@roethlisburger - your point brings out one of the complications of the adjunct situation. By now a lot of people entering humanities Phds are told about the lack of tenure-track jobs. At the very least, the pressure builds in the first two years when graduate students see themselves in a highly competitive environment with not too many job prospects, other than working as adjunct instructors. Still, many remain and try to be the exception or ultimately make do by teaching courses here and there. Also, the pay for an adjunct course can vary depending on the institution, upwards of $6-7K in some places, although that tends to be major universities. I think some places pay in the low $2Ks. Some people choose to keep it going for years and even make a career of it. No big money and very little job security, but the alternative might be a job in an office 40 hours a week. Still, universities could be more supportive by offering adjuncts full-time teaching (or a good number of courses) and health care (some do).