Big mouthful, chewing difficult and painful

[jawnbc]

My ambition has caught up with me; the next month is gonna be rather stressful. No, not the wedding--that’s mostly dealt with. It’s work stuff, mostly self-inflicted.

To secure a tenure-track position at a really good university requires:
~ proper credentials (a PhD from a noteworthy uni. Check);
~ significant university teaching experience, ideally including some graduate-level courses (lots of undergrad and enough grad teaching. Check);
~ a record of securing competitive research funds (mostly internal schemes, but also 3 very competitive fellowships. Check); and
~ publishing in scholarly spheres, mostly peer-reviewed (journals, refereeed proceedings, reviews, university press books).

This last one is not an area where I’ve been deficient. In fact, my publishing record’s very good for someone not even 2 years past defending his dissertation. Still, that ole feast-or-famine mentality periodically leads me to put my hand up whenever someone’s looking for papers in my field(s). But I always forget that my stuff is very nearly always accepted--I still work from a “most folks get rejected, just give it a go” standpoint.

A year ago I proposed to 2 different adult education journals special editions on HIV/AIDS. One journal is truly global and the focus of that one is HIV/AIDS in the majority world (a/k/a developing world). The other journal is Americo-ethnocentric, though they seem to forget that Canada isn’t part of the US--a good thing for Canucks wanting to publish there. I pitched both ideas, assuming a junior academic like me might luck out and get one to fly.

They both be flyin’. And both be due right about . . . now!

Editorial work certainly helps me improve my own writing. It allows me to see the formative process of some really bright people, rather than only the end-product. It also reveals that some people who can’t right for shit are getting their shit published way more than me. So far today’s 3 articles are 1 Wow, 1 Woo hoo and 1 Howdafookdidyougetadoctorate.

So I’d better go let them each now, so they can get their revisions to me ASAP.

PS I then have to edit one of my articles for the US one...pot calling the kettle black

On a wholly unrelated note, I finally tracked down a copy of Ulysses danbearnyc. Just started reading a memoir of Edward Said’s, and will give his royal Bloomness a go come the weekend.

Comments

[zhenzhi.livejournal.com]

go for it babes! it's great to be so focussed. really great. :-)

[msnmark.livejournal.com]

Damn, you've been busy. Congrats on the 2 guest editor gigs :-) I'd imagine you could get any job you wanted with a c.v. like that...it's just the job market in Canada can be such a waiting game (the really good jobs come-up so infrequently). I've noticed down here, junior faculty move around A LOT (like every 2 years) until they land somewhere good. Ugh. No thanks.

[jawnbc]

Thanks. I spread for tenure-track, PNW micro-climates, a good poutine and social democracy. But I'm not gonna spread for no ro-ses.

Strangely (or not) I've not been shortlisted for a couple of jobs (U of A,one of the Catlick unis in HFX) that I should've been a shoe-in. Never say always...I sometimes wonder if being such a Type A leads a search committee of Type Bs to think "ooooh, too intense." Even with my best Girl Guide smile.

[danbearnyc.livejournal.com]

Well it is about time thank you very much. But when reading Molly Bloom's soliloquy be sure to listen to Amber singing "Yes." Joyce will never be the same again.