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[awriter]

Thanks for the feedback, Eric--I was referring to the picture on the left (of the tower), but I'll make that more clear.

[awriter]

Fixed.

[charlieinthebox]

Back to the original column in CHE.  The only horror this column exposes is the pathetic degree to which candidates can live in fear of not obtaining a tt job.  The writer appears to have entered grad school with the expectation of coming out with a job.  There is no mention of a broader intellectual pursuit, interests or anything outside of the desire that his graduate experience lead to a job.  If all we do in grad school is desperately try to appease the tt job gods, then you perpetuate that condition and end up desperately trying to appease the tenure committee.  Academia is the worse for it all.  I applaud the interviewer in the ugly green sweater for passing on this one.

[dr_evil]

And my nickname. Real Writer, is based on the site title, Rewritten Reality, not some attempt to prove my greater worth.  Never mind, I'm gone.  Moderators, please lock and delete this thread; my apologies for crashing the party here.  I had no idea new contributors and posters were this unwanted.

New contributors and posters are welcomed.  Anyone, old or new, who is unclear can expect to be called on it, especially when they come across as advertising their website.

DE, waiting to see if it's time for a troll hunt.

[awriter]

Charlie:  I basically agree.

Dr. Evil:  My apologies again, as I wasn't at all trying to advertise anything (other than the fact I had a response which I hoped would engender discussion, of course).  I still don't think my post was particularly unclear, but I accept that it was viewed as such and apologize again.

[larryc]

Welcome to the CHE fora, RealWriter. We are a snarky bunch sometimes but truly you are welcome here.  One of the rules of thumb at any online forum is to respect the community and not to barge and in and try and take advantage of an established audience to promote a pet cause, your own blog, or a commercial product.

Image a first time poster with the user name RonPaul2008 who came here and said, "Hey I want to talk about Ron Paul for president! Here is a post about how awesome Ron Paul is over at my blog, iwannahaveronpaulsbaby.blogspot.com. What do you guys think about Ron Paul, our best choice for president in 2008?"

That is basically how you came off in your first post here.  Stick around, read for a while, comment on other people's posts, find a new user name. Welcome.

[awriter]

Again, I apologize for any unintended offense, and would really appreciate it if this thread be deleted.  Thanks.

[voxprincipalis]

Again, I apologize for any unintended offense, and would really appreciate it if this thread be deleted.  Thanks.

Sorry, but the mods don't delete threads for reasons like this.

VP

[unspoiled]

The writer appears to have entered grad school with the expectation of coming out with a job.  There is no mention of a broader intellectual pursuit, interests or anything outside of the desire that his graduate experience lead to a job. 

Willingness to seek a job, aka actively seek to put food, books, ink and paper on one's table (and possibly spouse's table and kids' table) is a broad intellectual pursuit.

Of course not everyone gets a tenure-track job. Some have to make do with lower-level teaching jobs. But the reasonable expectation is that one goes to graduate school in order to become a productive member of society, and part of that is getting a job.

The OP is engaged in an intellectual pursuit all right. You just seem to resent he is not engaged in an abstract pursuit.

[awriter]

Is there a way to modify or edit a previously made post?  I can't seem to find a button for it, though I may be looking in the wrong place.

[dr_evil]

Is there a way to modify or edit a previously made post?  I can't seem to find a button for it, though I may be looking in the wrong place.

Sadly, there is a very short time limit for modifying posts.  This frustrates a number of us, but it is what it is.

Welcome.

[charlieinthebox]

The writer appears to have entered grad school with the expectation of coming out with a job.  There is no mention of a broader intellectual pursuit, interests or anything outside of the desire that his graduate experience lead to a job. 

Willingness to seek a job, aka actively seek to put food, books, ink and paper on one's table (and possibly spouse's table and kids' table) is a broad intellectual pursuit.

Of course not everyone gets a tenure-track job. Some have to make do with lower-level teaching jobs. But the reasonable expectation is that one goes to graduate school in order to become a productive member of society, and part of that is getting a job.

The OP is engaged in an intellectual pursuit all right. You just seem to resent he is not engaged in an abstract pursuit.

I have nothing against seeking a job, and trying to find a way to support yourself and your family.  I do have trouble with people entering grad school with that as their primary consideration.  It is not a broad intellectual pursuit, it is a very important, though narrow practical pursuit.  If that is your sole aim, then you should opt for a more practical means of pursuing your ends, and a PhD in History is not it.

What I resent is what the pervasive get the degree to get the job attitude, and the ensuing avoid any problems to ensure tenure, promotes.  You are narrowing your scope and limiting your perspective, and that translates to students that they also need a limited perspective in order to survive in the world.  Academia becomes a means to transmit specific skill sets to obtain very particular ends.

Broader thinking may appear more abstract in that it doesn't necessarily have a specific agenda to achieve (i.e. it doesn't readily translate into a given dollar amount), but idealistically I like to believe that creating possibility and training people how to think for themselves does have tangible results in terms of both how you are in the world and what job you may be able to get.

[jonesey]

My favorite quote from the OP's blog:

I don't screw around with no Podunk State Tech Community College, dog).

How refreshingly arrogant.  Sorry if a CC is beneath you. 

In the meantime, anyone who uses "Real Writer" as a moniker is asking for a shark attack. 

It's final's week, we're all a bit crazy right now.  Brace yourself.

[awriter]

My favorite quote from the OP's blog:

I don't screw around with no Podunk State Tech Community College, dog).

How refreshingly arrogant.  Sorry if a CC is beneath you. 

In the meantime, anyone who uses "Real Writer" as a moniker is asking for a shark attack. 

It's final's week, we're all a bit crazy right now.  Brace yourself.

It's called irony.  I've taught at a community college myself and teach a 4/4 load now.  As for the name, it comes from the name of my site, which I won't mention again for fear of being savaged a second time--but I've already changed it in both places.  Again, I really hope this thread will be deleted or locked, as this is all extremely unpleasant and absolutely not at all what I intended when I posted.  I'm very saddened by this whole business, and it certainly isn't making my grading any more pleasant.  I can't apologize for an unintentional violation of "message board ethics" any more than I already have.

[untenured]

Holy meanville, batman.  Awriter might deserve a correction and perhaps some good natured chiding.  Awriter's actions, however, do not deserve the full frontal verbal assault presented here.

Awriter posted.  It might have been unclear.  (S)he clarified.  The post does tie into a blog, but it is of a direct relevance to what we discuss.  This isn't a pigeon post either.  It's a valid contribution, though it may not be universally agreed upon.

We're not all about gettin' up in your grill.  Honest.

Untenured