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Comps are over!

Five, four-hour exams later and my comprehensive exams are over! It has been all-consuming to memorize enough material for each exam and I still won't find out if I passed for a couple of weeks. At least my proposal is done so that I can defend both at the same time.

Each morning before I took an exam, life seemed to throw me a curve ball--my son forgot his lunch one morning--my husband's car needed to go to the repair shop another morning--it was never a straight line from here to there. I guess life is never as simple as we think it should be. I'm just glad this chapter is over.

Many paths for a PhD...

In today's Chronicle of Higher Education, a doctoral student writes about her job search and her realization that teaching is just not her calling. She writes as if she is defending her opinion, as if she is waiting for the rest of us to criticize her lack of interest in teaching. As an older student, this seems similar to the old debate between working moms and stay-at-home moms and whose choice is the right one.

I believe that she should not pursue a teaching job if her heart is not in it. As a former adjunct almost ready to return to academe, I know how much of a professor's life is spent on teaching, as opposed to research. They don't really explain this fully to doctoral students and I fear that many others who are not sure about their feelings will get a teaching job and then figure out it is not what they want. She is right to confront her feelings now, be honest about them, and pursue the path she feels more interested in.

I say this as one who has a completely different perspective. I was an adjunct for 11 years and then decided to pursue teaching as a full-time profession. For me, teaching is a calling--it feels like the best place for my talents and abilities to come together to do something positive in the world. Fortunately, I enjoy research, as well, so this career should be a positive move for me. But, I understand that there are two sides to the job and if your heart is not in it, take a different path.

Does professor mean multi-tasker?

As a grad student, I suppose we get a taste of what life will be as a professor. I'm wondering if we'll still be multi-tasking as much as I seem to these days:
--teaching assistant
--working on dissertation
--research assistant
--applying for jobs
--finishing up previous studies with other colleagues
--finalizing papers for conferences/journals

And this does not include my other job(s):
--chauffer
--homework assistant
--playmate
--disciplinarian
--cook
--(sometimes)laundress
--school volunteer
--personal shopper
--spouse
--mother

Whew, I'm exhausted already. I guess the one thing we have (as mentioned in that NY Times article) is control over our own time. I just can't wait for there to be some time left to control.

So much for lazy summers...

An academic, writing in the NY Times today dispels the myth that academics have long lazy summers. No wonder mine flew by without much relaxation. Don't tell my kids about this--I keep promising them that next summer will be better.