Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
OK, first off, if I am posting this in the wrong place, I ask the mods to move it to wherever it fits. My question is as follows (and I had been thinking about this since way before Coronavirus, but now I am definitely reflecting on it even more).
I teach as an adjunct prof at a college. I do not get health insurance from them and my contract is temp (on a semester to semester basis). No job security whatsoever. Let me repeat> ZERO benefits or job security.
I DO like what I teach and I am very well-respected by colleagues and students alike. The issue is not the work environment since I actually enjoy my job for the most part. Other than that, I think there are more minuses in all this:
1. My commute is 1.5 hours each way ON A GOOD DAY and using the subway. Eventually, that wears you down even if I work Mon-Thursday and within an ideal schedule that even an office worker could only dream about.
2. I do earn a decent bi-weekly salary - I say decent because I am extremely frugal with my expenses and have always been that way. I grew up in a very austere environment. I am able to save money. Notwithstanding that, however, I live in a shared apartment (2 other roommates). They are ideal because before this pandemic, they were never home and did not cook. Now they are home because of this isolation and are both cooking a lot more. I do not like that because I definitely am a person who likes to keep to myself and it was ideal to have the kitchen always to myself. That's all gone now.
3. I pay $1,000/month in a very good area for a large room (+expenses, which are not high).
4. My current adjunct contract ends on the third week of April and after that, I am not guaranteed any classes (although they usually offer me enough classes). Coronavirus or not, I NEVER know what my schedule is until usually the day BEFORE the new semester begins. Such is the nature of for-profit colleges, unfortunately.
5. I am teaching from home now and LOVE IT, ABSOLUTELY LOVE not having to take the subways anymore. Even post-pandemic, I'm not sure I want to return to the commute or "in class" teaching, because I find myself being much more productive with online setup. Luckily, my courses were already set up for online way before this crisis (I always liked to back up all material online using Moodle). My students have adapted "OK", though some will definitely fare much worse.
Some of you may say that I already answered my own question, but I prefer feedback from people maybe who can offer a different perspective or are in a similar position. I just do not really see the point of staying here long-term in these conditions. At the same time, I am not sure I could find a similar position anywhere else. I definitely want to stay in the NY/NJ area, so I am not considering other states. Ideally, maybe a town far enough for it to be more peaceful/affordable.
Any thoughts? I welcome all suggestions. I am (happily) single and can go anywhere I want. I have a B.Sci and a M.Sci, zero student loan debt and zero other debts (though I do wish I could buy a house).
If your job, even before the pandemic, was not on a tenure track in any sense at your college, then you should definitely be looking at job offers whether in NYC or not.
If your job, even before the pandemic, was not on a tenure track in any sense at your college, then you should definitely be looking at job offers whether in NYC or not.
Makes sense. Thing is, I slacked off on it for a bit because I also have an LLC (tutoring business) so I make even more money from that. Ideally, if I could just get private students, I'd be making 3 times as much and without classroom management issues (As well as far more competitive students compared to the ones I work with at the college where I work).
It's too late by now. No one is going into work so no one is available to hire you.
The best case is coronavirus dies down in the summer months. You can interview over the summer and move to a new location. In the meantime, keep your current contract.
The coronavirus might return in the fall. If you leave your current position for a new one, you'll be the last one hired and may be the first one fired if schools close again.
We are all rethinking our lives and New York now.
My daughter was heartbroken when her Queens, NY roommates decided not to renew their lease. She moved back home for awhile before relocating to VA. Her old apartment was a mile from Elmhurst Hospital where most coronavirus patients are. Now, she is so thankful she's gone. She has a great one bedroom apartment (no roommates) in a much safer state.
Do not limit yourself to the NY metro area. VA was a nice surprise for us. Former New Yorkers love Richmond, VA. Williamsburg VA's William and Mary College is wonderful. Austin, TX is nice and New Yorkers fit right in. North Carolina's Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill are nice too.
It's too late by now. No one is going into work so no one is available to hire you.
The best case is coronavirus dies down in the summer months. You can interview over the summer and move to a new location. In the meantime, keep your current contract.
The coronavirus might return in the fall. If you leave your current position for a new one, you'll be the last one hired and may be the first one fired if schools close again.
We are all rethinking our lives and New York now.
My daughter was heartbroken when her Queens, NY roommates decided not to renew their lease. She moved back home for awhile before relocating to VA. Her old apartment was a mile from Elmhurst Hospital where most coronavirus patients are. Now, she is so thankful she's gone. She has a great one bedroom apartment (no roommates) in a much safer state.
Do not limit yourself to the NY metro area. VA was a nice surprise for us. Former New Yorkers love Richmond, VA. Williamsburg VA's William and Mary College is wonderful. Austin, TX is nice and New Yorkers fit right in. North Carolina's Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill are nice too.
Yes, I've been thinking just keep what I have for now (assuming they offer me something for next semester, which is doubtful right now. Admissions keeps telling me that applications are higher than ever, but I do not think they are being honest or totally competent).
My roommates are renewing the lease in June (I am not on the lease for a variety of reasons since I prefer month to month, in case I ever have to bail out and they are ok with that. My roommates and I are not friends or anything, we hardly even talk but are civil to each other and clean).
I agree with what you say about VA, but most of my family is close enough to the NYC metro area. My parents are getting older and I do not want to move to a location where I would be too far from them in case they need me.
Using the subway would almost guarantee you catch Caronavirus eventually. If you survive it, there is still no reason to stay in the city.
Gov Cuomo and Mayor De Blasio are gonna run the city and state into economic
ruin for many reasons. It' will never recover to what it was, you will see!
Yes, even before this whole apocalyptic mess, I was already getting so fed up with the Subway (it had gotten so bad that a homeless man even physically almost hurt me randomly a few weeks ago). The city was going into the dump for a while now. I live in a fairly affluent area and Coronavirus here is less than 40% according to that map released yesterday, but even so I definitely think nothing will ever be the same for now (definitely not better than what we had just even a year ago).
I'm with the Crumbler here, if not moreso. If you're idea of a career track in trying to get a tenured college teaching position, you need to seriously rethink your career plans. Get the hell out of academia. They colleges are cranking out way more people who are qualified for college teaching jobs than there are tenured jobs for them. The majority (like you) will be permanently trapped in adjunct hell until they do something else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OyCrumbler
If your job, even before the pandemic, was not on a tenure track in any sense at your college, then you should definitely be looking at job offers whether in NYC or not.
This remind me when I used to work at retail and have to travel 1.5 hour one way on a daily basis to work, so I spent 3 hours on taking subway day after day.
I suggest OP actively look for another adjunct professor position in a school that is somewhat closer to where you live. If that’s not possible, see if you can find another place that is closer to the school where you work at.
This problem cannot be solve in a matter of days or weeks. You have to anticipate minimum of few months when you start actively looking for another workplace or place to live.
I'm with the Crumbler here, if not moreso. If you're idea of a career track in trying to get a tenured college teaching position, you need to seriously rethink your career plans. Get the hell out of academia. They colleges are cranking out way more people who are qualified for college teaching jobs than there are tenured jobs for them. The majority (like you) will be permanently trapped in adjunct hell until they do something else.
I think this is one of my "problems". I know what I'd like to do (if I had absolute powers, I'd dedicate myself exclusively to private tutoring, not a career in academia). I have a skill set in Math, so able to do other things (but I don't like coding or Computer Science in general, so that eliminates a lot of the Math related job offers out there). I make the highest amount of money from private tutoring for tough exams or problem sets or simply review of Mathematical concepts.
Other than that, it's hard for me to decide where else I'd fit other than this. That is something I definitely need to think about. I know academia is a dead end and it's majority adjunct hell as you say.
This remind me when I used to work at retail and have to travel 1.5 hour one way on a daily basis to work, so I spent 3 hours on taking subway day after day.
I suggest OP actively look for another adjunct professor position in a school that is somewhat closer to where you live. If that’s not possible, see if you can find another place that is closer to the school where you work at.
This problem cannot be solve in a matter of days or weeks. You have to anticipate minimum of few months when you start actively looking for another workplace or place to live.
Yes, thing is I think that the future in NYC does not look good right now. If we are going to have a lower standard of living/quality of life, I'd rather just be somewhere that is at least more peaceful/less hassle.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
