fbpx
:::: MENU ::::

What’s Next to Come

by

I’ve had an allergy/sinus-related borderline migraine for the past couple days so bear with me today. This post is a bit stream-of-consciousness…. (side note: I googled whether the expression is “bear with me” or “bare with me” and its definitely “bear.” Apparently “bare with me” would literally be an invitation to undress with someone. lol!)

Anywho….

Two big things going on right now that I’d like to talk about and discuss amongst ourselves. Perhaps would be better to split into two separate posts but you get stream-of-consciousness Ashley today, lucky you!

1. Preschools. For new readers, my twin almost-three-year-old daughters are in preschool Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We pay an exorbitant amount of money for this part-time care to the tune of over $1,000 per month (see last budget post here). For long-time readers, you may recall that deciding on this specific preschool was a decision that we emotionally wrestled with for months. We first tried two separate options (an in-home daycare and a different preschool) before settling on our current place. We pay through the nose for this care, but it is HIGH QUALITY care. This is very important to me, so I was willing to pay this price (and drive quite a distance – a solid 30-45 minute drive each way x 2 for morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up). BUT – a lot more options open up for three-year-olds. We were a bit more limited with options for 2 year olds, but I’ve already started touring some new places nearby. Let’s be honest – our current place is INCREDIBLE. Really, truly incredible. They don’t have official NAEYC accreditation (the “gold standard” for measuring quality child care), but they meet all the top 10 program standards set forth by NAEYC (see here for more info). Meeting all 10 of those standards is TOUGH! I’ve got 4 new preschools on my list to see and so far I’ve checked out 2. One is definitely out. The other one I really liked! It doesn’t have standard #8 (i.e., there’s no community involvement/outreach), but it meets all the other standards and the curriculum is specifically designed to be NAEYC-compliant. Plus its much closer (about 15 minutes versus 30) and costs less. For 3 days a week, the cost would be $640/month (for both girls!), so significantly cheaper! For 5 days a week the cost is still less than our current preschool, costing $880/month (for both girls). I do have one concern – the main teacher is only in the room until noon; at that point the aids take over for the rest of the afternoon. That’s not ideal for a few reasons (higher turnover of aids disrupts relationships, not as high education/training, etc.), but it’s not a deal-breaker. Overall, I’m hopeful that come August (when the new school year starts), our preschool costs will be decreasing! Fingers crossed!

2. Job Stuff. Blah! Now that I’m writing this I feel like it really deserves its own post, but here goes…  I’ve recently determined that I’m going to spend more time doing research (which is completely unpaid but can help me get a full-time academic position). BUT, I’m really starting to feel the pain of losing my part-time research job at University B (got my last paycheck back in December), so I was thinking about trying to pick up more work. I starting poking around at online teaching jobs (for new universities) and it is so incredibly depressing. Do you know that online college teaching – for people with masters and doctorates – pays an average of $1500-$2500 per class? What the heck? That is insane!! For a 3-credit hour class, the general rule of thumb is that you spend 10 hours per week on the class. If the class is 15 weeks long, that averages out to only like $10-15 bucks an hour! Sure, there are shorter classes (condensed into an 8 or even 5 week course), but then you spend more hours per week on it! We’re talking – adjuncts are getting paid peanuts! You get paid more flipping burgers at some places! Wow! I have never revealed exactly how much I make teaching online (I’ve just said I get paid very well considering its part-time work). Let’s just say…I make substantially more than that. Like…by a lot. So now I’m so torn! I want to make up my lost income, but I have begged and pleaded to teach more classes at my current online teaching place and they just simply don’t have the demand for more classes right now (I’ve been granted an extra class 2 separate times, only to have it canceled due to low enrollment). I do teach 2 classes per semester – thank goodness! – but I would LOVE a third! BUT, it turns out that if I want to branch out to teaching at other places, I would essentially have to teach THREE classes just to equal the amount I get paid for ONE class at my current job. Makes it feel not even worth it! You guys – help! Would you try looking for additional teaching work? At $10 or $15 bucks an hour, is it even worth it? Or should I be focusing my attention more on the research (even though its completely unpaid…though has the potential for a bigger reward in the end if it lands me a job)??? I’m thinking I may hold out on looking for additional revenue streams while I’m trying to bolster my research career, but wanted to know what you think.

And one final question – can you OD on tylenol? I mean, I’m sure you can….but how much does it take, exactly? Liiiike, I’ve taken 4 and my head is still throbbing. Maybe time just to lay down for a bit??? We only have tylenol at home right now, but does a different medicine (motrin?) work better for sinus-related headaches???

I hope no one else is experiencing the allergy hell I’m in right now! Be well, everyone!

 


47 Comments

  • Reply Tammy |

    I have found Equate (Wal-Mart) brand severe allergy sinus to help. You can also alternate Tylenol an ibuprofen every three hours. It’s probably not a good idea to take such a big dose of Tylenol. It can eventually cause liver damage. NeilMed sinus rinse is also good to use on a daily basis. If it doesn’t improve soon I hope you will see a doctor about this. I have severe allergy and migraines and it takes a lot to control it all. Hope you get some relief soon.

    • Reply Ashley |

      Thanks for the tip! I actually didn’t take all 4 at once, but it was within the span of just a few hours (i took 2…still felt like crap, then took 2 more). I actually wrote this post yesterday afternoon so I feel a little better now. Still have the headache, but its no longer borderline-migraine status. Allergies – fun, fun!

      • Reply Mindy |

        Just spoke to one of my colleagues (pharm-d) – he suggested claritin-d for allergies (it’s otc, but may be behind the Rx counter) and generic Excedrin for headache. He said to be careful b/c Excedrin has Tylenol in it. 4g is maximum recommended, but he suggests sticking to 3.

        • Reply Ashley |

          This is awesome! Thanks for asking around for me, I really appreciate it!!

  • Reply Amanda |

    I live in the south, so preschool options may be totally different around here, but I am shocked that there aren’t better deals. Although I am not particularly religious, I called around to churches to find out about their preschool options. I am lucky that they are pretty competitive as far as academics in my area, so both of my children went 9-12 (with an option to pay for 8-2) for about $250 per month. If I was particular about the standards and certifications you’re mentioning, I would have paid much more, and I am convinced that I would not have been happier. I chose a small preschool with low turnover (although the turnover was just a happy coincidence – it did not influence my decision).

    For the job, I am also kind of offended that you think $15 per hour work FROM HOME is not worth it. I was recently offered a contractor position at $16 per hour to update online catalogs, and I was giddy. Sure, it’s less than I make in my “real” job, and I’m overqualified for it, but I can do it in front of the tv after the kids go to bed. Basically, if you have debt, and a part-time job doesn’t incur more cost (and not sure if yours would), then it’s worth it.

    • Reply Ashley |

      First – regarding preschool – if i were to do a half day option (8-12), the cost was $275/person, so not too different from what you mention
      Second – regarding jobs – didn’t mean to offend you. Do you have a Ph.D? I think pay is all relative. For the level of education and training I have, $15/hour is not good. (and the $15/hour was on the very high end! More jobs were in the $12ish/hour range). I have a hundred thousand dollar student loan to pay off. That’s just not enough money.
      Also…there ARE costs incurred. The cost is time. Time if invaluable in my position because research requires a LOT of it. It’s basically making a trade-off between a low-paying job with no potential for future rewards versus spending time on something unpaid (research) that has the potential for much higher future rewards (a full-time job). So it’s not as black and white as you make it sound

      • Reply Ashley |

        Ugh, I cringe reading my reply because I didn’t mean for it to come across as snarky or rude (“do you have a Ph.D.?”)…that was an honest question about level of education versus pay.
        Another thing to mention here is that I do NOT think I’m above or “too good for” a $15/hour job. I am actually planning to go back to teaching in-preson adjunct at community colleges (if I don’t land a full-time job) after the girls are in public school at age 5. (Note – those jobs also pay $1500-$2500/class, so same pay I’m talking about here). The reason why I don’t do it now is it simply doesn’t pay enough to cover the costs of increased preschool (since I’d be forced to move the girls to full time 5 days per week in order to get my work done).
        Just wanted to clarify what my intentions are here. Right now I’m still trying to get a full-time job. If that doesn’t happen, then you better believe I’ll be teaching every class I can at community-college (or university adjunct) level, despite the low pay. It’s just not worth it in my current position.

        • Reply Amanda |

          Is the half-day every day situation an option? It at least sounds like a cheaper solution, but I don’t know if you can rework your schedule that way.

          As to your question! Nope, no Ph.D. here! I also don’t have anything competing with my time other than personal interests once the kids are asleep, so it’s a no-brainer for me.

          I did clarify my statement that if “no costs were incurred” it was a good idea. I don’t necessarily think part-time jobs are always a good idea. Do you have the option of picking up an extra summer class? I can’t remember what your schedule is, but if you can do extra work just during the summer, it doesn’t delay the research by too terribly much, which might be a good compromise. Have you already started the research?

          There will always be a question of whether a one-time $1500 is worth it, especially since it sounds like picking up a third class on a regular basis isn’t the best use of your time. And my $16/hr gig sounds easier than yours, since you have to actually focus and prepare, and I just update websites.

        • Reply Katie |

          That wasn’t a snarky reply at all. The poster seemed to be equating working from home at a job you can do in front of the tv with your job. Uh, apples and oranges. $16/hr may be acceptable if you’re doing data entry. It’s not so great for a job that REQUIRES a doctorate.

          Personally, I’d switch preschools. Around us, most preschools are half-day, so proximity is a big issue. I couldn’t drop off at 9:00, go home and then come back for a noon pick-up with that kind of drive. If you continue to do 3 days/week, you’re saving $360+/month. That’s over $4K/year and they have 3 years left? That $12K will go far in reducing your debt.

          Finally, without knowing exactly your field of expertise, is there a way to use your skills in a setting other than academia? Consulting? Something else that may be more lucrative than teaching?

          • Juhli |

            I second thinking about how to market your skills and expertise outside of academia. Many years ago as a new Ph.D. with no job and a child to support I found out what others with my specific degree were doing outside of academia. The answer was market research or organizational training and development. I chose the latter and found a job which became a career. At least consider how else to get paid well for your education as you make these decisions or if your part-time work dries up.

        • Reply SAK |

          If you were talking about an at home job that wasn’t related to your career or use your PhD/skills (do in front of TV) – $15 – $20 is OK. But you are using PhD, the tradeoff is time to improve your skills and you don’t absolutely need the money. In my business we turn down work if they won’t meet our (admittedly high) rates. You aren’t just paying for the time takes me to do the work – you are paying for the fact that my 20 years of experience means I know what I am talking about and you are getting the right answer. I think you are doing the right thing.

    • Reply Maureen |

      I agree that it is relative. I have a J.D. as well as a M.A. (not trying to brag, just putting it into context). I recently relocated for my spouse’s job and I am having a hard time finding a job making more than $20-$25 an hour. I used to file bankruptcy cases (when I owned my own practice) and 80% of the people filing made more money than I did as an attorney. I owe $120K in student loans (and started at $190K). Twenty dollars an hour does not “pay the bills” for me. The market for attorneys has bottomed out and I live in a large market. There are no jobs and competition for the $20/hour contract (no benefits) jobs. It’s sad. Ashley, I would focus on the research!

      • Reply Ashley |

        Thanks Maureen! Sorry to hear about your situation, but at least you’re still making some progress. From 190k down to 120k – that’s 70 grand! No small chump change! Great job!

    • Reply Ms. Mintly @ MintlyBlog |

      Amanda, I was wondering if you could let me know where you found that job posting? I’m in instructional design and work with this type of thing, and I’ve been looking for a part-time (side hustle) position similar to that! I have been using Indeed and FlexJobs, but was wondering if you knew of another resource where I might jobs similar to the one you were able to pick up.

      Thanks in advance for any guidance you have!

  • Reply Sheila |

    I take sudafed and tylenol together for sinus headaches. Some medicines have them combined, but if they don’t, I take a dose of each.

  • Reply Karen |

    If you took a lower paying third class would that get in the way o your research work?

    Try Excedrine Migraine. It works GREAT! Rest prolly helps too. Feel better soon!

    • Reply Ashley |

      Yes, it would absolutely be competing in time for my research. I feel like I don’t have enough time for research as it is. It can be VERY time-intensive, but the probably bigger issues it that it requires large blocks of time to work (at least for me). Grading is easy because I can grade a paper here or there between other things so I can fit my current grading into my day. But research requires more sustained concentration over longer periods of time to do a thorough job. Otherwise I keep starting over to remind myself what I’ve already done, where I’m at, etc. That competition for time (research versus new job) is the biggest issue.

  • Reply laura |

    Hi, please be careful with Tylenol! Acetomenophin can actually cause severe liver damage at pretty low doses. The over the counter dose for Advil can be doubled or tripled (to make a prescription strength dose of ibuprofen) but you should never go over the recommended limit with Tylenol. The radio show “This American Life” devoted an entire hour to this topic — it’s worth googling. They pointed out that the public perceives Tylenol as the safest choice (especially for kids) but in fact many people have died. Really interesting!

    Hope you feel better soon. I like Advil cold & sinus combined with otc generic xyrtec.

    • Reply Ashley |

      Yikes! I love This American Life but never listened to that episode – I’ll check it out!

      • Reply Laura |

        Here’s the link: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/505/use-only-as-directed

  • Reply onefamily |

    I have found that for sinus headaches neither tylenol nor advil work. I have to take a sinus medication.

  • Reply Angie |

    I think plenty of people with advanced degrees would appreciate the opportunity to earn more money. But I understand not wanting to take a job because you think it’s beneath you, especially if it’s a teaching one. I would hope my professors *want* to be there!

    • Reply Ashley |

      Definitely don’t think it’s beneath me. Also, I love teaching. Wrote all about it here: https://www.bloggingawaydebt.com/2015/03/hello-from-t-town/

  • Reply Kili |

    Hi Ashley,
    I don’t think you ment to imply that these jobs is beneath you.
    I can see how it doesn’t make a lot of sense to take those on when you look at it from a sheer mathematical view.

    Just wondering what the longterm view on this might be?
    Could those clases sort of pay “more” with time? e.g. doing the same class in the 2nd , 3rd or 4th year, would you need significantly less time (e.g. 4 hours instead of the 10 you’d need in the 1st year) preparing? thus raising your hourly pay? Or is that an unlinkely scenario because a, you don’t know if they’ll offer the same class next year? b, so much changes in your field that you’d be needing the 10 hours each year you teach?

    Do you know that metaphor of trying to extinguish fire with a bucket with a big hole?
    so you’ll do a lot of trips and stress out alot over it, but you’ll be running 30 times back and forth. Whereas if you took the time to just patch up the bucket (which does need time initially), you’ll be able to extinguish the fire with 10 trips form the well to the fire.
    I do think it makes sense to look for something that pays more for the hour? (Not working in American academia though, I am just not sure, what kind of job / assignement that could be…)

    • Reply Ashley |

      Hi Kili,
      Generally you are right that each additional time you teach a class it becomes easier and easier (largely because there’s less prep since it’s already prepped the first time and really only needs small updates across future semesters). An exception is with writing-intensive courses (of my two classes, one is writing intensive). I’ve learned little short-cuts (e.g., I have a word doc with common corrections that I can copy/paste to assignments instead of typing them every single time), but to a large extent you still end up spending a lot of time per assignment on grading.
      Maybe this warrants its own post since there seems to be a lot of discussion about my job situation. In a nutshell, my long-term goal is to land that full time academic position. If that ends up not working out, then I certainly want to bolster my teaching resume and go full-force into teaching (probably a mixture of in-person and online adjunct positions at different universities and community colleges).

  • Reply Gayla |

    Hi Ashley,

    Sorry you’re feeling rough with allergies. It’s an annual event at my house too.

    I wanted to remind you of your post on December 8th — you just had a job interview and you realized that you have a skill that is really valuable, and that you had an idea for a great way to market yourself to other employers. You were being vague to give yourself some anonymity during your job search, so we don’t know what that skill is. Have you developed this idea? Is it something that would easily transfer to another field with better pay?

    I’m cheering for you!

    • Reply Ashley |

      Thanks Gayla! My skills are really academic-specific. However, what I was thinking would take me in a slightly different direction than my current (goal) trajectory, which is the traditional academic type job (research and teaching). I was hoping to use my specialized skill set to get my foot in a door somewhere, but upon further reflection I think it would be more beneficial once I’m already in an academic setting and then I can position myself in such a way to climb the ranks quickly (potentially carving out a new job niche).

  • Reply Meghan |

    Hi Ashley-

    As far as the headache, you can definitely take more Ibuprofen than you can Tylenol type product at any one time. In the military, they hand out 800mg Ibuprofen pills to just about everybody and tell you that you can take up to three a day! (My husband and his buddies called them “grunt candy.”) Tylenol, the other readers have already noted, can be destructive to your liver; a few years back the daily max dose was dropped from 8 to six (but I think that was maximum strength).

    As far as how much adjuncts are paid, part of it is the reality of supply and demand. Back when the economy tanked a lot of people chose to go back to school so now there is a glut of advanced degree candidates all vying for the same few jobs. Yes, teachers should be paid more when we consider what they do for our children, but if you are looking at two candidates and they are the same in qualifications but one is willing to take a lower salary, who do you choose (kind of like buying store brand versus a label brand, if its the same product inside do you pay for the fancy label)? You clearly love teaching and we need those kind of teachers in the schools, but between your location limitations and the increased supply of candidates for the same jobs it does limit your salary options.

    All of that being said, and I hope it didn’t sound mean because that is not my intention, if you think that additional research and writing is worth your time and will increase your odds as a candidate for a faculty position then I say you should definitely focus on that! You have been making great strides in your debt and are in a place where you have trimmed your expenses and are making more than minimum payments on a regular basis. There is more to a job then just the salary, the satisfaction in your work can make a huge difference and if focusing on research and publication will help you get a job you find satisfaction in then do it!

    Cheers,

    Meghan

  • Reply Jenna |

    The way I see it, your choices here are between an investment (of time) in your career or investment of time and earning into your debt pay down strategy. Only you can decide which should take priority at this time. Since most career tracks do not require the same sort of experience and education, it will be hard for people (myself included) to be able to help you assess the reality of your prospects if you make the investment in research. Personally, I could not stand the necessity of working for free, hence I did not choose a track that required that. But you did, so do you want to continue in that track and invest more in it or make an adjustment to your career plan and prioritize your debt payoff that way?

    Also, have you considered the options for student loan forgiveness? I have seen too many people pour themselves into paying down their student loans, missing other opportunities along the way, without understanding their options, so if you haven’t looked into how that would work for you, please do. I’d be happy to share links for info if you want it.

    • Reply Ashley |

      I have looked into forgiveness programs. Many of them I would not qualify for and/or would be unable to fulfill the commitments (e.g., peace corps, teaching at low-income schools). I am currently enrolled in the income-based repayment program which, in theory, is supposed to forgive any unpaid loan balances after 15 years (I believe – this is off the top of my head, but I think 15 is the “magic” number), but I don’t like that option either. First because I don’t want my debt hanging around that long, second because I owe the money and I want to repay it, and third because I don’t feel like I can necessarily trust that the same program will be in place 15 years from now and it feels risky to just sit back and pay minimums with the hope that someday the rest will be forgiven (just doesn’t sit right with me).
      Have you had success with another type of program?

      • Reply Jenna |

        Hi Ashley, I definitely understand your concerns about the program, especially concerns 1 and 3. What I’ll say about concern 2 is that 1) I am sure your payments through out the time before forgiveness will pay for the amount you actually borrowed, you will pay significantly more than you borrowed during the time you’re paying (I actually think it’s 25 years you’ll pay before forgiveness unless you work for a qualified nonprofit or public agency, in which case it will be 10 years until forgiveness), 2) the forgiveness program is part of the loan program, it is an expectation that people will use it because the government does not WANT to drown people in debt or negatively influence their life options through debt. We give up a lot of life’s options (including investing, buying a home, etc. (which negatively affect us personally and often the economy more broadly)) by prioritizing the pay off of these forgivable debts. Anyway, just something to consider particularly if/when you get a position with a qualified agency (I believe colleges are qualified agencies, depending on how they are incorporated) and have your loans forgiven.

  • Reply C@thesingledollar |

    I personally have decided never to adjunct for less than my time is worth — I’d set that at a minimum of $5000 a class, and I think $8000 is really much more appropriate. It’s ludicrously exploitative to offer $1500 or $2000, and I choose not to cooperate in that. I’d frankly rather work for free, donating my time to organizations whose work I believe in. This isn’t a matter of whether or not the work itself is “beneath” you; it’s a matter of whether or not the employer is exploitative. As far as your personal situation, I’d advise you, if you’re going to look for another job on top of your current online teaching, to look for something that’s less all-consuming than teaching a low-paid class. It’s one thing to make $10-15 an hour for something that doesn’t require a lot of emotional investment; it’s another thing to make it for something like a class where you’re constantly thinking about it. Could you work as an hourly writing tutor, either online or at the university? Or advertise yourself as an editor for academic papers (lots of non-native-English speakers need one — and for that matter so do many native English speakers!)

    • Reply Ashley |

      Very well said!
      I’ve actually thought about working as a tutor before. If you can score in-person tutoring gigs they tend to pay pretty well (though they’re harder to find. Typically word-of-mouth or you know someone). There are lots of online tutoring programs now, but I’ve read terrible reviews from the tutors. Lots of hoops to jump through to get in the system, unpaid training, then low wages (and, many times, horror stories of suffering terrible verbal abuse from students that goes completely unpunished by the tutoring services).

  • Reply Mary |

    In terms of your career, I’d focus on the research for now since that is consistent with your long term goal. I think you mentioned that your husband’s earnings typically increase over the summer. With that in mind I’d focus on the research and then if you need to make adjustments later in the year you can revisit that situation.

  • Reply Joe |

    I like the idea of picking up a class that you may be able to teach with below average time commitment (perhaps because you’ve taught a similar class before), or that you think you will really enjoy teaching multiple years or ideally in sequential semesters (thus amortizing the time investment as it will become easier over time).

  • Reply Sarah |

    Re preschool – it sounds like the program you looked at is “school” in the morning and day care in the afternoon. Nothing wrong with that as kids need to have time to play and not be in “school”. Kids are resilient and can adapt to change if there is turnover.

    Not sure what your degree is in but you might want to look at tutoring. Could bring in some extra money until you can come up with something else. I’m thinking high school kids but that might not work because your tutoring time would be in the afternoon and evenings. Just something to think about.

  • Reply Lori |

    Ashley, I also teach online. Do you think you could get a sitter to come one day a week so you can get your work done and forego both daycare costs and finding extra work? If the girls were in school less it would be like a pay raise with less commitments.

    • Reply Ashley |

      I actually started off using babysitters initially (when the girls were infants) and found it incredibly stressful because sitters would cancel for a myriad of reasons (sick, car problems, etc etc etc). The reason I switched them to preschool was primarily for the stability since I knew I could always count on them (they’d never call and cancel on me). Also, one day a week would definitely not be enough time for everything (assuming I’m also trying to do research, apply for academic jobs, etc.)

  • Reply AT |

    This is the most maddening thing you have ever posted, and I’m of two minds as to what to say. So I’ll say it both ways, maybe one will sink in.

    Your PhD was supposed to make you the world expert in something. Whatever the topic, you should have more to say, more passion about extending those ideas than anyone else. Successful professors self-start and restart over and over. Research hits dead-ends, students don’t complete projects, your competitors beat you to publication. You have to be deeply engrossed in your ideas about your field so you can muster the internal motivation to sustain it in the hard times. If you won’t do it now because you temporarily aren’t being paid, you frankly don’t have what it takes to be full time faculty at a research institution and you ought to file that diploma in your mementos, go get a non-academic job and quit wasting the interview committee’s time and yours.

    The nicer way to say it is: It’s not just about the immediate payment of the debt. If doing research means you forgo a few thousand dollars this year but double your salary for now and forever, what more thinking is required?

    • Reply Joe |

      I think this is a very insightful post, and makes me completely rethink my earlier post.

      I work in research as well, but the “wet bench” kind that you can’t do at home and you can’t do in any serious part time way. So that makes my decision-making easy, I’m either all-in or all-out.

      It sounds like you can do the research you need from home, but still need extended time periods of uninterrupted thought and concentration (which is true of almost all research). So off the top of my head it sounds like there are two basic paths:

      1. Forgo other teaching commitments for the time being and carve out the time you need now. Potentially even double-down and forgo some cash savings by moving the kids into 5-days a week care.
      2. Forget about that for now, and look for other teaching/other revenue streams. Try to dive back into research after the kids are in school a few years from now. (a very tough road)

    • Reply Ashley |

      AT – I had to lol at your post! Not in a mean way, but just because I am definitely on the same page as you, friend! Sounds like you’re familiar with academia, so I’ll tell you my thought process. I always assumed I MUST land an academic job within the first 2 years of graduating. This August marks the 2-year mark. Therefore, I thought that if I hadn’t landed a job by that time that I’d more or less be forced to segue into a more non-academic (or at least not full-time academic) route.
      Well, after my recent out of state campus visit I really started re-thinking that plan. I want to try to give it another year (which, yes, requires extreme devotion). The trade-off, of course, is another year with low pay in the hopes that it will pay off (NOT a guarantee). The issue here – with this blog in particular – is that it is a debt reduction blog. Many readers are NOT familiar with the nuances of academia, what is required for completing/publishing research, and all the trade-offs involved (not to mention – that academic position is still not a guaranteed thing). So, yes, of course it makes sense to put off the higher income for one more year and work for free, invest the time, energy, effort, etc. But that plan doesn’t make sense to those unfamiliar with the academic lifestyle. Also, I keep circling back to the fact that I’m in a pretty precarious position. I could be throwing myself into my work and have NOTHING come of it (i.e., NO job at the end of the year). In that case, this is a year wasted when I could otherwise have been working on increasing revenue streams through alternative job paths.
      I’ve been leaning toward the research option (i.e., forgo searching for other jobs; throw myself into work with full force and be prolific x 10!!), but its not an easy decision. As you can surely see, it’s something I’ve been grappling with.
      Now, more importantly….you in academia? Have any “ins”? ; )

  • Reply AT |

    I blessedly exited academia, but my DH is still in the peak of his academic career, federally funded, graduate students, etc.

    There are no guarantees, quit second guessing and go do it for a year. Otherwise you will regret it for the rest of your life, especially considering the price of your degree (not just money but to your family). If you haven’t published your dissertation work, that’s job 1. Write up everything you can that’s close to done, even if it’s not your future direction. If you get a tenure track job, your retention decision can happen as early as three years, so you need to load the pipeline with productivity. Don’t get stuck in the cycle of sending out to high profile journals to see if you get in, then having to reformat for another journal. That wastes months.

    Does your specialty not do post-docs routinely?

    • Reply Ashley |

      My specialty does, indeed, do postdocs….which pay about $40k, are full-time, and often require cross-country moves. I’ve considered what I’ve done to basically piecemeal my own postdoc (back when I was still doing research and teaching, of course I no longer have the research job, but if I continue to do research on my own, hopefully it will make up for that).
      Thank you so much for the comment, I’ve really taken it to heart. I’ve basically done the exact OPPOSITE of what you suggested – I have 2 papers now that have both gone through 2 top-tier journals with the whole cycle: original submission, revise and resubmit submission, and ultimately been rejected. This process has literally taken a year. Maybe its time to go the mid-tier journal route and just get these things out the door and off my desk! Seriously – I thank you for pointing this out!

So, what do you think ?