4 ms·
Not always. My wife is an adjunct at two different colleges. She would love to be full time, not just for pay or benefits, but because it would mean that her op
by therobot24 11y ago
Not always. My wife is an adjunct at two different colleges. She would love to be full time, not just for pay or benefits, but because it would mean that her opinions and class proposals would actually be taken seriously by the department.
As for why she does it?
>> Sunk cost fallacy
I'm assuming this is based on the phrase "those who can, do; those who can't, teach". That all of her time has been teaching, so she might as well keep teaching. I'm also assuming you've never met someone who is actually passionate about their work. Is willing to work at 70% salary because funding is tight, or will take a pay cut to do something they love versus something they have little emotional investment in.
>> 2) What else are you going to do when all your training is academic?
I'm assuming here that you've never talked to anyone concerning their experience in getting a PhD. While many go on to academia, very little do it specifically to teach, many enjoy the prestige, pure research communities, and subject matter they study.
- jrs235 11y agoI've heard it said that it's suppose to be "those who can, teach; those who can't, do". Doing something is often easier than teaching it to others.
- victorhn 11y agoYou would be surprised how many teachers don't know how to do practical tasks or be competitive enough to be employed on the public sector.
- nowarninglabel 11y agoI think you are mis understanding "Sunk cost fallacy". What the parent comment was saying, and something I'm quite familiar with, is that when you have invested a lot of time and money in getting a Phd, and then find the job prospects slim to none, you are likely not to just give up and take a different job outside your field because you have "sunk costs" into becoming an academic. Thus, you may take a job as an adjunct in hopes of getting to be a professor someday, even if your economic position may be better to just get a job in industry somewhere.
- rconti 11y agoWell, you need to pay the massive student loan bills somehow, and you've been studying something you are interested in and enjoy. What's the alternative? Flipping burgers for the same pay? Or do you imagine there are tons of industry jobs out there for folks without experience.. who will probably be considered overeducated but underqualified?
- AnimalMuppet 11y agoI presume what eli_gottlieb meant by "sunk cost fallacy" is more like this: "I've spent X years chasing tenure; if I bail on academia now, I'll never get it (and therefore waste those X years), but if I keep trying, I might make it."