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When I was finishing up my MA in English lit., I had a quick conversation with one of my favorite professors about job prospects for that particular degree, which basically boil down to teaching high school, teaching community college, or certain kinds of publishing jobs. I asked her about teaching CC and she said, “you really don’t want to do that if you have any other options.” I asked why and her two-word reply was, “Slave labor.”</p>
<p>Compared with 1960, today there is a much higher percentage of the population with graduate degrees. There is an oversupply of highly educated people who are willing to work for cheap. Too much competition.</p>
<p>When I finished my MA, many of my classmates joined the “adjunct circuit” teaching a class here and there at three or four different colleges (all of that driving to make less than they did as a TA!?) I took a job as an administrative assistant to a dept. chair at the same university. (Guess who made more $? 
)</p>
<p>BTW: I did go to grad school just for the love of the discipline. I didn’t want a strata of society that knew more about my beloved literature than I did. </p>
<p>Literature has been the ultimate mainstay of my life, though childhood loneliness, empty relationships, health problems.</p>
<p>Novels are always there, or if too demanding, a beautiful image can fill many an empty hour.</p>
<p>Teaching came later and became a passion too. If I can get just one student to see a glimmer of what I love, I feel successful.</p>
<p>And now I am writing novels, just as I have always written poems.</p>
<p>I did enjoy the conference, academic paper, research part of the profession for a while but it proved difficult to maintain with the demands of a hectic teaching career and the demands of functioning as a full-time mommy without any professional help – just a very harried H.</p>
<p>But it’s still there if I want it.</p>
<p>I agree with Giveherwings: my work is still getting stronger. I can craft a more supple syllabus and communicate more succinctly to bring about the changes in students that lead to great literacy and sensitivity to language.</p>
<p>I am off for a semester for a hip replacement and I am already restive.</p>
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<p>My d. really has not had any difficulty maintaining connections with adjuncts, although as far as I know all of the adjuncts she has had still teach at her college. In a way it might be an advantage if circumstances force a student to develop lines of communication outside of the campus email system and office hours – that may be far more stable over time.</p>
<p>The only time it might be a big problem is when the adjunct is so accomplished and successful that they eventually become unreachable except by close insiders. I imagine that Barack Obama’s former students probably have a hard time getting in touch with him these days, not because they can’t find him (obviously) – but because they are going to have to run a gauntlet through his administrative staff in order for a communication to reach him.</p>
<p>Mathmom hit it on the head:</p>
<p><i>Adjuncts are not a problem when they are doing it on the side in addition to their real jobs. Schools in DC for example have lots of visiting professors whose primary interest in outside the school. But when schools are using adjuncts to save money no one wins.</i></p>
<p>My husband was a prof at a very well-known east coast university for 37 years. You cannot attract the best talent when you hire someone for two years then boot them so you don’t have to pay them benefits. Doctorates are a dime a dozen nowadays, so it has nothing to do with “our faculty has the most doctorates!” Well, whoopie ding dong doo for You! @@</p>
<p>However, as a result of all the part timers, the caliber of the student body weakens, which weakens the position/stature/financial situation/ability to give you $$ of the college… Sure, some good graduates will come for a couple of years experience. Then they will go on their merry way to Corporate America, where they can get health insurance and enough $$ to open their 401K. </p>
<p>Teachers are disrespected enough in this country. When my 21 yo niece graduated from Delaware with a BS in Chemistry and got a job right out of school making twice what her 55 yo mother made as an Elementary School Teacher, that just sends the message that this country WANTS the second best to be teachers, because they’re not worth paying.</p>
<p>A lot of the profs at CCs are former teachers, people without a job (don’t need an ed degree or certification), etc… However, in many states, retired teachers - who would probably be IDEAL for teaching at a CC - are not ALLOWED to teach in a CC. It’s really stupid. If they could, not only would it save the school districts money (because more teachers would retire earlier), but it would give those students teachers who WANTED to teach.</p>
<p>My cousin retired at 55 with 30 years in, as a Spanish teacher. She missed teaching, but didn’t want to do full time, so she taught a couple of classes at a local community college. That was until they figured out she was collecting her pension, and NO, she couldn’t do Both!</p>
<p>Talk about irritating. Grrr.</p>
<p>Well, my CC doesn’t hire folks without PhD’s, and I don’t consider myself slave labor. A bit elitist of that prof who made that pronouncement I think. In fact I needed a PhD and ninety credits of teaching at the college level just to apply, much more than for more elite jobs.</p>
<p>Why didn’t I apply to more elite jobs? I’m bad at the job search and this job fell into my lap. I am sufficiently credentialed for any university.</p>
<p>Occasionally I teach a special topics course, sometimes online or a blend of in-class and online. I find it fun and I think I bring some perspectives to the courses not necessarily available from strictly inside the school. I will not, however, teach a course that can or should be taught by regular faculty. I do it for the fun of it, others do it because it is their life’s work, they deserve special consideration.</p>
<p>Mythmom, you are lucky. What state are you in? </p>
<p>In my state, CCs are government run schools, but it’s County government, and that’s the way it goes. Anyone can teach there. Qualified teachers (like my cousin, with her doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in School Adminstration) can’t teach there.</p>