[Xmca-l] Re: (non)grieving scholarship

[Wolff-Michael Roth]

Alfredo, Wagner, and others:

one thing I learned---and the same is with publication----is that
applications and publications take a certain amount of stick-to-it-ness.
When I decided to give academia another try, I had send about 40
applications to institutions in the US where I had done my PhD. Many
universities did not even acknowledge receipt, some did, only 1 had me on
their intermediate list, but I did not make it onto the short list---even
though I had a considerable list of publications and articles, and that as
a high school teacher.

With articles it is the same, I have had articles where I went through 3 or
4 journals before the right fit was found---in one case, I had a major
revision and ultimate publication in the 9th submission, which was the same
journal as the first submission that had rejected the virtually identical
first paper.

So I learned it that it pays of not to give up. But rather than relying
only on that one stream of possibilities, open up other possibilities while
pursuing your dream. Generate possibilities and take permanent jobs that
are not your ultimate dream jobs while continuing to apply for those that
seem to fit your ideal (again, grass tends to *appear *greener on the other
side of the fence). What you want to avoid is to fall on hardship.

Michael



On Sat, Feb 17, 2018 at 5:07 PM, mike cole <mcole@ucsd.edu> wrote:

> Yours is a quandary shared by your generation, Alfredo.
> Being allowed to teach and conduct research in a quality institution is a
> great privilege and an
> increasingly rarer possibility.
>
> There are several people on this list who have organized their lives to be
> independent scholars
> while staying connected to the core institutions of disciplinary training.
> It might be nice to hear
> the variety out there.
>
> It appears pretty certain that the situation is going to get worse
> before/if it gets better.
>
> What can the collective experience of xmca come up with that would be
> useful to the many
> of you caught in this meat grinder?
>
> mike
>
>
>
> On Sat, Feb 17, 2018 at 4:49 PM, Alfredo Jornet Gil <a.j.gil@iped.uio.no>
> wrote:
>
> > Good luck then, Wagner!
> > A
> > ________________________________________
> > From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu <xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu>
> > on behalf of Wagner Luiz Schmit <wagner.schmit@gmail.com>
> > Sent: 18 February 2018 01:07
> > To: eXtended Mind, Culture Activity
> > Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: (non)grieving scholarship
> >
> > This just hit me in the spot...
> >
> > Wagner
> >
> > On Feb 17, 2018 9:48 PM, "Alfredo Jornet Gil" <a.j.gil@iped.uio.no>
> wrote:
> >
> > > I have not been able to contribute to this list as much as I'd like to
> > > lately, among other things, because I need to find a job, and I need to
> > > make sure that I have checked all those boxes that selection committees
> > > will check (enough first-authored publications? in good enough
> journals?
> > > enough leadership in projects? teaching? supervising? acquiring funds?
> > more
> > > than all others candidates? and more than favoured-for-whatever-other-
> > reasons
> > > candidates?). So I have been doing all I can these weeks to fill up a
> > > competitive CV, for my contract is about to expire.
> > >
> > >
> > > And, although I did not think that it was particularly well written, it
> > > was both relieving and discouraging to read this article (see link
> below,
> > > which I take from the facebook wall of a colleague who I think also
> > > subscribes this list). The article makes visible the pain scholars go
> > > through when, after so many years of digging and digging and digging a
> > > little (but deep!) hole, may after all have to leave it and find some
> > other
> > > thing to do. In Canada, I met a French astronomer who was moving
> through
> > > the world with his lovely family, short-term project after short-term
> > > project, getting better and better at what he worked on (apparently he
> > was
> > > among the few who had expertise in computer modeling simulating some
> > > astronomic events) , and finally having to step out academia last year
> to
> > > find something else to do, for his family no longer could stand the
> > > constant uncertainty and travelling. It could be me soon. And that may
> > not
> > > be a bad thing, or even a thing in itself, but the story seems to be
> > quite
> > > endemic to academia and may be interesting to some of you:
> > >
> > >
> > > https://www.chronicle.com/article/Why-Everybody-Loses-When/242560
> > >
> > > Alfredo
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>