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[6 of 1]

Hi - I'm an ABD grad student in the humanities at a R1 university. I spent part of the summer writing the first chapter of my diss although it feels very uneven and not as strong as it could be. My committee has suggested that I go on the market this year - I'm in a "hot" field - but I'm not sure if I'm prepared to.

While I have been published and have strong teaching evals in addition to other work (outside academia) experience that would be useful for future jobs, I'm hesitant to apply cause I'm not sure if I'll be a strong enough candidate. I had planned to take 1 yr to write the diss although other grad students say that it's incredibly difficult and I should cut myself some slack and take 2, so next year I'll have at least three chapters if not more finished and more confident in my work. But I'm also tired of being broke all the time.

Does anyone have suggestions about the risks of taking more time to write the diss but spending another yr in grad school or going out now and just rushing to finish as much as i can and try to get a job?

[Flanders]

In the humanities, if you've only got one chapter done now, I'd say you should wait a year.  Unless you can convincingly persuade the search committee that you will have PhD in hand by next fall, you will probably not be considered seriously.  And in order to persuade the search committee, you probably need to indicate a defense date sometime before about April, which your advisor can honestly back up.  If you do make good progress this fall, you can always apply for the visiting positions that tend to get advertised late spring-early summer.

[%sig%]

[anon]

What's your funding situation?  That would be a major factor in my decision.  You say you're tired of being poor-- channel that into a year of intense working.  

Alternately, you could bipass the tt market this year, finish up your dissertation and go onto the market next year with PhD in hand, something that will make you a much stronger candidate in the humanities.

If your advisor thinks you're ready to go, you probably are.  Most grad students think their work isn't good enough to go, and that is probably never going to change.

I see no point in delaying graduation 2 years-- you will be much more attractive with your dissertation done and once that is the case you can start working on getting a book out.

[anon anon anon]

as has been said already, get the dissertation done; you will be a much more attractive candidate that way.

however, i would say that, if you come across a specific job posting that is your "dream" job, definitely apply for it.  you never know what could happen (and, even if you were just to land an on-campus interview but not be hired, you'll still be ahead of the game for when the "real" campus interviews start next year, knowing what it's all about, etc.).

[6 of 1]

I can get the diss done this year, but the chunk of it will probably be written bw Sept- Jan 2006, I have a fellowship this semester, so that means I can dedicate myself to it totally. However, with most job apps coming up in Oct/Nov, so by then I would have 1 good chapter and maybe one drafted chapter  I wouldn't have as much of it done. (I'm roughly thinking about 1 month/6 wks per chapter...most of the data is already collected) I *will* finish the diss by 2006, it's just the applying for jobs that is tricky.

My funding officially ends this year too, but almost all the grad students I know get something for an extra yr. The idea of visiting positions might be appealing as well. My committee thinks that I should do it, but I'm personally hesitant (I also have some health/family issues that are there, but right now I'm more concerned about the job applications)

[history grrrl]

Keep in mind that the job search process itself is very time-consuming. According to Mary Corbin Sies' excellent Academic Job Application Checklist (), folks on the job market should plan to lose three months on the dissertation. For me, the process stretched from late October (first applications) to mid-May (final interview) -- but I finished my diss a few years ago. If you get a lot of nibbles, be prepared to lose that time and, by extension, probably reduce your chances of being done by time of appointment.

[Aristotelian]

I'm in a social sciences field, not humanities.  But to me, just having one chapter done doesn't sound like enough.  If I was on a hiring committee, I wouldn't even look at a candidate who was that far away.  I agree that a lot of grad students underestimate their work and could get out faster, but that doesn't sound like the case here.  Even two years sounds like a short time to write the dissertation.  My two cents: concentrate on the diss for the Fall, then if you are still on track and are able to schedule a defense date over the summer, think about applying selectively to visiting positions that come up in the spring.  

In my field, the jobs that come up in the fall are usually the top tenure track jobs, and they don't even look at you unless you have the PhD in hand.

[econ anon]

>>But to me, just having one chapter done doesn't sound like enough. If I was on a hiring committee, I wouldn't even look at a candidate who was that far away. I agree that a lot of grad students underestimate their work and could get out faster, but that doesn't sound like the case here. Even two years sounds like a short time to write the dissertation.

We economists often go out on the market with one chapter (of 3) mostly done... and generally write the entire thing in 2-3 years after classes are over (1-2 years first chapter and other stuff, 1 year the remaining two)... but that's just our field.

How much do you have done of your remaining chapters besides the writing (do you have ideas, outlines, notes)?

[Velvet Elvis]

Absolutely, unconditionally wait.  There is no advantage to going on now.

I cannot stress it more emphatically.  Wait.

VE.

[Aristotelian]

One more thing...if you rush it, you might get an offer, but it might not be anything you really want.   I went on the market too early last year.  I got a campus interview at a good school in a good location, only to be told, "we really like you, but we just don't hire ABDs." The only TT offer I got was from a very low tier four year college in a location that was not desirable for me.  I turned them down, fully prepared to defend over the summer and apply next year with the PhD in hand.  It was a painful process after such a huge investment of time and energy, only to decide that I'd be a stronger candidate with better options next year.  At the time I sent out that first round of applications, I had no idea that not having the PhD made that big a difference.  In retrospect, I should not have been wasting my time or that of the search committees.  

I got lucky and got a visiting position at a top tier liberal arts college--but that was late in the season after I had a defense date.

Again, I don't know how things are in your field, but for my social sciences field, I agree with Velvet.

[Harry]

You say you have a fellowship for this coming semester so you can totally devote yourself to writing the diss. I know you've recognized that the job search will consume a chunk of that time, but I wonder if you've considered how much mental/emotional energy it will consume.

Whenever I've been on the market I've found the fantasies and projections (maybe I'll buy a house here, those future potential colleagues look interesting/crazy/boring etc.) to be just as--or even more--consuming than the myriad administrative details searches entail.

Another thing to think about is that a hurried dissertation means more work later revising it into a book (the standard tenure requirement in my field).

Outside of funding--which is a *real* concern--I'd ask myself why my committee wants me to go out this year. Confidence? Because that's what you "should do"? Because there's a big cohort in your field coming up next year?

I went out once when I wasn't ready and another time when I was--generally I enjoyed the second one a bit more, though there was more pressure $-wise.

[history anon]

I agree with those who advise to wait;  with only one chapter completed, you would not be a credible candidate.  Remember that you will be competing with dozens, if not hundreds, of junior scholars, many of them with PhD in hand, publications, teaching experience, etc.  And the job market is incredibly draining.   Focus your energy this year on finishing the dissertation, and then go on the market.
Another thing to consider;  if you did somehow get a job this year as an ABD, full-time teaching could make it even more difficult to finish the dissertation.  Plus, you would be starting off on the tenure track several steps behind.

[a word to the wise]

I got a job when I'd only written one chapter of my diss.  By the time I started I had 3 chapters sketched out but still only one *really* done.  I got course releases for 2 years and got it finished.  

I don't recommend this though.  I didn't really think I'd get a job offer. But I did and it was incredibly hard.

[Researcher]

6 of 1, now you have a lot of talking points to raise with your diss chair/advisors.   Since you rely on their confidence in you, put confidence in them as well.

[anon]

I find this discussion confusing.  All of the advice about why it is hard (especially time away from writing and limited chances anyway) make sense to me, but at my RI where I am just starting my dissertation (at least a year or two away from the market) most of my classmates go on ABD and some advisors even suggest waiting to defend if you get no offers to keep the PhD "fresh." (And this is in a saturated field.)  Isn't it better to at least try to get a job straight out as a "hot"ABD than to do the visiting option Harry (I think it was) did?  (Not meant badly, just trying to sort this out!!!)  One chapter does seem slim, but waiting until 6 of 1 is completely done seeems odd to me.  Any other comments on this?