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[vestige]

So few job listings for so many applicants.

I was fortunate to have several interviews at MLA last year. None to speak of this year, yet.

Is this going to turn around, this horrible dearth of available jobs?

I know this is sad, old news. Apologizes for stating the obvious.

[larryc]

When the recession ends it will get very slightly better, for a year or two.

What is your Plan B?

[glenwood]

My plan is to start referring the bottle of Four Roses in my desk drawer "Plan B." 

[womanofproperty]

I agree that a plan B, if it's well thought out, can be very helpful during the job search period.  (And after.)  Hopefully, having one will take the edge off empty feeling in the pit of your stomach  that comes with looking for work in this type of job market.  But I don't know that there's any curative for the emotions created by an academic job search. 

I could - truthfully - say:

It's not worth it to agonize over job applications - do as good a job as you can, send it out, and do the next thing.  Focus instead on finishing the dissertation, writing up your work for publication, giving that conference presentation, preparing that class, etc.

The seething resentment that you feel when it's year four and your applications are not acknowledged, you are trying to live on an adjunct salary, and you read the umpteenth rejection letter in which the search committee pats itself on the back for choosing a candidate who doesn't have 1/4 of the publications, or teaching experience, or collegiality you do is like eating rat poison and hoping that the rat will die.

Yes, we've all been through this.

The situation is what it is.

I did it - you can too!

Etc. 

The advice is good and the perspective from other posters is reasonable.  But when I look back at and consider how I felt during the period - and it was a very long period, trust me - when I was on the market for a tenure-track position, the negative emotions were inescapable.  Do we say, don't feel wonderful when you see that baby's face light up in a smile! don't be horrified when you come across that car wreck!  So I'm going to say something which I hope won't be misunderstood. 

I hope everyone who is going through the process will pay full attention to their emotions and consider them carefully. 

I don't mean dwelling on negative thoughts - if it feels like you are haunted by the same thoughts, if the same hurtful events keep tumbling in your mind over and over like clothes in a dryer, you are actually ignoring your emotions and what they are trying to tell you.
 
I think emotions are appeals from our bodies/souls to do something - but since our emotions are mute, they are difficult to decipher. 

In the short term, there are some stopgaps that provide momentary relief.  If I was dealing with fear or anxiety or dread, then I usually found that taking some sort of action that engaged me with my work - reading an article, analyzing some data, sending out a job application - alleviated the feeling for a while.  If it was 2 AM, meditation and prayer were helpful.  If I was dealing with sadness, then doing something enjoyable like taking my dog out for a walk, or reading a decorating magazine, was helpful.  If it was 2 AM, again, prayer and meditation were helpful.

But at the same time as I was doing the little things to keep myself on an even keel, the pervasiveness and depth of the emotions I was feeling were also preparing me to accept the reality of the situation and make more substantive moves to get to the bottom of things.  What was I really going to do if things didn't work out and how was I going to feel about that?  Would I ever be okay?

I now feel I was very fortunate to have to go through that ordeal, even though it took a long time and wasn't pleasant.  Realization isn't an intellectual process, and it can hurt.  I'm not sure there are any shortcuts - there certainly weren't in my case.  It took a long time to figure things out.  But ultimately being able to get down to essentials was very freeing. 

A tenure-track job is a job.  It doesn't define who you are.  If you don't get one you will still be okay.  You are valuable now and you will still be valuable.  What you did in the past was good and what you will do in the future - whatever that is - will also be good.  You can't fail because life is not a course you are taking. 

I say this even though I'm sure that if you are looking for a job now you may not be in a position yet to believe me.  Okay.  I think that you will feel miserable and scared and angry until over time there will be a shift, and you will feel less miserable, less scared, less angry. 

So I'm not going to say snap out of it! Get a Plan B! Pull yourself together!

Instead I say, go ahead and fall apart when you're strong enough to do that.  Then your emotions, if you let them, will help you get to a good place eventually. 

Even if that place isn't a tenure-track job.  Especially if that place is a tenure-track job. 

[pournelle]

Having a plan B really helped my sanity when I was on the market. I told myself that a tt job is just a job, there's other jobs out there, I'm smart and hard-working, etc. Life is a lot bigger than any job, and the perspective forged during those months helped me with all the stress that can happen pretenure on the tt.

I know it was probably a joke, but don't make alcohol your plan B. Make it speed. (Kidding.) Meditate and exercise like the previous poster said.

[glenwood]

The bourbon-as-plan-B was just a bad pun -- sorry.

I do have a real, sober Plan B myself. I've been doing a lot of work with people in Student Services, talking with people in various administrative capacities who have jobs that match my skills, and organizing on-campus events that bring in community members whose work connects to mine. I know my weaknesses as a job candidate and they are many, and I know how the job market is, so I've been slowly developing a network of contacts in other areas. At the same time, I think these activities support my department and our students, so I feel good about that.

But I also realize that I can be plunged into despair one day and floating on a cloud the next, and it's totally unrelated to my abilities or to the amount of preparation or work I've done. The "successful" me is not going to be any smarter or better or more talented than the "unsuccessful" me. Just older!

[ianelay]

Having a plan B (and a plan C) helped me feel more in control. I could tell myself that I was able to survive.

I used my down time for professional development. It was a good time for me to research methods in teaching in learning and reflect on how I might use these methods in the classroom. It was also a good time to reflect on past teaching performances. It strengthened my teaching portfolio and made me a more attractive candidate when positions became available. It's harder to do this when you're teaching a full load.

Anyways, if you've had interviews in the past, you must have marketable skills. Keep telling yourself that you'll probably get more interviews when people start hiring again.

Hang in there, and best of luck!

[vestige]

Thank you all, so much.

[friendlyfire]

What is your Plan B?

A late word on something that hasn't been overtly mentioned.  Plan B could be to seek a career counselor.  Options outside of academe or in admin should be seriously considered after a set period of time.  One needs to ask oneself how long one will pursue the dream before choosing to opt out.