I hope I don't get flamed for this comment but it does seem as if it's easier to empathize with the challenges of university administrators than it is with faculty. This is not to say that I don't totally understand what Marie Palengy has to say but why is it that when a faculty member makes similar gripes it must be put in the context of the wonderful job and perks of academia; that we choose to do it for love and not the money etc etc.
I understand your point, but it's hard to make this sort of generalization on the basis of one example of each type of column. Reaction to the other writer was more intense, not only more negative. Part of that may be because the other writer's personality (or persona) comes through more strongly in their writing. It is also a more artistically ambitious piece, which carries some risk of strong reaction. This column is more generic. I don't mean, of course, that their is anything generic about its writer, but that she expresses herself in a less individual manner.
I think all jobs come with challenges we may not necessarily like so why must distinctions be made even among different jobs in academia??
I've worked about an equal number of years in academic and arts administration, and in teaching and research. In my experience, they are quite different. Other people who have done both might be able to comment.
There's a double standard of some kind in which administrative work is somehow considered "serious" and faculty work as a "calling of love." I wonder, too, if posters felt freer to dump on a man (Max Clio) than on a woman (Marie), since everyone knows women are overworked and self-sacrificing.
I'm not among those who would make this distinction. I would argue that thinking of one's career (vocation) in terms of a calling or a gift is potentially dangerous because it can creates stakes that a job might not be able to meet. I don't know if women are perceived to be or feel themselves to be more self-sacrificing than men. The women I know in traditionally women-dominated occupations (high school teaching, nursing) don't feel that way. Women's reaction to or ability to negotiate work demands might be different than men's. I haven't read anything on that topic.
She is taking a binary approach in imagining that there are only two solutions: put up with it or get out. There is always a third option, negotiating a reasonable work-life balance, but it takes a great deal of self-esteem to pursue that path, and can be quite risky ? not everyone will always like you if you stand up for yourself.
This is an excellent point, and it's something I see in both articles: a stay/go way of thinking when the possibilities are probably more numerous even if the result is not perfect. Obviously, beyond that, there are many differences in their situations.
I love the fact that folks are dumping on Max in two different threads now. Classic.
I didn't "dump on" him in the other thread or this one. I got involved in this thread initially because of Brad1; I've gone through what Brad1 is going through, which is unrelated to the other article. I think there are some interesting issues in this column.
