next »

[gratefulgrits]

Hi,

I'm interested to know the foras opinion on a possible decision I might have to make.  I have a terminal degree in the humanities (MA level), and over the past 4 years I've been trying to land a full time college-level teaching position (at a CC, four year, whatever).  I am not competitive enough for TT at this point, but I really enjoy teaching (even gruntwork freshman classes) and figured a full time, contract appointment would give me the funds & time to continue to publish, present, and build my career. 

Well, I had no luck even landing a one year FT appointment.  I taught as a part time adjunct, published, and eventually took a full time, non academic position at a university.  I miss teaching and the job felt like a dead end.  So I decided I would try to get a PhD in a related field, thinking that might make me more competitive.  I have several Phd applications out right now.  But, in the meantime, I landed an interview for the one job I applied to this year.  It's a renewable, non-tt, fulltime, 3/3 professorship.  The school is a pretty decent state school, and after working 50-60 hours sitting alone in an office for the last two years, the relative independence and interaction of teaching sounds wonderful. 
 
If I end up offered the job--a big IF, I know, and IF I end up with a good offer from a Phd school, what then?  My ultimate goal is to have a TT job pretty much anywhere and have time to write and work on my own projects.   I think a few years teaching FT would give me the flexibility to do publish more, and connect me back to academia.  A Phd would give me connections as well and a slightly different focus to my career.  Even if the job and the Phd don't work out, I'm still curious about the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.   Just wondered if someone has been faced with a similar choice and how it worked out for them.  Thanks.

[mended_drum]

Personally, I'd go for the Ph.D., but that's because I loved graduate school.

[niceday]

Many schools will let you defer your start date for the Ph.D. Ask after you get accepted with funding. (Given the job market, most people will not advise you to do a humanities Ph.D. without funding). 

A VAP can't be delayed because the reason they are hiring you now is because they need you now...

[kamiakin]

What field are you in? Is there a family to consider or are you responsible for only yourself? What are the job prospects for a PhD in your field?

[dellaroux]

Just to claify:

An MA is not usually a "terminal degree," in most humanities fields, as far as I know.

An MFA can be a terminal degree in performance areas like music, dance, theatre or the visual arts, and some film-related areas, but for any position requiring you to teach in fields that depend on your having done some degree of analytic study and theoretical work, you really do still need your doctorate.

It's good that you've managed to get so much done but the little issue of the degree is going to hold you up, it would seem to me.

Even the VAP (which for your sake I hope you do get) would be a bit of a surprise, especially if anyone with their doctorate either in hand or ABD shows up who is remotely able to take on the course.

Good luck.

[gratefulgrits]

To clarify:  I have an MFA.   Should have said that up front.   Thanks for the responses so far.  It's really a strategic question--do I build my career with this FT teaching position & publications, or try to add a Phd to my credentials?  Just wondering who has made a choice like this before.. and how happy they were with working as a contract FT professor while they built their CV.

[zuzu_]

Of course, this all depends on your field so YMMV...

If an MFA is terminal in your field, I am guessing that your lack of TT job probably has little to do with your credentials and more to do with a sh!tty job market, which also pretty sh!tty for PhDs.

I think it makes more sense to take the FT position and continue to seek a TT position.

Your PhD might make you more marketable, or it might not have a significant effect. It's a big huge committment for something that only a maybe. The Basketweaving Theory job market may be even worse than the Applied Basketweaving job market.

A VAP position can only help your CV, and it is not the same kind of risk or investment as a PhD.