Customer Reviews

On the Market: Surviving the Academic Job Hunt

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book about recent PhDs' experiences on the job market calls attention to a tremendous problem: over-production of PhDs and universities' increasing use (some would say exploitation) of adjuct faculty. Excellent as the book is, I am not sure that I would recommend it to someone about to begin a job search, because it is so terrifying and potentially demoralizing. I would recommend it to anyone in any other stage of academic life, including professors, administrators, students considering getting a PhD, and especially to someone who has already been demoralized about the market and needs to know that (s)he isn't alone.

The authors constitute a diverse group, with different writing styles and opinions. One particularly interesting difference was authors' conflicting claims to being members of groups discriminated against in the job search process. For example, one author lamented his position as a straight white (American) male, while other authors wrote about difficulties they faced for being queer, foreign, or female.

There were some limits to the authors' diversity. Specifically, there was little racial diversity among the authors, and there was no information about engineering, not even an acknowledgment that the engineering market is better than those described in the book.

For those who are weary and sick at heart over the long, impoverishing, and brutal academic job hunt--for friends and family who are having a hard time understanding just what you are going through--for tenured faculty who need to know what is happening within their profession--this book is an important find. It reminds the frustrated academic job seeker that he or she is not alone, not a loser, and not doomed to failure. It also conveys a real sense of what the academic job search means on a personal, professional and political level; thus, even if you are not searching for a job as a professor, if you care about someone who is,or if you are already a professor who cares about what your students are experiencing on the market, you may want to read this book in order to better understand what they are going through. Oh yes, and it does INDEED contain hopeful, reflective and intelligent essays on job opportunities outside of academia.

A very well-edited collection of essays from various people in academia--those lucky enough to have full-time positions (yes, you learn just how lucky they are after reading this book), those part-timing, those still looking, and those who've given up. An enlightening, frightening, and at times comforting look at what lies in store for those of us "on the market."

There's something for everyone in this volume. Virtually every job search experience possible is found here -- everything from whether or not to establish a gender identity to whether a tweed skirt is appropriate attire. A must-read for ANYONE involved with the Academy, whether searching for a position or not.

This book reflects the worst of possible materials available regarding the current job market. Many essays painted a horrible picture of the job market. Yes, it is sad that some people work hard to get a Ph.D. and do not get a job. However, it seems that most of these essays tended to blame the system. In many cases, those in the book who did not obtain jobs have themselves to blame. Academia is a tough field to enter. It is not enough to just have a Ph.D. anymore. This seemed to elude one author who indicated that he/she didn't have the time to publish. Another author eschewed teaching in favor of devoting time to his/her dissertation. The rules of the game are different now. Without publications and teaching experience your qualifications for many positions are tenuous at best. Others admitted to having bad attitudes, sending form letters, and having geographic limitations. Again, the rules of the academic game are that you act right, spend time selling yourself to an institution (a form letter can hardly do this), and open yourself to the possibility of relocation. Too many of the authors violated these rules. I believe that several of the essays contain useful information. However, reading 350 pages to receive only a few pieces of useful, if not common sense, information (e.g., don't be pedantic and argue with interviewers) isn't worth the trouble.

As someone about to enter the job market next month, I found this book almost completely useless. I already know how tenuous the job market is and I don't need the editors and writers of this book to emphasize this point. Frankly, this book just depressed me and made me wonder about the true motives of the editors--are they trying to poison other academics with their own bitterness? It's surprising that so many PhDs are so naive in thinking that the job market has ever been good for anybody in any field. Jobs are never guaranteed, whether you're law school, graduate school, or business school. This book reflects the dangerous, and yes, sinful, implications of tying the value of the PhD to one's success in landing a job in one's field. How about more discussion of the opportunities outside of academia available to PhDs? How about encouraging PhDs to seek teaching posts in public and private high school? How about spending more time celebrating how much one's accomplished just by earning a PhD? For all those facing the job market, DON'T READ THIS BOOK!!!

Do not read this book. It's the worst sort of academic writing. I have a PhD and I know that the market is tough, but this book contains no helpful advice, no useful ideas. It's simply a collection of laments by self-absorbed academics.