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[joeroberts]

Hi: I'm in year two of a tenure-track position and I'm not sure how this is going.
I got my probationary appointment passed, after year one, but the comments for each category (research, teaching, service) were "satisfactory".  In terms of research, there is no question, I am a slow writer. I have two many questions and have difficulty getting the answers I do have into print.  Having said that, I have a lot of ideas, a lot of 3/4 finished projects and am aware of my weakness. I'm on a teaching-free term right now and am trying very hard to write, write, write. I have one paper under review, am writing a second, and arranging for a conference paper to be published in a journal later in the fall.  I just submitted a major grant application, so we'll see. And I have two or three other ideas for papers that I just need to write. 

My teaching evaluations are largely a disaster.  On a 7-point scale, I got averages mostly around the 3.8 mark for my two courses.  Next year should be better, I will have taught all the courses before. 

I don't know.  I'm not sure I'm cut out for this job and possibly this industry.

[friendly]

Hi Joe, I don't have much in the way of advice, but I wanted to offer some support.  I am in a similar situation - although in my fourth year now.  Academia can be a very lonely place, where there is not much in the way of reassurance, empathy or support.

Firstly, congratulations on getting the probationary appointment passed.  In terms of practicalities, I suggest finding a mentor, if your department offers one.  While it may not solve your problems, having someone who can aid you with red-tape or empathize with your issues may be a motivating factor to persevere. 

It sounds to me like perfectionism could be an issue you are facing (i.e. stalling on papers until you feel that they are completely perfect). You may have to learn to submit things when they are in ok shape, but not perfect, otherwise it will hinder you later on.

Best of luck!

[formerly_the_fiver]

Hey Joe.

It doesn't seem like you have much of an actual question here, so people may not respond much.

You said that you are a slow writer. I certainly am as well. May I invite you to join us on the "Reluctant Researcher" thread over on the Research Questions forum? I don't think I'm out of bounds if I say that none of us over there write as fast/much as we'd like to. We dole out carrots and sticks, and encourage one another.

I'd also suggest poking around the In the Classroom forum for lots of great ideas about teaching - both improving your teaching as such, and improving students' perceptions of it. The Jedi Mind Tricks thread in particular has tons of ideas (not that I've contributed any of them). Also, does your U. have a teaching center? They can be really helpful.

I don't know.  I'm not sure I'm cut out for this job and possibly this industry.

If you decide that being a professor is not for you, I don't think there's any shame in that. But at least from this message, it sounds like you might be ready to throw in the towel a bit too soon. Assuming you want to be a prof, there's a lot you can do to improve. I think many people take a year or two to really find their comfort zone.

Good luck!

On preview - Good luck to you too, Friendly!

[obprof]

Reading through your post, nothing jumps out to me as being highly problematic. Sure, you want better teaching evaluations and more publications, but who doesn't? As long as you have a plan to improve, things will probably get better over time (not that they are so terrible to begin with).
The only thing that seems worrisome is how stressed you seem to be. Are you getting enough exercise? Eating ok? Sleeping well? Sometimes taking care of yourself helps you to be more productive (a nice side effect).

[southerntransplant]

OP -

Not sure I can answer all your concerns, but "satisfactory" is good. In many of these evaluations it's either "ok" or "pi$$ poor."

[tortugaphd]

It sounds like you're being a bit hard on yourself.  As previous forumites have mentioned: sure, we all want to write and publish at a faster pace and be more effective in our teaching.  There's a tendency always to want to do better.

Do you have a mentor assigned to you at your job?  Speaking with him/her about these issues will probably help put things into perspective.  And then if there are things that really do need increased attention towards improvement, they can point you in the correct direction, too.

[zeeland]

Southerntransplant is correct: Satisfactory = a passing grade, which is the best you can hope for in this line of work. Our annual evaluation forms provide just three options: "Acceptable", "Marginal", or "Unacceptable".  This is a pass/fail thing and it sounds like you are passing, so be proud and keep working hard! 

[brixton]

Especially if it is only a 2nd year review.  No one will want to give you the wonderkind label that early on.  That makes it harder to get rid of you, should things turn sour.  Second review is usually "satisfactory, you're doing this right, but could do more of that." 

So what should you be doing? (Maybe that's your question, besides just is this career right for me?) Focus on turning more of those 3/4 written papers into something finished.  If you find yourself with too many questions, choose one, type it out in hard copy and stick it to your computer screen, so you're focused on a lone research problem.  If others seem interesting -- put them in a "next project file."  Your teaching problems might be tied to your research problems.  Students rarely like the person who is unfocussed. Try to keep yourself on point.  Industry likes focused people too, so solving that issue might help you should you decide to bail.  I think what is important for the next few years before tenure is to figure out what you need to do to make you feel you're good at what you do.  If finally that doesn't fit your core, perhaps finding a better match is in the cards.  But I agree with most, no need to make this decision now unless you are miserable.

[seldom]

Add me to the list of people who think you're being too hard on yourself...

Sure, there is room for improvement with respect to your teaching and research. It seems you're trying hard, you've identified your weaknesses, and all you need to do (and maybe you have started doing that already) is act on them. Besides, the start of year 2 is hardly the time to go into panic mode. You still have another 4 years to get things right.

Like you, I have been at my job for over 6 months and do find myself worrying about similar things with respect to my teaching and research. I got an average 2.8/5 on the evaluations for the first course I ever taught last semester (I have to admit I didn’t expect them to be so low). I have been slow with making industry connections for my research. I feel I have problems with managing my time between teaching and research. I have just gone through my annual performance but not sure about the outcome yet (who knows what I will get on this one). However,

I am not letting that let me down. It’s too early in the game to just give up and start questioning whether I am cut for academia. In the last few months, I have surprised myself with how positive, upbeat and eager to improve I have been. I feel like I am learning from my mistakes, slowly improving and that things will definitely get better. I know this is the job I want, I know I love teaching and research and that I can’t possibly love my job that much if I am so terrible at it! I am surprised at this positive attitude that I have myself since I have always felt down in the past when things didn’t turn out the way I expected them to. I guess this attitude means one of the two things: that I do really love my job, know what I want and won’t let a few bumps early on prevent me from getting to my end goal, or that I am just terrible at what I do, am not cut out for academia, and am too delusional to realize it! Only time will tell I am afraid. In the meantime, I refuse to die without a fight!
 

[oatmeal]

OP--As others note, do not be too hard on yourself. However, and depending on the standards for T&P at your institution, you will need to improve on the research ranking. It looks to me that the department is saying "we value you" but we want to see publications. Focus on turning those 3/4 completed projects into completed ones, so that when you have a third year review, your research will move to the next level in the rankings. This is important. Another satisfactory ranking, the third (?) might worry your colleagues. As for teaching, I suspect you will need to improve, unless teaching is not really valued. If it is valued, as it should be, i would suggest getting a mentor, working with the teaching center (to show that you are engaged and care about teaching if nothing else) and that you have colleagues peer-review your teaching (and that they write up their respective observations).

At this stage, I would not be too hard on yourself but respond with completion of research projects and attempts to improve teaching. The fact you will teach the same classes again will probably help. Good luck.

[lux_mea]

I'd also encourage you to be as well-informed as possible about reappointment and tenure standards at your school. Frankly, at my school, satisfactory doesn't mean you're fine, it means you haven't been non-renewed YET, so your concern would be appropriate.

Talk to a stable, tenured faculty member you think you can trust and with whom you're willing to be straightforward. Ask them what this evaluation of your performance means in the culture of your school. Tell them you want to improve and ask them for suggestions. Do (at least try) what they suggest. It's all any of us can do.

I, too, started with teaching evals well below expectations. This is a very common phenomenon for professors (even experienced ones) in their first year at a new school. You definitely can turn it around, but you'll need to get smart about how to do that where you are - expectations vary by school and even by discipline within the school. For the research piece, you know what to do: focus and do it. Just like getting the PhD.

Best of luck. It truly can get better!

[zeeland]

I'd also encourage you to be as well-informed as possible about reappointment and tenure standards at your school. Frankly, at my school, satisfactory doesn't mean you're fine, it means you haven't been non-renewed YET, so your concern would be appropriate.

This is a good point. As I said before, at my university satisfactory is the highest grade on the form, but this apparently varies across universities (and probably departments too).  What is most important is what your chair says about your progress to date.  S/he should let you know if there is reason for concern.

[joeroberts]

Hi all, I just wanted to say thanks for all the supportive comments. There was lots of bits of good advice. This is a great community.