Comments on: The Least Stressful Job for 2013? A Real Look at Being a Professor in the US

By: Audra

Audra — Fri, 04 Mar 2016 11:26:06 +0000

Hi — perhaps if you let me know which logical leaps you feel I’ve made, I can clear them up🙂

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By: bastcilk doptb

bastcilk doptb — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 09:53:59 +0000

Good info. Lucky me I reach on your website by accident, I bookmarked it.

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By: bastcilk doptb

bastcilk doptb — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 18:56:52 +0000

The very root of your writing while appearing agreeable initially, did not really settle properly with me personally after some time. Somewhere throughout the paragraphs you actually managed to make me a believer but just for a while. I however have got a problem with your leaps in assumptions and you would do well to fill in those breaks. In the event you actually can accomplish that, I will surely end up being amazed.

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By: Audra

Audra — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 16:40:45 +0000

Thanks for sharing your experience. I think you’ve summed up the bizarre balancing act very well — and the institution’s politics, well… that’s a whole different can of worms, isn’t it?

I do think there’s an acceptance about academia’s warts (once we get into it and really know what it’s about) for those who end up being successful and even enjoying it.

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By: anon

anon — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 16:15:38 +0000

I’ve sacrificed 12 years of health and personal life, hobbies, time with my kids (thank goodness for my stay-at home husband & cook or I’m not sure how women or men in two career families would do this at all) to do this professor gig. After tenure, it doesn’t get much better. sorry to say… Then you have leadership roles in the institution, in your field, more invited talks, more Ph.D. theses to supervise, more research grants to write with colleagues, more travel, more review of articles and grants, and the list goes on. Thank you for writing this! Why do we do it? Well there are perks.. In academe we are not usually ( unless you live in some states like my current one of NC) bound by politics, institutional position, or monetary gain to speak or write the “truth” , we can pursue avenues of knowledge that are interesting and might help society insteadd of those that are just profitable, and we can make a difference in seeing other younger minds light up and succeed. And yes, we do have some flexibility with schedules in that you can leave early to attend a kids soccer game or play, as long as you put in your 80 hours that week.

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