Post Academic

Any (hypothetical) reader of this blog is likely familiar with the Wikia-hosted Academic Job Wiki site, but I might as well link it on Post Academic and give it a tout.  If, somehow, you are not, commit what’s below to memory or bookmark:

http://academicjobs.wikia.com/wiki/Academic_Jobs_Wiki

From September to the end of the annual job market around now (at least for literature types), the job wiki is pretty much indispensable, whether you’re looking for info on a job you just applied for, finding job postings you missed, getting ready to be bummed when someone else gets a convention interview/a campus visit/an offer, or if you’re just a voyeuristic lurker.  Though I can really only vouch for the literature and postdoc offerings, the list seems pretty comprehensive, covering disciplines ranging from the sciences to the humanities, including archives going back a few years.

Aside the raw data, what also makes people like me go back and back and back to the job wiki day after day after day is the virtual community it produces.  So maybe there is some mischief making and some folks who get so many interviews/visits/offers that you can’t help but be enviously annoyed by them, but there’s a spirit of sharing on the wiki that actually goes beyond the camaraderie of real, live friends.  Friends, don’t take this the wrong way, cause you’re great and all, but comparing notes about the job market–for all parties, including myself–is the most awkward, teeth-pulling thing there is among people who know each other well and fondly in every other way.  With a few exceptions, applying for jobs has just led to a lot of weirdness between me and many of my closest friends and colleagues.  Perhaps it’s the anonymity or the strength in numbers that the wiki format offers, but there’s just some things–like gallows humor, the anticipation of bad news, virtual congrats–that are better shared among IP addresses and cryptic user IDs.

So if the coming end of this year’s job market is making you feel bored or lonely, check it out before it goes into hibernation for the spring and summer.