The Law School/Grad School Parallels Strike Again!
Given the state of the economy, attending law school might be as bad of an investment as attending graduate school–a situation that several publications have noticed recently. Now Psychology Today is getting into the act with some practical advice for those considering a postgraduate education in the legal realm.
For anyone tempted to go to grad school or considering quitting, this post is a must-read. I say this a lot, but the article makes it crystal-clear that the life of the mind isn’t right for everyone, especially those who are already in a troubling financial condition.
The smartest tip from the article is to calculate your best-case-scenario hourly wage after you get out of law school. In this case, take the law school stats in the post and substitute with the stats you think are likely for your career or debt situation:
–Suppose you land a legal job after graduation paying $65,000 (which sounds good). First, assorted taxes will take about 25% of your salary, so now you’re earning about $4000 per month. (And if you’re working 60 hours a week– not uncommon in the law– your net hourly wage is about $16.00/hour).
–Now let’s say you have $100,000 in student loan debt at an average interest rate of 6.8% … and you plan to pay it off in 10 years. That means you’ll be paying about $1150.00 a month for the next 10 years– making your actual law school debt about $138,000. (If you lower your payments by extending the loan for 20 years, your overall debt for law school becomes $184,000.
On the bright side, grad students tend to get a free ride plus stipend, so they don’t rack up the kind of debt that law students do. But keep in mind that, even with all the handwringing and hairpulling that law-school students are dealing with right now, they still have a better shot at a job.
To be blunt, it sucks that those who have the talent but not the funds can’t pursue their academic or lawyerly dreams, but do you want to roll the dice on getting a job and losing? Do you want to be the guy or gal who defaults on a student loan because you can’t find a job? Even if you choose to go anyway because it is your passion (and no one here at Post Academic wants to get in between you and your passion), you need to know the numbers up front, and you can’t always count on your advisors to reveal them to you.
Caricature of lawyer and politician Jules Favre from Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Footnotes: The one in which the music died
“Footnotes” is supposed to be a semi-regular series that collects some stories and postings that are semi-relevant to the semi-academic focus of the blog. This one we’re devoting to college radio and college rock, two of our favorite things about college and one of the first bonding topics that brought together the Post Academic team back in grad school. Unfortunately, we only have bad news to convey here: Can the crapped out economy plus the conservative right really kill the rock for the kids?
Rice U’s KTRU station sold: KTRU is something of a college radio institution, at least as Arnold’s high school friends from Rice have told him. But that didn’t stop Rice U’s admin, through some shady, secret deal, from selling the school station’s frequency and transmitter to the U of Houston for $9.5 million. Under the plan, its freeform format will undergo a facelift and become a NPR-affiliated classical music station, under the callsign of KUHC, with KTRU still existing online. What’s interesting is that the public U of H seems to be taking advantage of the well-heeled, highly-endowed private Rice, which claims it’s selling due to recession-related budget woes. Relatedly, Rice UP is being shuttered after restarting a few years ago as an online-only publisher. The best line from the Houston Chronicle piece linked above is that “the secrecy surrounding [the sale] was counter to academia’s preferred openness.” Seriously, academia prefers openness? Like, you know, in all those job searches and tenure reviews?
Anyhow, for more info from those on the ground, check out the Save KTRU blog.
Vandy’s WRVU considers selling: That’s probably a situation that weird music listening Vandy alums–like four-year DJ Caroline Roberts!–should keep an eye on, since their alma mater’s WRVU is exploring the possibility of selling its license and frequency to go online. The official line from the student-run station is that “the proceeds would be used to create an endowment to support innovative student media experiences, facilities and operations at Vanderbilt in perpetuity.” But according to Nashville alt-weekly The Scene, there might be something more dubious afoot, passing along unconfirmed speculation that a Christian network–Educational Media Foundation–is interested in picking up the frequency to work its way into the market. It doesn’t help, either, that Vanderbilt Student Communications, which runs the station, pre-empted any dissent by buying up domain names like “savewrvu.com/.org/.net. In any case, the financial motive is for Vanderbilt Student Communications to use the money to endow an online-only station that would supposedly be unburdened from relying on finding revenue in other ways.
After these two stories, you gotta be asking what up with fancy privates sometimes referred to as “the Harvard of the South” selling/out their radio stations?
New Pornographers cancelled by Christian college: As if no one could see this was coming, but Christian school Calvin College in Michigan cancelled a scheduled performance by indie-supergroup the New Pornographers. For those of you not in the know, the New Pornographers are really not pornographic at all, unless you count sentimental love songs with a tinge of humor as X-rated. Pretty much the only thing racy about the outfit is that part-time singer Neko Case was unsolicitedly voted as the “Sexiest Babe in Indie Rock” in a Playboy poll.
The reasoning given by the Calvin College powers-that-be was that, “after weeks of discussion and consideration, the irony of the band’s name was impossible to explain to many.” That’s kinda hilarious, because there’s some kind of assumption that the band’s moniker could only be ironic–however the CC folks define that–if it wasn’t serious. This article in The Grand Rapids Press compiles all the jokes made at the expense of Calvin College because of its decision. Even better is yet another piece in the GRP–has anything else happened in Grand Rapids this week?–pointing out how other bands much more sketchy thematically have performed at Calvin, from too sexy Liz Phair to too drunken Hold Steady. My question is how does Calvin College get such great shows in the first place?
The Alcoholic Tenured Professor Stereotype on Film: Doctor Detroit
For anyone who assumes that all professor-oriented films are twee affairs that feature pompous characters exploring their navels, Post Academic gives you “Doctor Detroit.” No other film rivals it. It is basically a comic book in which a comp-lit professor leads a multicultural hooker posse. Sorry to spoil the ending for you, but the professor gets the money and the girl (uh, make that girls). For that reason, it deserves far more love and attention than it currently receives.
Meet the Professor: Clifford Skridlow (Dan Aykroyd), comparative literature, Monroe College
Hot Pepper Rating: Depends on how you feel about Dan Aykroyd.
Likelihood of Having an Undergrad Piece on the Side: This movie is about sex and money. Yet there is no undergraduate fraternization to speak of.
Boozing and Drugging Quotient: The only way to transform Professor Skridlow is to get him higher than a kite, and he is more than appreciative.
Mental Condition: As this is such a broad ’80s comedy, the characters have very few nuances or concerns other than escaping the clutches of a nefarious crime queen.
Financial Fakery: In this field, “Doctor Detroit” is more subersive than any other film in the professor genre. Skridlow lives with his parents, and his father is the president of the college. The thought of a comp-lit prof having to camp with parents isn’t all that outlandish, and this flick was made in the 1983.
Plus, the college in question is broke, and Skridlow’s father is desperate to obtain an endowment check from a tycoon. This may be the only movie in the “horndog” series that foreshadows the current month-by-month condition of higher education. And it is definitely the only movie in the “horndog” series that equates college fundraising with pimping.
Teaching Talent: Skirdlow does indeed appear in the classroom and wax eloquent on King Arthur. He also makes frequent references to the greats, like Don Quixote, lest the audience forget that he is a professor of literature. The members of his multicultural hooker posse, however, are more conscientious about grading papers than he is.
Quotations: 1. “I’m a full assistant professor now!”
2. On free food at a faculty party: “These people are in academia! Free food is like honey to a bear to these people!”
3. Hooker 1: “What should I do about these papers?”
Hooker 2: “Give ‘em all a B. That’s what they deserve, anyway.”
Conclusion: So it isn’t a drama. So it’s silly. So it is wildly offensive to modern sensibilities. But professor as pimp? Professor as metal-handed badass? Professors in lime-green pants instead of tweed? The writers of this movie thought big. And its soundtrack–which features Devo and James Brown–kicks the ass of any other film in this genre.
The Best in College Novels: With Poll!
In honor of the new school year, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel recently assembled an exhaustive list of the best novels set in the academy. Many of these novels perpetuate the notorious academic stereotypes that we lovingly detail in the Alcoholic Horndog Tenured Professor Stereotype on Film series, but author Mike Fischer sums up why the ivory tower is such a great setting for a novel:
But even the most dedicated scholars don’t live in a library, and the disconnect between impossibly high-minded visions of the quest for knowledge and the inevitably earthy compromises of everyday life can be extremely funny and unbearably sad – in ways we all recognize from our own lives, regardless of who we are or what we do.
Instead of depicting professors as stock buffoons, a good campus novel probes what happens when an unchanging, pure ideal encounters the real world. Some professor characters handle it well, and others don’t–which leads to some killer satire.
If you just entered the academy, consider adding some of the books on Fischer’s top college novels list to your own. These books may not help you pass your exams, but they will give you an idea of how to navigate the landscape. The list appears as a poll after the jump, and we’d love to find out which college novels you like the most and whether or not you prefer the heavy dramas to the lighter satires. (For me, “Lucky Jim” is the pinnacle of all of them, followed by “White Noise.” Just sayin’)
Jump below to get to the poll!
In honor of MLA JIL opening day: Revisiting “Worst. Job Market. Ever.”
"Copies of The Complete Worst-Case Scenario Surival Handbook..." by BrokenSphere (Creative Commons license)
So today is basically like Christmas day for the English and Comp Lit types looking for jobs, because the MLA Job Information List is finally up! Many folks have been waiting for months and months for this day, which might explain why I can’t get on the mla.org or ade.org JIL sites. Once their servers ever de-slam, and provided someone renews UCI’s subscription, we’ll try to offer some anecdotal analysis comparing this year’s initial job listings to last year’s edition. Otherwise, we’ll just have to check and re-check the Academic Jobs Wiki today in hopes that someone will repost the jobs–might as well develop that habit and bookmark the site now, because it’s gonna happen sooner or later!
But to mark the occasion, we’re gonna give you a little homework in preparing for the job market and provide a little historical context. We’re reposting a piece from this spring around when the blog just started, which basically digested the very sad and depressing numbers released by the MLA “Mid Year Report.” I guess you could say that the report was “comforting,” since it pretty much confirmed that it wasn’t your fault you couldn’t find an academic job–2009 really was the “Worst. Job Market. Ever.” Here’s hoping things are better this year, since they couldn’t be worse–could they?
…
This little nugget from the MLA via an Inside Higher Ed news blurb (forwarded to me by Caroline) all but confirms what many of us have known empirically or surmised: that the current manifestation of the job market is the worst ever — or at least since almost all current first-time job seekers were born. According to a MLA midyear report, advertised job openings dropped from 1,380 English positions in 2008-09 to a projected 1,000 positions in 2009-10; for foreign languages, the drop went from 1,227 to a projected 900. Most startlingly, the raw numbers indicate that this the fewest number of job openings in at least 35 years (see Figure 1 from the MLA report). For job seekers looking for their first tenure-track position, the stats may even be worse, with only 165(!) T/T Assistant Prof positions in English and 97(!!) in Foreign Languages advertised in the “big” October 2009 Job Information List (see Figure 5 and Figure 6, respectively).
Check out how quickly this decline has hit the profession:
Year: Total Job Openings (English numbers/Foreign Language numbers) and Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Openings in Oct 2009 (E/FL)
2005-06: 1,687 E/ 1,381 FL total and 412 E/ 231 FL Asst Prof
2006-07: 1,793 E/ 1,591 FL total and 474 E/ 267 FL Asst Prof
2007-08: 1,826 E/ 1,680 FL (The highest number of openings since 1999-2000) and 384 E/ 244 FL Asst Prof
2008-09: 1,380 E/ 1,227 FL and 299E / 236 FL Asst Prof (Keep in mind that many, many openings were cut after they were advertised in Fall 2008, at various stages of the process)
2009-10: 1,000 E/ 900 FL total (projection) and 165 E/ 97 FL Asst Prof
More bad news, below the fold…
“Can a Grad Student Study Too Much?”
Other than “ass school” (ahem!), somebody went to Post Academic looking for the answer to this question. There is only one answer: Yes, yes, yes! If you’re in a literature program, read Thomas Hardy’s “Return of the Native.” One of the characters, Clym Yeobright, goes blind from studying too damn much. After a few long weeks of studying and grading, I started becoming dramatical and fearing that would be my fate.
Unfortunately, like Clym Yeobright, most grad students have a strong perfectionist streak, coupled with raging ambition. This is not a good mix. You want something so badly you’ll give up sleep and food and money for it, but the perfectionism freezes you up so you can’t break the cycle. At some point, you’re going to have to prioritize and figure out what it is you really want to do, which means you’ll need to let some things slide. And then everything you do in grad school, aside from the occasional moments of service, must guide you toward that goal.
If you aren’t good at setting priorities, grad school may not be for you. I fully admit that I tried to do way too much in an attempt to be perfect. I didn’t wind up being perfect, and I only got sick for my trouble.
The Hamster World provides more structure than the grad school world, unless you’re working for an asshole or a bully. Even then, you get paid more for your relentless pursuit of perfection than if you are a grad student. So, put the book down, and take a walk. You might come back with a clearer head and a new game plan.
I’m sure this dog is going to take a break. So should you. Image by Fantagu from Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Best Post/Academic Perks
One of the great perks of working at UCLA has been the rotation of hip, tasty food trucks serving up lunch, which definitely beats whatever the regular food mall fare available at most campuses. Plus, there’s the advantage of having most of the best trucks come to campus, rather than having to chase ‘em around town on Twitter. Thinking about a week of lunches that consists of “Great Food Truck Race” juggernaut Nom Nom, L.A. institution Canter’s, and my personal fave The Grilled Cheese Truck — mmm…a sandwich stuffed with mac’n'cheese and BBQ pulled pork!–got me thinking about what my favorite perks to campus life have been since I went to college. I’m sure I forgot a bunch of things, but here are some of my favorite examples of getting a little somethin’, somethin’ to make up for being a poor grad student.
"Kogi line" by Arnold Gatilao (Creative Commons license)
Lifetime Learning Tax Credit: I think this deal started up around the time I began grad school in the late 1990s, though maybe I’m imagining that because I wasn’t aware of it before then? Anyhow, this always seemed to be too good of a deal, giving us grad students a nice tax credit on tuition. I won’t say any more–I’m scared of the IRS!–but, if you’ve gotten that little scrap of the 1098-T and used it, you probably know what I mean. Suffice it to say that everyone asked everyone else every early April about what to do with Tax Form 8863 because it seemed too good to be true! But as lit scholars, there was always a way to read the instructions to justify applying for the Lifetime Learning Credit, even when you weren’t quite sure if you really, really could.
More Post Academic innovations, after the jump…
How to Quit Graduate School
Well, somebody’s been coming to Post Academic by looking for this phrase, and we’re here to help. I quit grad school a long time ago, and I’ll be happy to share some tips with you. This advice may also help you should you decide to quit a Hamster World job in the future.
Deliver an Up Yours only if you are serious you won’t need anyone’s help later. I’m not against a good up-yours, Half Baked job departure, but chances are you like at least a few people in school, and you don’t want to alienate them.
Stay in touch with old friends and advisors. A good advisor, particularly one who understands how hard it is to get a job in the academy, will serve as a reference for you no matter what. In fact, they may be thrilled you’re becoming a Hamster because all they’ll have to do is field a reference phone call or two instead of writing lengthy recommendation letters. Less work for them, more sanity for you. Win-win.
Finish your work before you go. The temptation to let other people clean up your mess will be strong. You won’t be around next semester, so what? Well, if you want those friends and advisors to remember you fondly, tie up as many loose ends as possible or at least spend some time training people to handle your work.
More after the jump! Comic book cover image from Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
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Great Employment Opportunity! #2: So basically, anyone can apply?
We’re back with our latest installment in our series highlighting and reading between the lines of job postings in lit fields, what we’re calling Great Employment Opportunity! (or GEO! for short). Last time, we started with the ethnic lit catch-all, which I think will be quite prevalent this year, because I’m guessing that a lot of depts think they will have a preference for Chicano lit specialists, but still aren’t quite sure yet and will keep their options open. But if you think the ethnic lit catch-all was vague and open-ended, check out today’s GEO!#2, which is so broad that the job calls in question should just ask for anyone who ever studied U.S. lit to apply. Actually, that’s what the 3 sample postings we have for your perusing pleasure more-or-less do, courtesy of the folks setting up the 20-21 c. American lit page at the Academic Jobs Wiki site, of course:
"Main building of the University of Notre Dame" by Tysto (Public Domain)
Notre Dame: “Assistant Professor, American literature after 1900. Breadth and interest in various genres desirable.”
Princeton: “19th-20th – century American Literature. Candidates with expertise in theory and/or visual culture are especially welcome.”
San Diego State: “Assistant Professor: 20th and 21st Century American Literature . . . tenure-track assistant professor specializing in 20th and 21st century American literature. Desirable secondary specializations include race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality studies, literature and the environment, transnational and comparative studies, border studies, or media studies.”
So, great, if you’re applying for these jobs, you’re basically going to be in a pool of at least multiple hundreds of applicants. Hey, at least, San Diego State adds some specifics, though there are so many of them that I’m not sure who is left out, since what person working in American lit over the past century doesn’t deal with race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, and so on–maybe that burgeoning field on the intersections between New Criticism and the graphic novel might be snubbed, although I’m thinking specialists there could talk themselves into thinking they work in media studies, right?
My favorite of these job postings is the one for Princeton, which really could yield applications from almost everyone working in American lit, since I’m sure early Americanists who mostly work in the 18th c. could fudge their credentials in 19th c. and 20th c. implies 21st c., right? I suppose those who work in “theory and/or visual culture” are licking their chops now, thought, you know, that might weed out 1 out of every 10 folks because everyone *thinks* s/he does theory in some way or another. But speaking of weeding out, how many applications do you think have no chance the instant they are received for these positions? I tended to avoid applying for jobs like these, because I figured I would never even get a reading among the hundreds and hundreds of applications, and assumed I needed a connection to grease the process for me, rightly or wrongly.
In the end, it seems like there’s no real criteria for the position, so what was the point–I might be full of myself, but I’m pretty sure I’m not the BEST scholar in 19th-20th c. U.S. lit that a job like the Princeton one would seem to be seeking, though who’s to say who that is or if it exists? My friends would always say that you just have to apply to everything because you never know what might happen–except I did know from my experiences what was going to happen. In the end, the wing-and-a-prayer GEO!s can add up, in time, effort, postage, pilfered letterhead, and inbox space. Count me out!
Not exactly an endorsement: Collegeinpjs.com
How many of you were nerding out on Labor Day and caught the “Star Wars” marathon on Spike? (Or maybe it was the “White Collar” late-night fest on USA sometime that weekend?) We’re asking because it’s likely you might have caught the ad for “collegeinpjs.com,” a kind of bait-and-switch commercial trick for something called “Education Connection,” which is some kind of service that connects users to online and real colleges–maybe “collegeinpjs.edu” is coming next? We’re not linking to it–see the title of the post–but we thought it was kinda hilarious. And anyway, you can find all you need to know by doing a Google search for “collegeinpjs.com,” which yields such chestnuts as a WikiAnswers entry on “Who is the girl in the Collegeinpjs.com commercial?” and Facebook group for “collegeinpjs.com Girl.”
The best discussion of “collegeinpjs.com” was on a Yahoo!Answers deal, which probably started with a planted thread asking if anyone had tried it, which garnered the response: “All I can say about that is, put on some clothes and go to a real college.” What I have to say about this is that the fine folks at Education Connection and the Yahoo! answerer must never have been to UC Irvine, because you don’t have to “attend” an online class to go to school in your PJs. Seriously, pajamas might as well be the school uniform for finals week at UCI.
Hmm…maybe it’s time to buy the “phdinpjs.com” and the “postacademicinpjs.com” domain names. Now those are visions you definitely don’t want to get stuck in your head.
