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[compdoc]

I have two national conferences in the spring, but my uni is limited in how much it can give me. Is it worth it, as a tenure-track person, to take out a loan and go to both? I don't owe any money and don't want to do this as my SO is presently unemployed.

If I don't take out a loan, how do I choose which to attend?

1 is when school is not in session, so I won't miss classes. I spoke there last year. It's in a cool place. I've already paid the hefty registration price. The paper is already written for this conference.

2 is when school is in session. I did not speak there last year (or for many years). It's more closely related to my field. It's in a not-particularly interesting place, where I have been recently, and I haven't already registered. The paper is not written for this conference yet, though I do have the data compiled.

So, financially, to get the money back from the school, it seems I should go to 1. But 2 has more cachet.

Any thoughts?

[cj405]

I'd pick one.  Mostly because I am (kind of) a slacker, so having the paper written would seal the deal for me.

[larryc]

#1, no question.

[hegemony]

Conferences do not have much cachet, even the high-level ones.  It's publishing that has the cachet.  Conference no. 1 is the best choice.  You've already written the paper, meaning you'll have time left over to work on your book or articles.  And you've already paid the fee, so you lose less money too.  Win-win.  Next time, however, do not submit to conferences you won't be able to go to.  It makes people upset, even though it's not worth taking out the loan to go and keep them from being upset.

[compdoc]

When I applied to the two conferences, I was going to pay my own way. That was fine. We had two incomes.

When my husband become unemployed, I still wasn't concerned. The uni has always paid for all of national conferences.

However, we were just told that the amount of monies already given out is it. (That's enough for one.)

A new compounding factor in my concern is that it looks like there are going to be massive layoffs. I am new in tt. Don't want to be one of those laid off. This round (I have no idea if there will be more rounds), I have been told privately that I will not be laid off. Both my chair and the dean are committed to keeping me on as they see me as valuable to the department for a couple of reasons.

My national conferences are one of the reasons that I was hired and am considered valuable. (It's a SLAC and the conferences do count, almost as much as pubs.)

This new factor is making me reconsider the loan.

[terpsichore]

Hegemony, in at least one field, computer science, conference publications are more prestigious and selective than journal publications. Compdoc's moniker suggests he or she may be in computer science.

Compdoc, in your shoes, I would go to the 1st meeting, because you have a paper accepted there.  I would also is contact the organizers of the 2nd meeting, to ask whether they provide any travel funds. Don't take out a loan just to go to a conference.

[obprof]

I would contact the organizers of both conferences to see if they have support available.

Also, see if there are ways for you to reduce costs (e.g., share rooms, bring your own food, stay for only one night).

[seniorscholar]

Also, see if there are ways for you to reduce costs (e.g., share rooms, bring your own food, stay for only one night).

I know people will snark about not wanting to live like grad students any more, but as a junior TT faculty member when my department provided a grand total of $200 to fund one conference per year, I always shared a hotel room and an in-room picnic breakfast with someone from another school whose name I'd found on the program and who I knew was in a similar situation. (Back in the olden days we actually had to write letters to make these arrangements.)

A couple of them became such good friends that even after we were full profs with no dependents and universities that provided much more funding, we still share a hotel room just for the chance to catch up and chat. Have you seen the size of hotel rooms these days! No more sharing an old fashioned double bed with a pal of one's own gender.

[terpsichore]

I know people will snark about not wanting to live like grad students any more, but as a junior TT faculty member when my department provided a grand total of $200 to fund one conference per year, I always shared a hotel room and an in-room picnic breakfast with someone from another school whose name I'd found on the program and who I knew was in a similar situation.

I did this for years, too. It's a great way to stretch funding.

[anon99]

I'd also go for option 1.  If going to national conferences is part of why you were hired, then they should give you the funding to go.  You can ask if there is funding from the organizers, but in my experience that is normally for grad students and sometimes postdocs.  Conferences are a good way to meet people and network.

[aprilmay]

Do they give a specific amount that you have calculated will cover only one trip, or do they specify that you can get funding for one trip? If this is a dollar amount, the tips people have listed for saving costs sound good. If your school gives you funding for just one conference, the tenure requirements are either that you do not need to present at more than one conference, or that you need to secure additional funding from grants for conference travel. You need to find out which. There are schools that provide no money for conferences, but you are expected to get grants and go. Do you know your school's expectations? If you need to pick one, I suggest the one for which you have already registered. If you have already submitted your paper, it is not great to withdraw. In the future you can pick the more prestigious conference.