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[scout46]

Hello, I am finishing my MA now and applying to PhD programs in a humanities field. I was happily perfecting my writing samples when a friend that just finished her PhD where I'm getting the MA (and whom I knew from a setting unrelated to school) burst my bubble in an email saying, "Have you not listened to anything I've told you?? There are exactly two TT jobs looking for someone in my specialty in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!" (emphasis hers) Also note that my field is already one of the less-studied Romance languages, and then we of course specialize on top of that. Anyway, this email led me down a rabbit hole of google searches on humanities PhDs, all of which resulted in overwhelmingly negative information. I guess people with good experiences don't start blogs singing the praises of PhD programs.

My question is: I've read that being an adjunct is difficult, and that most PhDs will do this for a long time before getting TT jobs (if they ever do). However, I am married to someone in a high paying career and don't need to worry about the povery/benefits thing. So, those issues aside, is being an adjunct intrinsically awful due to the high work load and lack of respect, or is the worst part about it the money and lack of benefits?

I can accept potentially being a career adjunct, but only if it's rewarding in its own right.

[pink_]

If you are not relying on adjuncting as a way to make a living, it's not a bad life. There generally aren't rules about how much one has to teach to work as an adjunct. Most people find themselves teaching 4, 5, or more classes a semester because they have to in order to make ends meet.

Questions to ask yourself and discuss with your partner:
Can your spouse move with you?
If yes, are they willing to do so even if it means moving to somewhere that you don't want to live?
If no, are you willing to live apart (possibly temporary, possibly not), or are you willing to let him or her be the primary bread-winner and just adjunct however much or little you can in the area where you are? Are they content with that role?

BTW, if they can't move, are there any Ph.D. programs in the area? If no, see the first part of this question. 

Things are dismal for humanists who want to get TT jobs, and they are not looking to change anytime soon, but a TT job isn't the only outcome for a Ph.D.

[scout46]

Thank you for the input.

My spouse can move. Luckily, his profession has an unemployment rate hovering around 0%, so he can get a job pretty much anywhere. (physician)

However, he thinks I should go back to my old career because it didn't stress me out as much as school does!

I have already nearly finished my applications, so I guess I will just follow through and apply and base it on where I get in, if anywhere. The largest PhD program in my field accepts 3 students per year, so it's highly probable that I might not even be accepted. I'm only applying to 6 programs.