Adjunct Life

Doing all this writing has got me thinking. What if I get the degree and am still an adjunct for a long time? What If I'm stuck here forever, waiting every semester to find out if I have a job in three months? To find out if I have health care in three months? Making my salary now at 35 or 40. I don't know if I can handle that.

Some quotes from Burt-Out Adjunct, fellow blogger and adjunct faculty that sum up the experience and what to do about it:

"If you are an adjunct, you need to treat it like playing in a garage band: you need a well-paying day job in order to indulge your passion."

"Institutions have melted (I hate to say evolve here) into the current position because it pays the best for them. Farm out the overflow or the inconsistently enrolled to contingent [aka adjunct] faculty, freeing up the tenured to pursue their passions. If you are one of the few Chosen Ones, then feel complacent and safe–which I know you do–knowing that you need not worry too much except for a system-wide implosion (see California right now)."

Great, btw, I am in California.

"You are the expendable, the booty-call of the University hook-up system. You are the lover on the side, and when stresses arise, people will adhere to the family structure.

So, play to your passion, but ensure a more secure revenue stream–your family will appreciate it."

I was just talking about this last night, though the "booty call" metaphor is so ridiculously perfect and much better than how I phrased it. Sigh....

I'm doing good work here folks, I just hope it's put to good use someday.