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[kedves]

[1]  However, I was wondering whether the institution I attend, the program I get accepted to, and the quality of work I perform will have an impact on my employability.

[2]  But what about teaching? Teaching assistantships and instructorships while in grad school? Do you think this will also be a hurdle?

[1]  Of course program quality and ability to publish from your thesis and/or dissertation are important.
[2]  If a program accepts you, it should also fund you.  Don't go without funding.  Teaching opportunities vary, but you do want to be sure you have 2-3 independently taught courses on your c.v. before leaving.

While working at a CC with a student population from a lower socio-economic background will be fulfilling in many other ways, I fear that I will never get the opportunity to build a strong CV. The most obvious route for pursuing doctoral studies is like many other members mentioned before: crime, deviance, and social control, the branch of sociology that is now in demand. My interest, however, expands this field and I am also concerned that I may be pigeonholed.

I don't understand what you are saying here.  If research is your priority, then you don't want a CC, but the function of your CV is to get jobs; if the job you want is at a CC, then the CV should be oriented toward that.  There have been some threads about what it's like to work at a CC.

It's criminology--not deviance and social control--that is in demand now (it is not all one field although the ASA section combines them).  I don't know what you mean by your interest "expands this field," how well you know the field(s) at this point, or what you mean by pigeonholed.  Everyone specializes; that's how hiring happens.  If you want to be the strongest job candidate possible, get the training and teaching experience that will enable you to teach statistics or quantitative methods as well.

It's likely that none of us will be able to answer your questions.  You are really going to need to do some information interviews with faculty in programs similar to the ones that interest you but not those exact programs (I think that's good advice offered earlier).  Give it a try.  If not now, when?  

[pyromania]

People - OP is a "violent ex-offender".  There is no way this person will ever pass any background check.  This person probably tried to kill someone, or did other, even more heinous acts.

Even if a department were to ever want them, no human resources manager, let alone university president is ever going to sign off on such a hire.  Too many legal risks.

Ask yourselves: would you ever want your child to attend class with a professor who was a violent ex-con?  Would you ever want your university or CC to be associated with such a person?  Would you ever want to have your office next to such a person?  Would you like to be on the T + P committee of such a person?

If a person is a violent felon, there is no way they can every become a professor.  And if they did somehow get hired, the shame and embarrassment that would eventually be heaped upon the institution would be politically very damaging.

Ex-con - perhaps.
Violent ex-con - never.

[gengidashiell]

While working at a CC with a student population from a lower socio-economic background will be fulfilling in many other ways, I fear that I will never get the opportunity to build a strong CV.

Y'know...I was with you until this line.  Talk about your preconceived notions about community colleges... It is, actually, a very good thing to work at community colleges, especially while you are pursuing graduate work.  The experience you'd get is invaluable; frankly I'd say its twenty times that of a teaching assistant.  You would run "your class", and gain adaptation skills (considering the common wide age variance among CC studnets) that could help you once you decide on where you would like to teach full time.

Plenty of people did some adjunct work at CCs early in their careers and fell in love; I went back to get my Master's and PhD so I could teach college (4 year or otherwise), but I would LOVE to be a tenured prof at a CC now.  

Don't short sell it because of bad past experiences; I dunno...maybe you went to a CC for a bit.  But it can differ depending on the school, the classes, and of course, being on the other side of the table as the instructor rather than the student.

g

[tinyzombie]

Even if a department were to ever want them, no human resources manager, let alone university president is ever going to sign off on such a hire.  Too many legal risks.

Agreed.

Ask yourselves: would you ever want your child to attend class with a professor who was a violent ex-con?  Would you ever want your university or CC to be associated with such a person?  Would you ever want to have your office next to such a person?  Would you like to be on the T + P committee of such a person?

This is going too far, IMHO, especially given that you don't know what the OP (who is presumably still here, and to whom the phrase I bolded above refers) actually did.





[/quote]

[bacardiandlime]

http://www.pscj.appstate.edu/convictcriminology.html

The success stories here seem to be people who were convicted of drug crimes. There is a reference to someone who served time for murder going to grad school, but I tend to side with Pyromania on this one, that the type of crime makes the difference. Car theft, marijuana possession: maybe. Violent crimes? I don't see someone getting hired by a university with that background. A think-tank looking at criminology and social issues, maybe.

[gengidashiell]

People - OP is a "violent ex-offender".  There is no way this person will ever pass any background check.  This person probably tried to kill someone, or did other, even more heinous acts.

You're making a severe degree of judgment here.  Violent ex-offender doesn't mean what you defined it as 100% of the time; it could be assault or 100 other things.  I'm not excusing the behavior, I'm just saying you're doing your best Bill O'Reilly here by filling in the blanks like it was Mad Libs.

And frankly, who knows if the person would get a job?  A number of people here have posted that some schools don't do checks, and the nature of the crime might be less "heinous" than you think.

And as for whether I want an ex-offender teaching my kids, in my four degrees and five schools, I've had some real JERKS as professors.  These uncaring imbeciles may have broken no law, but I certainly hope they spend eternity with Satan for bring "apathy" and "academic elitism" to heretofore unknown levels.  There's being critical, and then there's being a complete idiot; those profs have really done their time and should be out the door...but they aren't.

Given the choice between a reformed ex-offender and a complete tool of a professor as an instructor...I'd go with the reformed one.

g

[inthelab]

G: OP states OP was a violent ex-offender.

[kedves]

It wouldn't bother me; I know violent ex-offenders.  Of course the crime will make a difference; everyone has said that, but the OP is under no obligation to reveal that here and doing so couldn't help because we have limited and probably not terribly relevant opinions.  There is strong public consensus about violent crimes and weaker consensus about property and drug crimes.  Aggravated assault is the most common crime classified as violent (Part I offenses); robbery is the second most common.

We can all guess about the OP's chances in grad school and academic career but unless we have a similar case to look at, we don't actually know.  I think it's worth the OP's looking into the career at this point.

[neutralname]

Since some of our students have been in prison quite recently, for offenses that may have involved the use of force, I wouldn't really worry about a faculty member with a long-past conviction.  I might worry that the faculty member had the bad judgment to get caught: hopefully he would have become wiser with age. 

[inquiring_misfit]

Y'know...I was with you until this line.  Talk about your preconceived notions about community colleges... It is, actually, a very good thing to work at community colleges, especially while you are pursuing graduate work.  The experience you'd get is invaluable; frankly I'd say its twenty times that of a teaching assistant.  You would run "your class", and gain adaptation skills (considering the common wide age variance among CC studnets) that could help you once you decide on where you would like to teach full time.

Plenty of people did some adjunct work at CCs early in their careers and fell in love; I went back to get my Master's and PhD so I could teach college (4 year or otherwise), but I would LOVE to be a tenured prof at a CC now.  

Don't short sell it because of bad past experiences; I dunno...maybe you went to a CC for a bit.  But it can differ depending on the school, the classes, and of course, being on the other side of the table as the instructor rather than the student.

g

Oh I didn't mean to sound as if a CC isn't a great place to teach. In fact, I started off at a CC and until this day maintain a strong relationship with several faculty members who knew my situation and pushed for me throughout my undergraduate education. I wouldn't mind the opportunity. The main point I was making was that a CC wouldn't give me the chance to conduct publishable research as a four-year university, which is my primary goal. However, truth be told, after I receive my doctorate I would be content to receive ANY teaching position. In any case, I apologize if my comment came off the wrong way. And thanks for your input!

[kaysixteen]

The key term ought to be 'ex' here.  What are we if not a country that is supposed to give second chances?

[threefive]

OP, I have a good friend that is currently working at an R1 who has been convicted of multiple felonies in the past. None of these convictions where violent and they all occurred more than 20 years before his being hired.

It was VERY difficult for him to land a job. He taught high school until his past became public. He provided full disclosure during the interview stage, though he was canned after almost a year when someone higher up learned about his past. He then bounced around from university to university doing one-year contracts for sabbatical replacements etc. He finally found a full-time instructor position (non-tenure track) which he is happy with. At every interview he was completely up-front about his past, as you should be.

I know of one person who has done what you want to do. But, it was a REALLY tough sale.

[mended_drum]

The key term ought to be 'ex' here.  What are we if not a country that is supposed to give second chances?

I made this argument at my own institution a few years ago when the Board wanted to start background checks for faculty hires.  We are a religiously affiliated institution; if we're unwilling to accept someone who has served his or her time and changed his or her life, then we are condemning such a person to a lifetime of second-class citizenship and probably marginal employment.  On the other hand, I understand the fear of legal consequences.  There are no easy answers in cases like this.

I do want to note that they age when the crime was committed may well have some effect on the way the OP is perceived. 

[pyromania]

OP has been noticeably trolling silent on the kind of offense hu committed.  Come on, Misfit, divvy it up.

[divingin]

misfit -

I think you have received some great advice/input on this thread; it's all relevant.  However, I think you should just go for it.  I believe you will immensely enjoy working towards a PhD as a challenging and stimulating process in itself.  And afterwards, who knows where it will lead you?  Ask yourself: where will you be if you don't pursue this passion? (Because it does sound like a passion.)

-divingin