Sunday, January 14, 2007
Ph.D.s and Paths Not Taken
The Annoyed Librarian points to an Inside Higher Ed article on the state of the job market for new history Ph.D.s. I always find these interesting, as my pre-librarianship path pointed to a Ph.D. in modern Judaism (yup, even more marketable! she says, tongue firmly in cheek), then a run at that elusive tenure-track position. When I dropped out (AKA, when I took my year's leave of absence... 12 years ago...) I worked a year in customer service at a trucking company before deciding a new career was in order and going the MLS route.
So, if you think the entry-level library job market is tough, cheer yourself up by thinking about the Ph.D.s who find theirs so bad they jump ship for libraries. I wonder on occasion if I'd be tenured today if I'd toughed out my soul-crushing grad school experience, but figure it's more likely that I would have spent those years piecing together a living as an adjunct at three different community colleges. Or found a job at Starbucks.
I also always find it interesting to hear about people's paths to this field, whether we're Ph.D. dropouts or lawyers who got tired of the rat race or teachers who burned out on their field. This variety of experiences and backgrounds is, I think, important in keeping our profession viable.
So, if you think the entry-level library job market is tough, cheer yourself up by thinking about the Ph.D.s who find theirs so bad they jump ship for libraries. I wonder on occasion if I'd be tenured today if I'd toughed out my soul-crushing grad school experience, but figure it's more likely that I would have spent those years piecing together a living as an adjunct at three different community colleges. Or found a job at Starbucks.
I also always find it interesting to hear about people's paths to this field, whether we're Ph.D. dropouts or lawyers who got tired of the rat race or teachers who burned out on their field. This variety of experiences and backgrounds is, I think, important in keeping our profession viable.
Labels: careerpath, doctorate, mls, phd
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I've thought about that. If I had been a better student, and if the faculty I cared about hadn't left Berkeley's rhetoric program, it's conceivable that I would have gotten the "consolation prize" (which is how the MA was regarded) and gone for the Ph.D. A Ph.D. in rhetoric may not be quite as salable in the job market as one in modern Judaism, but it's in the same league.
Fortunately, an opportunity came along in the library, I stepped out, they dropped me a few years later, and now, a mere 38 years later, I still ponder the possibility of becoming a real librarian.
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Fortunately, an opportunity came along in the library, I stepped out, they dropped me a few years later, and now, a mere 38 years later, I still ponder the possibility of becoming a real librarian.
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