offers would seem an embarrassment of riches, except when you have to make a decision on the first with no assurance that the second will even be offered. FIRST PERSON The Hollywood Mouse and the Ivory Tower Mouse The glamorous lives of Los Angeles yuppies can inspire jealousy in a Ph.D. student, but only for an evening. FIRST PERSON They Shoot Messengers, Don't They? If "be careful what you say" is good advice for the job seeker, why is it so controversial to add the word "online"? THE TWO-YEAR TRACK Not a 'Toy College' The Ph.D. who believes that the community-college track couldn't possibly be a viable alternative to the four-year route is missing out. FIRST PERSON E-Application Etiquette An online application system is convenient but it can lead to a glut of candidates and other problems for search committees. FIRST PERSON A Command Economy for Economists For a new Ph.D. in the field, going on the job market begins with being told where she can and cannot apply. FIRST PERSON What Small Colleges Really Want If you're applying to a college that emphasizes teaching, ignore your mentor's advice about what to include in your cover letter. FIRST PERSON Losing My Religion A Ph.D. in English struggles with how much to reveal on the job market about his work for Christian colleges and organizations. FIRST PERSON When Hitting Reply Means Forever The problem with using an e-mail list to discuss a search is that the new hire can go back and read what everyone wrote. It's not always pretty. MS. MENTOR Can I Dazzle Them With My Energy? Words like "energetic" and "dynamic" in job ads may seem innocent, but, Ms. Mentor says, they can be code words for "young." BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER 'But I Have No Skills' For Ph.D.'s considering nonacademic careers, the biggest stumbling blocks are insecurity and a colossal underestimation of their transferable skills. FIRST PERSON How I Learned to Love Economics A new Ph.D. emerges from the the stresses of the academic job market with a new appreciation for her field. FIRST PERSON Dressing the Part Unlike their male counterparts, female professors have little choice but to watch what they wear in the classroom. FIRST PERSON The Perfect Offer An academic couple learns the crucial different between recruitment and retention. CAREER TALK The CV Doctor Returns Our experts evaluate the CV's of three faculty-job candidates and two administrators seeking to move up. FIRST PERSON Frodo Baggins, A.B.D. For a Ph.D. in history, the process of writing the dissertation is a lot like a certain hobbit's treacherous journey through Middle-earth. MS. MENTOR I'll Rail if I Want To If you can't be sincerely interested in the lives of your colleagues, Ms. Mentor advises, then fake it. BALANCING ACT The Womanly Art of Negotiation The last thing she wanted to do was negotiate like a girl and accept a low-ball offer. TWO-YEAR TRACK Why History Needs the M.A. The master's degree is not just a cash cow or a consolation prize. It's the key to improving history education for all. FIRST PERSON What I Learned If the concert hall is located next to a train track, that's a pretty good indicator of how the college values the performing arts. FIRST PERSON Bloggers Need Not Apply Job seekers need to eliminate as many negatives as possible, and in most cases, a blog turns out to be a negative. FIRST PERSON Ph.D. in Hand One half of an academic couple hopes that those three words will make all the difference in his job search come fall. SPOTLIGHT Is It Whom You Know? So your adviser is a major figure in your discipline. How much will that help your career? BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER The 'Happy' Question He had a teaching job in a field he loved. His plays and papers won awards. Who wouldn't be happy, right? MS. MENTOR Lab or Love Nest? In the heat of the summer, Ms. Mentor finds that some of her correspondents have very humid imaginations. FIRST PERSON This Must Be the Place All of the pieces come together in the faculty job search of a Ph.D. in ecology. CAREER TALK How Would You Teach This Class? Too many doctoral students are ill-prepared to talk about their teaching when it really matters -- in the job interview FIRST PERSON Game Over A couple of game-studies scholars, who aren't a couple in the romantic sense, come up short in their dual job search. BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER A 'Nonacademic' Career in Academe Why are intellectual status and respect given so grudgingly to Ph.D.'s who take staff and administrative positions? CATALYST Postdocs Across the Pond If you can work out the logistics, Europe offers plenty of opportunities to American postdocs in the sciences. FIRST PERSON Thank You for Your Interest A Ph.D. in history whose search for a tenure-track job came up short looks for some meaning in his rejection letters. FIRST PERSON Oldest Living TA Tells All Twenty-five years after first coming to graduate school, a historian gets his Ph.D. but finds the job market less than welcoming. THE TWO-YEAR TRACK The Impersonal Touch Too many community colleges put themselves at a serious disadvantage in recruiting with perfunctory job interviews. FIRST PERSON Academic Flame Wars Not only are blogs and online forums potential time wasters, they also breed civil war and anarchy within departments. CAREER TALK Next Question? What if you can't count on your supervisor for a good reference? Two graduate career counselors offer their advice on that and other questions from readers. FIRST PERSON All Humanists Will Be Assimilated An English professor confesses that some educational technologies actually make teaching more enjoyable and intellectually exciting. CATALYST The Mysteries of Grant Budgeting Let the sponsored-projects folks spend years mastering federal rules about research costs. Here's what you need to know as an investigator. FIRST PERSON Pushing the Big Red Button Frustrated by the shaky job market in music, a Ph.D. is ready to take drastic measures. FIRST PERSON A Short, Strange Trip A Ph.D. in English from a mid-tier university finds his dream job just down the road. FIRST PERSON A Matter of Degrees Academic librarians, concerned about the integrity of their profession, want to keep humanities Ph.D.'s from flooding yet another job market. FIRST PERSON The Price of Indifference Even in academe's tight labor market, the hiring committee is supposed to woo you a little bit, isn't it? FIRST PERSON The Checkered Game of Academic Life A trailing spouse who struck out on the job market again this year wonders whether to take another turn. CAREER TALK Devising a Plan B Two career counselors offer advice on how to conduct a dual search for both academic and nonacademic positions. FIRST PERSON No Longer a Desperado Come fall, a Ph.D. in religious studies finds he will actually be teaching on the tenure track, instead of making sushi or parking cars. CAREER TALK Why Didn't I Get Hired? Two career counselors for graduate students look at all the reasons why your job search this year may have failed. FIRST PERSON A Career-Making Performance For music professors, one of the keys to getting that first tenure-track job is a strong showing during the interview recital. FIRST PERSON M.A. Students as Pledges Many aspects of master's programs in the humanities can seem a lot like hazing. FIRST PERSON Humbert Humbert, the TA Obsessed with undergraduate Lolitas, a graduate writing instructor wonders what happened to his spirit of social critique. HEADS UP The Necessity of Mobility A chairman explains why departments often shy away from hiring too many Ph.D.'s from local universities. BALANCING ACT When You Don't Fit In A biologist wonders why, after five years, her small-town college still doesn't feel like home. BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER A Ph.D. and a Failure The narrow definition of success in academe is directly to blame for the high rates of depression among doctoral students. FIRST PERSON At Your Leisure A Ph.D. on the market in religious studies finds himself with no time to just sit and think. FIRST PERSON Team Job Interviews Two scholars in game studies share what it's like to perform the interview gantlet with a partner. FIRST PERSON On the Market Campus interviews give a Ph.D. in biology a chance to play academic dress-up at different types of institutions. FIRST PERSON The Race Before Me For a Ph.D. on the market in English, the search for a tenure-track job mirrors his quest to run an eight-minute mile. FIRST PERSON Suspicious Minds As a Ph.D. applying for positions at academic libraries, expect to face more than a little wariness from your would-be colleagues. CAREER TALK Waiting for the Phone to Ring You haven't heard back from the committee. So maybe you didn't get the job, but it's just as likely that something else is holding up the search. FIRST PERSON Deadlines and Due Dates In academe, the work of teaching and research never really ends, and that is the reward. CATALYST The Buck Starts Here An experienced grant writer offers tips on how to improve the odds that your grant request will get financed. BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER Questioning the Promise Has the alternative-careers movement unwittingly sold humanities Ph.D.'s yet another professional pipe dream? FIRST PERSON Becoming More Productive Are you spending more time on tasks that will not help your tenure case than on work that will? Here are some tips for turning that ratio around. FIRST PERSON 9 Good Openings A Ph.D. in pharmacology makes his best case to hiring committees for why he deserves to be their newest colleague. THE TW0-YEAR TRACK Cattle Call About to serve on a search committee at a community college? Here are two common complaints to avoid. FIRST PERSON Rooting for the Competition You and your friend are applying for the same jobs. You want him to succeed, just not at your expense. CAREER TALK Next Question? Two graduate career counselors answer questions from Ph.D.'s about the academic job market. FIRST PERSON All Dressed Up ... An ecologist goes on the job market again, and finds that he is not the same candidate this time around. BALANCING ACT The Bachelorette in Academe A Ph.D. in history finds that a rural, small-town campus is no place to be single. FIRST PERSON Should a Mentor Be a Friend? A tenured mentor fears that he is too emotionally invested in his relationship with a young colleague. BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER Coffee in 2002, a Job Offer in 2004 Networking works, says a former academic turned consultant. It just takes a few years. FIRST PERSON A Couple of Rare Birds How can you summarize two scholarly careers in a single two-page cover letter? THE TWO-YEAR TRACK Are 2 Master's Better Than 1? A veteran of the two-year-college market mulls the advantages for applicants prepared to teach in more than one field. BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER Joining the Club A Ph.D. in the humanities who took a corporate job wonders, Was I lucky or did I sell out? FIRST PERSON Flying Lovers and Ugly Glasses A trailing spouse finds herself fitted with the weary adjunct's goggles of disenchantment. FIRST PERSON But I Just Got Here Just as a Ph.D. in music starts to settle in to her new teaching job, she finds it's time to start searching again. FIRST PERSON Just What Is a Dossier? A job-seeking couple would gladly provide a department with any information it wants, if only the pair could figure out what that is. FIRST PERSON In Pursuit of a Postdoc How does a Ph.D. candidate in biochemistry persuade a master scientist to take her on as an apprentice? THE ADJUNCT TRACK Not Exploited A Ph.D. who toiled in low-paid academic jobs for four years says he would rather be called a fool than a pawn. FIRST PERSON A Career in Academe: Priceless A doctoral student in English wonders if she has been foolish about credit-card debt. MS. MENTOR They're Just Not That Into You Sometimes, Ms. Mentor says, winning over your foes is impossible and your best course of action is to move on. FIRST PERSON Tireless Research Assistants Every RA needs to understand that the job is mostly about protecting your faculty employer's time and mental energy. CAREER TALK Next Question? Two graduate career counselors answer questions from Ph.D.'s about the academic job market. FIRST PERSON Anticipating Offers Unlike his counterparts in literature, a Ph.D. candidate in writing studies knows the odds of landing a tenure-track job are in his favor. FIRST PERSON Coming Home to Teach After five years of freelancing as a musician in Europe, a D.M.A. returns to pursue an academic career. FIRST PERSON On the Market A Ph.D. candidate in engineering prepares to give science-policy work a try. FIRST PERSON The Goofy Job Search With his Ph.D. finally in hand, a job candidate in religious studies hopes that this is his year. FIRST PERSON Expatriate Teaching In his first year teaching overseas, a historian experiences culture shock, budget woes, and more than a little anti-Americanism. FIRST PERSON Not A Martyr A Ph.D. candidate, excited about her dissertation and job prospects, wonders why that enthusiasm makes her such an outsider in her department. FIRST PERSON A Search for Place Sometimes it's the world outside the office and the classroom that determines whether a job is a good fit. FIRST PERSON Gay, Christian, and Conservative With the odds against them, an academic couple goes on the market together. CAREER TALK The Academic Job Interview Revisited A graduate career counselor offers a few dos and don'ts to consider as you prepare to interview for an academic job. FIRST PERSON Mid-Tier Mojo A Ph.D. in English goes on the market hoping to make it big in the pool of second-tier universities. BALANCING ACT My Accidental Mentor A postdoc gets the chance to see a living, breathing example of a successful female scientist. FIRST PERSON Game for Anything Academic couple seeks open-minded institution for nontraditional relationship. FIRST PERSON Starting Over An assistant professor with a drinking problem tries to regain control over his life and work. FIRST PERSON Checking Out An academic librarian goes in search of a new position at an "emotionally healthy" library. FIRST PERSON On the Market A Ph.D. in American history begins a chronicle of his search for his first tenure-track job. FIRST PERSON Ditch the Boyfriend Does a woman have to follow "the rules" to be successful in academic science? CAREER TALK Background Checks More and more hiring committees in academe are investigating the backgrounds of candidates. Here's what to expect. THE ADJUNCT TRACK Neither Reasonable, Nor Assuring An advocate for adjunct rights argues that colleges routinely deny part-timers their rightful unemployment benefits. FIRST PERSON Trailing Spousedom Watching Gwyneth Paltrow, as Sylvia Plath, fume at being stuck in her husband's shadow, a pair of spousal hires get a jolt of recognition. FIRST PERSON Thank You, Masked Man Tired of playing Tonto to his adviser's Lone Ranger, a Ph.D. in the life sciences decides it's time to move on. BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER Breaking the Spell How a Ph.D. in history finally resisted the lure of the academic job market. FIRST PERSON Just Deserts A new assistant professor wonders about the price of ascending the academic ranks. FIRST PERSON The Case of the Missing Adviser There comes a time when you stop avoiding your dissertation adviser, and your adviser starts avoiding you. FIRST PERSON Dead Professor Walking Besieged by admirers after being denied tenure, an assistant professor feels like she's attending her own funeral. FIRST PERSON On Being a Fat Professor Summer means there's time to get in shape, but fall returns with the usual temptations. FIRST PERSON Searching for Sinister Motives A new assistant professor learns how not to start off on the right foot. BALANCING ACT Stuck in Transition In the weeks after a miscarriage, a young scholar finds writing about her professional development to be too daunting. FIRST PERSON Postdoc Survival Skills An anthropologist on her third postdoctoral fellowship offers a few lessons on how to make the best of a temporary situation. FIRST PERSON Measures of Success Torn by indecision over whether to work in academe or industry, an engineer finally finds a position that feels right. FIRST PERSON A Good Speech Asked to deliver a baccalaureate address, an assistant professor reflects on some of the speeches he has had to endure. CATALYST Second-Career Scientists Academic science is a tough calling, but it can make for a great second career if you want it badly enough. FIRST PERSON Don't Be That Guy An English instructor finds that she has been shaped as much by "bad" professors as "good" ones. BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER Square Peg, Round Hole A Ph.D. in literature tells how he transformed himself into a freelance science writer. FIRST PERSON A Comedy of Errors Is it too much to ask applicants to spell my name correctly, a vice president wonders? FIRST PERSON Collegiality Lessons The one skill that her mentors in graduate school failed to teach her was how to schmooze. FIRST PERSON Place and Space Is it a mistake to move away from your department while you write your dissertation? CAREER TALK Advice From Your Peers Preparing to go on the market in the fall? Here's some advice from Ph.D.'s who landed jobs this year. FIRST PERSON Sent to the Chopping Block Like a courtier who has fallen out of favor with the monarch, a doctoral student is dumped by her adviser. BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER Freelance Fumblings For a Ph.D. turned freelance writer, things got much worse on his way to a business model. FIRST PERSON When the Honeymoon Is Over At some point, the courting ends and the hot young Ph.D. has to peel potatoes like the rest of us. FIRST PERSON Is Graduate School a Cult? For anyone who has been in graduate school, the mind-control practices of cults will seem weirdly familiar. BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER Work or Finish? Should an A.B.D. take a corporate research job before completing his degree? FIRST PERSON Loss and Opportunity As a Ph.D. in political science moves closer to leaving academe, it is his nonacademic career options that seem narrow and specialized. FIRST PERSON It's OK to Say No Rejection -- whether you're the one being turned down or the one declining an offer -- is not always a bad thing. BALANCING ACT Easing the Baby Blues What steps should universities take to help graduate students balance their doctoral work with their family obligations? FIRST PERSON Life Lessons from Football To appreciate the rush of work and life, a Ph.D. reminds himself to ponder less and yield more. FIRST PERSON Switching Disciplines A Ph.D. in psychology struck out on the market in his own field, but landed on the tenure track in a related one. CAREER TALK Preparing for the Conventions If your scholarly association holds its annual meeting in the summer, now is the time to start preparing for conference interviews. FIRST PERSON Music to My Ears A highly regarded music program wouldn't be interested in hiring a community-college teacher, would it? FIRST PERSON A Good Search The academic market is rough, jobs are in short supply, and hiring committees can be cruel. But those aren't the only stories. MS. MENTOR Academic Failure Ms. Mentor counsels an academic spouse who fears that her husband is going to be denied tenure. BALANCING ACT Falsely Accused A Ph.D. sacrifices her career to follow her academic spouse and finds herself accused of sexual harassment. FIRST PERSON Enjoy the Walk Now that his search for a tenure-track job is over, a Ph.D. in English savors the journey. FIRST PERSON Shyness and Academe For the introverted scholar, who happily spends days alone, the social interactions of academic life can be brutal. FIRST PERSON Airport Musings Spend enough time traveling to campus job interviews and you might figure a few things out -- or not. BALANCING ACT Not the Catch Can a trailing spouse ever make it to the tenure track? A Ph.D. who landed a job through her husband's appointment has her doubts. FIRST PERSON Death of the Reader When a young scholar's mentor dies suddenly, she realizes the profound loss of the one person who understood her work completely. FIRST PERSON Too Much to Ask An M.F.A. on the job market in English encounters a new application requirement and decides that it goes too far. FIRST PERSON On the Market An assistant professor of music continues her search for an opening at a college where the students want to learn what she has to teach. CAREER TALK Was It a Mistake? An academic couple who unsuccessfully applied to share a job wonders if that was a strategic mistake. FIRST PERSON The Rhetoric of Rejection Is it too much to ask for a timely and earnest rejection letter? FIRST PERSON Singing the Baby Blues If having children on the tenure track is a career killer, is having them in graduate school any better? FIRST PERSON Haunted by Penguins Was it a mistake to admit publicly to battering a plastic waterfowl icon in frustration over the job market? FIRST PERSON Two Can Make It, Too Although everyone said it couldn't be done, an academic couple manages to land two tenure-track jobs in the same biology department. ADJUNCT TRACK Should You Join a Union? As the adjunct union movement grows, more and more non-tenure-track faculty members will face the question of whether to join. FIRST PERSON A Foot in the Door A veteran faculty member offers tips on how to break in to the full-time ranks at two-year colleges. FIRST PERSON On the Market A Ph.D. in English can't stop himself from second-guessing his personal gaffes and professional stumbles on the interview circuit. FIRST PERSON Library Careers A campus librarian offers advice on how to pursue a career in academic libraries. FIRST PERSON Interviewing in Britain If you're a candidate for a faculty job in England, you can expect a short formal interview and a quick decision. FIRST PERSON On the Market Searching for a tenure-track job, whether alone or as a couple, means constantly adjusting your horizons. BALANCING ACT The Mommy Candidate For a would-be law professor, going on the job market means weighing every career move against the happiness of her family. FIRST PERSON Going Over the Falls Like a surfer straddling the border between land and sea, a Ph.D. finds himself caught between the academic and nonacademic worlds. THE ADJUNCT TRACK The Half-Time Track After 16 years of splitting his time between two campuses, an adjunct decides he wouldn't have it any other way. FIRST PERSON I'm Professor Nobody After 13 years as a "visiting lecturer," an adjunct makes it to the full-time ranks as a "lecturer," and finds she is still invisible. FIRST PERSON Teaching and the Butterfly Effect Can the small events that transpire over the course of a 60-minute class period change someone, somehow, for the better, for a lifetime? FIRST PERSON Becoming Visible Here's how one group of non-tenure-track instructors fought for representation on their faculty senate, and what they gained. FIRST PERSON Eccentric Professors With their bizarre behavior and magnificent obsessions, oddball academics are a glue that holds together the culture of an institution. ACADEMIC ASSETS How to Prosper Your ability to make sound investment decisions at each stage of your campus career can influence how everything else turns out. FIRST PERSON Hung Over Again An assistant professor fears he is throwing away his career one drink at a time. BALANCING ACT From Spousal Hire to Single Mom What happens when an academic couple breaks up and the spousal hire with a half-time appointment needs a full-time job? FIRST PERSON Making a Statement Perhaps the single most important element of a graduate-school application is the student's personal statement. FIRST PERSON Two Friends, One Opening What do you do when you and your best friend and research collaborator want the same job? FIRST PERSON In Defense of LPU's A dean of science makes the case for publishing research results piecemeal to boost your CV. MS. MENTOR Private Lives Volunteering too much information is not in your best interest, Ms. Mentor says, and it might "frighten the horses." SPOTLIGHT Fewer Jobs in Foreign Languages The number of faculty openings in foreign languages this academic year is projected to decline by more than 10 percent. FIRST PERSON On the Market An academic couple in zoology continues a search for two positions in the same department. FIRST PERSON Ignoring My Inner Lawyer A former adjunct finds that the tenure track gives him the freedom to be a better teacher. FIRST PERSON On the Market A Ph.D. candidate in literature finds herself and her spouse starring in a new reality show, "The Real World: Academic Job Search." CAREER TALK Answering the Mail Should a tenured professor explain to hiring committees why he is on the job market? Our columnist answers that question and others. FIRST PERSON Search Committee Virgin An assistant professor serves on his first search committee and picks up a few pointers for his own dossier. CAREER TALK Talking Jobs A political scientist on the job market tries to find a good answer to that perennial question, "So, what do you do?" FIRST PERSON The Academic Pyramid Club The getting and giving of letters of recommendation is a chain of favors constantly repaid. FIRST PERSON Interviewing at a Two-Year College A veteran faculty member offers advice on how best to prepare for a job interview at a community college. FIRST PERSON A Galling Interview You can really tell a lot about your future colleagues when you collapse during the job interview. FIRST PERSON Faith, Persistence, and Luck An assistant professor of English needed all three to survive the academic job market. FIRST PERSON Making Lists With nothing left to collate, mail, index, or file, a job candidate finds himself confronting a fresh set of obsessions. FIRST PERSON The Application Packet In applying for teaching jobs at two-year colleges, the most important element of your packet is the cover letter. BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER Know Thyself Here's what a "personality test" can tell you about your career options, and what it can't. FIRST PERSON Ignoring Good Advice A would-be doctoral student seeks advice from her undergraduate mentors on whether to pursue a Ph.D. in the humanities. FIRST PERSON The Trouble with Misfits What does a Ph.D. in history have in common with Rudolph, Hermey, and Yukon Cornelius? BALANCING ACT A Family Affair When an assistant professor of English goes out on the academic job market, it's not just his future at stake. FIRST PERSON On the Market A Princeton Ph.D. in ecology decides that an academic career is not what he thought it was. FIRST PERSON My Imperfect Search Is the "perfect job" in an imperfect location better than the reverse? FIRST PERSON Not a Bad Gig The best thing about teaching at a community college is just that: teaching. THE ADJUNCT TRACK Hate Your Supervisor? Developing a strategy for dealing with a bad boss may help you keep your job and your peace of mind. FIRST PERSON Waiting for the 'Big One' A political theorist and a surfer mulls the similarities, and the one major difference, between his two passions. FIRST PERSON College and the Fall Settling in to the rhythms of academic life, an assistant professor wonders what happened to his self-righteous anger? CAREER TALK Pregnant on the Job Market If you are pregnant and interviewing for a job, what should you tell potential employers? And when? FIRST PERSON Equal Pay for Equal Work A part-time faculty member makes the case for paying adjuncts proportionately to full-time professors. FIRST PERSON Two-Year Colleges Not for You? Think Again. A surprising number of community colleges are hiring. But will you feel like a "real" professor working at one? FIRST PERSON Becoming a Librarian After years of fruitless hunting for a faculty job, a Ph.D. in English finds his niche. BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER Library Careers A new fellowship program opens an alternate route for Ph.D.'s into the academic-librarian profession. FIRST PERSON On the Market With the odds against them, an academic couple in English prepare to go on the job market for the first time. FIRST PERSON Anger Management Fury is an entirely appropriate reaction to failure on the academic job market, argues a recent Ph.D. in history. FIRST PERSON Give Us a Chance Job candidates are desperate for tenure-track openings. So why does a department in the rural South keep getting the brushoff? FIRST PERSON On the Market Sophie Ruscello likes almost everything about her first tenure-track job -- except for the students. FIRST PERSON Spousal Benefits Hired for his expertise in gay studies, a Ph.D. finds that the university's interest in him does not extend to his partner. CAREER TALK The CV Doctor Returns Our experts evaluate the vitas of four faculty-job candidates and an administrator seeking to move up. FIRST PERSON On the Market An academic couple in zoology begin a chronicle of their search for two tenure-track jobs in the same department. FIRST PERSON Pinch Me A Ph.D. in history is thrilled to finally be on the tenure track, but unexpectedly attached to the freelance career that kept him afloat. FIRST PERSON Indecision Do I want a tenure-track job? Do I want a job in industry? Do I have to decide now? MS. MENTOR In a Fall Funk Ms. Mentor observes that many academics feel victimized in the fall by the clueless and the uncaring. FIRST PERSON Excess Baggage Am I finally ready to throw out my old boxes of dissertation data, wonders a Ph.D. who has abandoned academe? BALANCING ACT Dr. Dad A Ph.D. in chemistry finds that his training in academic science helps him as a father. FIRST PERSON Five Virtues If you insist on going to graduate school in the humanities, Thomas H. Benton says, here are the qualities you should cultivate. CAREER TALK Psyched Up As a new hiring season gets under way, besides preparing your application materials, you need to get emotionally ready. FIRST PERSON Switching Labs A Ph.D. in biology struggles to extract herself from the lab of a hostile mentor and find a new home. FIRST PERSON On the Market Unsuccessful on the academic market, a history Ph.D. turns to consulting, but he's not giving up on academe quite yet. FIRST PERSON Blue Collar Ph.D. When does a Ph.D. who toils away cutting grass for a living have a chance to network? FIRST PERSON Some Reflection on Rejection For all the advice offered on landing a faculty job, not much is said about dealing with the other side of the coin -- not getting one. MS. MENTOR It's All About Fit Dr. Good Fit teaches superbly, seeks advice, shares research, joins committees, makes lasagna, smiles a lot, and is fictional. FIRST PERSON On the Market A Ph.D. in computer science finds himself struggling to decide among multiple offers. SPOTLIGHT Nontraditional Ph.D.'s Can applicants with doctorates from distance-learning programs land tenure-track jobs in academe? FIRST PERSON The Disadvantages of Youth Pursuing a doctorate at 23 can be a challenge when all of your classmates are on their second career. CAREER TALK A Summer Reading List For those preparing to go on the job market in the fall, Mary Morris Heiberger and Julia Miller Vick offer a little required reading. FIRST PERSON Salvaging an Ego Close to abandoning his search for an academic job, a Ph.D. finds a home overseas. THE ADJUNCT TRACK Quality Time Whether you teach full time or part time has little to do with how committed you are in the classroom. FIRST PERSON If You Must Go Here's what to consider before you pursue a doctorate in the humanities. MS. MENTOR Tone it Down Ms. Mentor explains why most high-pitched voices get weeded out of academe. FIRST PERSON The Faculty Spouse Marry a college faculty member and you may find yourself married to the college as well. SPOTLIGHT Jobs in History It was a bad year to be a senior professor on the market in history. BALANCING ACT When to Procreate Is it better to have children in graduate school than on the tenure track? A young scholar finds out. CAREER TALK Learning the Lingo Newcomers to the academic job market can be confused by the jargon. Here's the sequel to our glossary of common terms. FIRST PERSON We Just Do An instructor recalls his first teaching experience and the moment when he knew he would be a lifer. FIRST PERSON The Perfect Match An academic couple -- he in physics and she in law -- sort through their offers to find two that mesh. FIRST PERSON 12 Interviews in 45 Days A Ph.D in computer sciences juggles too many interviews in too little time. THE ADJUNCT TRACK Exploited, Not Unqualified People who disparage the qualifications of adjuncts are operating under the faulty assumption that they weren't good enough to get a full-time job. SPOTLIGHT Jobs in Physics A wave of faculty retirements is under way in physics but not all departments can afford to replace the retirees. CATALYST Reviving a 'Lesser' Degree For those seeking a career in the sciences but not a Ph.D., the professional science master's degree may be the answer. MS. MENTOR Should I Trust Him? Choosing a dissertation adviser, Ms. Mentor says, is as important as choosing a spouse. SPOTLIGHT Jobs in English The job market in English turned out to be not as bad as expected this year, but not particularly good either. BALANCING ACT A Change of Plans An A.B.D. in French adjusts her career plans after her father suffers a debilitating stroke. CAREER TALK The Best Home Pages Our columnists take a look at the Web pages of academics and offer critiques of what works and what doesn't. FIRST PERSON Left Out of the Loop A graduate student in biology finds herself with nowhere to turn after her adviser cuts her out of a licensing deal. FIRST PERSON Double Jeopardy Being black and female may have helped a young Ph.D. land tenure-track jobs, but they have also kept her on the job market. FIRST PERSON Don't Go The best piece of advice you can give an undergraduate who wants to go to graduate school in the humanities is, don't. FIRST PERSON Wrong Answers The chairman of an English department at a teaching-focused university advises job candidates on what not to say in the interview. THE ADJUNCT TRACK Stick to the Syllabus Adjuncts should refrain from expressing their political views in class -- and not just because it could get them fired. FIRST PERSON The Decision A diary of a faculty search in history comes to a close as the committee makes an offer. CATALYST Working in a Government Lab Working in a national lab gives Ph.D.'s the chance to do research without teaching obligations, but it's not for everyone. MS. MENTOR When to Remain Silent Ms. Mentor knows when you should speak up and when you should shut up. BALANCING ACT Salvaging a Career A trailing spouse, tired of low-paying adjunct work, arranges a sabbatical for herself. CAREER TALK Finding Good Help If your institution doesn't offer formal career counseling for doctoral students, where can you go for help? FIRST PERSON So Why Are You Really Leaving? An assistant professor leaves a plum job and her colleagues wonder: Is it the tug of family? Divorce? Is it us? FIRST PERSON Far From Home Here's how one doctoral student managed to stay connected while working on his dissertation far from his home institution. FIRST PERSON Another Year in Limbo It's hard to be upbeat at the end of a fruitless year on the academic job market. THE ADJUNCT TRACK Call Security That's one way to establish authority in the classroom. But Jill Carroll offers some less extreme options. FIRST PERSON Why I Quit A college writing instructor decides he's had enough of the classroom and the adjunct life. CATALYST Beating the Odds How two doctoral students in the sciences made it straight to the tenure track. MS. MENTOR Sullen Spouses She's got her dream job. He hates the location. What to do? Ms. Mentor knows. FIRST PERSON The Annual Move After a series of one-year faculty positions, an M.F.A. decides her visiting days are over. CAREER TALK Good References You have a job, but you want another. When should you ask your department head for a recommendation? FIRST PERSON The Promised Land After a long and winding road, a Ph.D. in English makes it on the tenure track. FIRST PERSON Skipping Maternity Leave A new assistant professor questions her decision to not take a maternity leave and return to work. FIRST PERSON Finishing the Dissertation Writing her dissertation was far more difficult than Renata Kobetts Miller thought it would be, and far more rewarding. THE ADJUNCT TRACK Teaching the Brats Teachers are supposed to love working with students, no matter now snotty, rude, or lazy they are. SPOTLIGHT What's Your Philosophy? Job applicants are increasingly asked to submit a statement of their teaching philosophy. But do departments really use them? SPOTLIGHT Dos and Don'ts Need help writing a statement of your teaching philosophy? Here are some tips on what to write, and what not to write. FIRST PERSON Making the Deal "That's your final position?" the candidate asks. "I'm afraid so," I reply. "Take it or leave it," I think but don't say. FIRST PERSON Choosing the Finalists In a diary of a faculty search in history, the committee settles on four finalists. CAREER TALK Answering Your Questions How sincere are job ads about diversity? Mary Morris Heiberger and Julia Miller Vick answer that and other questions from readers. FIRST PERSON Breaking the News A Ph.D. candidate in biology screws up her courage and finally tells her advisers she doesn't want a career in academe. FIRST PERSON On the Market A husband and wife in search of two tenure-track jobs suddenly find they have too many offers and options. SPOTLIGHT The Two-Year Attraction Frustrated with conditions at four-year colleges, many faculty members embrace the two-year mission. THE ADJUNCT TRACK It's Not Fair No, it isn't fair that adjuncts are exploited, says Jill Carroll. But it's what you do besides complain that will make a difference. FIRST PERSON On the Market A doctoral student in computer science negotiates both the formal and informal application processes. FIRST PERSON The Alternative Teaching Market A Ph.D. in English, unsuccessful on the academic market, finds himself a hot candidate at a job fair for private schools. CATALYST The Community College Scientist The benefits and sacrifices of a career in the sciences at community colleges. FIRST PERSON Profits and Learners After an abortive foray into the academic market, a history Ph.D. candidate tries his hand at for-profit education. BALANCING ACT The Two-Body Problem The logistics of an academic couple's search for two tenure-track jobs are tough enough, but how do you cope with the emotional fallout? CAREER TALK Moving Toward Autonomy Postdocs in the sciences serve as a transition to professional independence. Here's how to survive yours. FIRST PERSON Sitting Out a Year A postdoc in psychology learns a few lessons in job hunting and opts to take the year off. THE ADJUNCT TRACK Getting Involved How involved should adjuncts get in campus politics? SPOTLIGHT Lessons in Grantsmanship After hiring 11 new assistant professors, SMU's engineering school takes the unusual step of training them in how to get grants. FIRST PERSON Closing the Deal A Ph.D. learns to stop trying to close the deal before he's sure it's the deal he wants. CAREER TALK The Campus Interview The best way to alleviate the stress of a campus interview is to prepare, prepare, prepare. FIRST PERSON Surviving MLA How one job seeker survived his MLA experience and even learned to enjoy it. BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER Alternatives to Adjunct Work Instead of low-paying adjunct work, should you consider a job outside academe while you hunt for a tenure-track post? FIRST PERSON On the Market Her job search is in high gear, his has yet to start. Here's how one academic couple is coping. THE ADJUNCT TRACK Finding Time for Research It's a challenge, says Jill Carroll, but adjuncts can find the time to write and do research. FIRST PERSON A Derailed Dissertation What happens when a member of your committee suddenly decides your dissertation is not up to par? SPOTLIGHT Jobs for Historians History departments had expected to be doing a lot of hiring to replace retirees, but the economy has put a damper on that. FIRST PERSON Conference Man An academic superhero plans to use his X-ray vision to look into the unacknowledged hearts of job candidates at the MLA convention. SPOTLIGHT Jobs in English Faculty openings in English and foreign languages drop sharply. FIRST PERSON Giving Birth A Ph.D. in English prepares to give birth to an academic life and a human one. FIRST PERSON Where I Belong A self-described "white Canadian heathen" finds her niche teaching at a historically black university. CAREER TALK Fiscal Realities Here's what job candidates should know about how financial trends in academe affect the job market. FIRST PERSON A Digression on Digression For all the stress placed on order and proper planning in the classroom, sometimes digression is what works. FIRST PERSON Graduate School Neuroses Do lots of doctoral students develop neuroses late into their graduate-school careers, or is it just me? FIRST PERSON In the Minority Forced to resign after only a year on the job, a new assistant professor sees an insidious force at work: racial discrimination. THE ADJUNCT TRACK Juggling Multiple Gigs What are the rules for handling teaching assignments at multiple colleges? There are none, says Jill Carroll. FIRST PERSON The Weasel Clause When your tenure-track career is derailed by the weasel clause, the options are grim. MS. MENTOR The Art of Not Making Enemies Ms. Mentor rarely gets to tell all of her correspondents that they have done wrong. Now's her chance. CAREER TALK Am I My Vita? Drafting your CV can sometimes leave you feeling like you're fabricating an identity. SPOTLIGHT Tomorrow's Professor A small but growing e-mail list offers "desktop faculty development" to new academics and future ones. FIRST PERSON Redefining Myself Your courseload may be heavier at a teaching-oriented college, but the chains that can constrict your scholarly work will be lighter. THE ADJUNCT TRACK Don't Go the Extra Mile When you put in extra effort as an adjunct, says Jill Carroll, make sure that it serves your interests, and not just the institution's. FIRST PERSON On the Market A doctoral student in computer science finds he's a hot prospect in a suddenly not-so-hot field. CATALYST Small-Scale Science You may have pictured yourself at a major research university. Here's how to know if you should give small-college science a try. FIRST PERSON On the Market An academic couple -- he in physics and she in law -- begins a diary of their search for two tenure-track jobs. FIRST PERSON Trial and Error A Ph.D. who tried out administrative work decides to go back on the market for a tenure-track job. CAREER TALK The CV Doctor Returns Our experts evaluate the CVs of three recent Ph.D.'s, a community-college instructor, and an administrator. FIRST PERSON Not Expecting This A new assistant professor lands her dream job on the tenure track and then discovers she's pregnant. FIRST PERSON Once a Slacker A Ph.D. candidate in film studies begins a diary of his search for a tenure-track job. FIRST PERSON Cookie Conditioning Faced with having to ask her advisers for yet another recommendation letter, Karin Sconzert found a way to sweeten the request. THE ADJUNCT TRACK Getting Started Jill Carroll offers a primer on how to get started teaching as an adjunct. THE FUND RAISER Your New Fund-Raising Job Here's what you should hope to accomplish during your first semester in a new development job. FIRST PERSON The Family Business A would-be English professor who hopes to follow in his parents' footsteps in academe begins a diary of his job search. FIRST PERSON A Fairly Happy Ending An academic couple's four-year search for the perfect solution to their two-body problem finds them on the brink of stability. FIRST PERSON Unwilling to Move Charles E. Winchester is ready for the market: He's published, and he's got a famous adviser. There's just one hitch. FIRST PERSON On the Market A Ph.D. in English prepares to give birth and then search for a tenure-track job. FIRST PERSON Is This a Good Year? Passionate about biology but weary of the pace of academic science, a doctoral student begins her job search. FIRST PERSON Greetings From Cairo Daniel Kowalsky begins a year-long teaching post in Egypt and finds it an enriching experience. BALANCING ACT The Worst Question For an academic couple, the worst question you can ask is about their future together. CAREER TALK Answering Your Questions Our columnists advise readers about dual-career job searches, job hunting from overseas, and other career quandaries. THE ADJUNCT TRACK |