#Dispatches From the Frontlines series crowdsources questions to get a broad indication of how our readers are coping with various challenges.
The question this week: How many jobs are open in your field this year, and what do you plan to do–hang on/tread water, or bail and go postac?
This question remains live for at least one more week! See the form link at the bottom of the post to contribute your response!
NOTE: Please remember that we invite respondents to list their own identifying details. We mostly do not edit these. Respondents share what THEY feel is significant about their identity.
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Zero. (35, white, transgender, queer, single, STEM NTT)
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I gave up on academia long ago. I’m sure there are few jobs, if any. If there are any, they are somewhere that I, as a minority woman, probably don’t want to live. Private tutoring has paid the bills for awhile now. (private tutor for high school students. I got my PhD in 2015; Social Sci. postac)
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I can count on one hand the job listings in my field and adjacent fields. I’m terrified. My non-academic plan was always private h.s. teaching, so I am preparing to apply for those jobs, in addition to every even vaguely relevant post-doc and VAP. (white cis woman, first-gen college student.; Hum Grad Student)
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I am over $120,000 in debt, and only three jobs opened in my speciality. I am concerned about defending my dissertation and having to abandon the academia. As of right now, I plan to adjunct until the TT market recovers. (27, mixed-race, queer, non-binary, fat studies scholar; Humanities, grad Student)
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I’ve applied to 5 jobs so far. Canadian postings seem to be chugging along mostly as usual. American postings have almost entirely dried up. I’ve only seen 1 position in the States so far that I could (in theory) apply to. I will almost certainly go post-ac after this job cycle. In the meantime, I am just trying to focus on my current work and not get too tied up in knots about the future. (White, married cis male; Social Sciences Postdoc)
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There are a few jobs open in my subfield but my current institution has made a point of making it impossible for me to be competitive for them due to the crushing nature of my responsibilities. TBD on whether I’ll still be employed next year but my lean is feeling that I will not be. At this point, I feel as if I am trained for nothing and have to start over. I’d like to find a job outside of academics but my current location has few opportunities and I’m bound to the location currently through my partner. It’s pretty depressing to consider spending so much time in school and still lacking a career. Realistically, I’ll probably be supported by my partner next year. *White, married, heterosexual, dual hire; Social Sci, NTT)
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I haven’t seen any but it appears that in Canada, very little change has occurred to grant funding with automatic Covid extensions (4-6 months). I’ve been treading for awhile now working with different types of organisations (still linked to research project, some applied and some project management roles PT). Covid has now cemented this precarious situation and will now revisit the idea of incorporating once my stress and overwhelm settles. I have guaranteed source of income until spring 2021, spare time will be developing new proposals for a private contract and getting new clients.(38 W, married 2 school age kids. Contract research in and out of University ; STEM NTT)
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I work in STEM Education, so the number of open jobs depends on how you count things. Traditional faculty lines (research/teaching/service), there were a handful of jobs. Curriculum development and technology specialists? I’ve lost track – dozens, maybe over 100. I know I’ve got the hallowed position – tenured in my field (well, I transitioned into Edu research out of traditional STEM), but it’s still stressful. We have more budget cuts coming (10% on top of previous 10/20/10% cuts over the past 3-4 years), our statewide university system has already cut 300 positions (taking us from 1000 down to 700). The only thing left to cut are entire programs. If my position survives the cuts, what will it matter? So while I am tenured and happy with my department, I am still considering leaving. Who wants to stay in a burning mess? (Middle-aged married mom of middle schoolers, living in the deep midwest; STEM Tenured Prof)
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1 job in the North American market so far for this cycle. (A few more in Europe.) Totally bailing! (39, white, transman, queer; Humanities Postdoc)
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Zero jobs have been advertised in my field/subfield. In April I was shortlisted for a position, but the interview was cancelled due to Covid and then a hiring freeze was put in place. I continue to tread water. Post-ac probably not realistic. No one wants to hire an old woman just starting out on a/another new career path. (56 yr old straight, single, Caucasian female; Social Sciences, Unemployed PhD)
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Zero; my position is secure but I would like a better offer somewhere else where my husband can work. That is not going to happen this year at least. (Late 30s, white, CIS, married woman, renewable at a top 20 university; Humanities NTT)
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Tenure-track recruitment in Finance/Economics/Accounting is down around 40% in the US and 20 to 25% in Europe. I have lined up a post doc to bridge the gap. In 2 years, I believe either non-ac job market (Federal Reserve, BLS, private investment banks etc.) will be back to normal or the business schools will be hiring again. The post doc salary is good, comfortable even for someone wirh regular expenses on my own. (Late 20s, male, single, no child or other dependants. ; Soc Sci Grad Student
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While fields and positions had opened in academia early in the year, a lot of them didn’t hire after the pandemic shut down schools in the Spring. Even if me and my friends were lucky to get a job it’s a struggle to negotiate visas with the ever changing rules and economic status of universities taking a hit. (28 year old female international employee at a public R1 university; STEM NTT)
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I’m leaving academia. Plan is to try for some NGO or governmental positions. (Queer and married 27 latinx and ABD; Humanities Grad Student)
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So far there are only three tenure-track, US job openings in my entire field, one of which is in my subfield. My plan is to apply for fellowships and postdocs (and the one TT job) and to continue doing freelance work. Even if I don’t get a job/fellowship/postdoc, I can survive for another year on freelance income and savings (and perhaps adjuncting if I find a decent situation). I will give the academic job market at least one more try after this round and then reassess. (30s white woman; Arts/Music/Theater; Asst Prof whose position was cut)
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I’m not on the market this year (thank goodness!), but from glancing at job boards, I see only about 6 full-time jobs total in my field and 0 in my subfield. It’s definitely bleak My current job is safe according to my dept. chair, so I plan to stay put. But I’m definitely increasing my savings in case I find myself unemployed in the future. (N/A; Soc Sci NTT)
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NEXT WEEK’S QUESTION CONTINUES: How many jobs opened in your field and subfield this year? What’s your plan for an income stream–tread water for an academic opening? Bail out and go postac? Pls share.
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