The Road to Tenure
Interviews, Rejections, and Other Humorous Experiences
Edited by Erin Marie Furtak, Ian Parker Renga
Publication date:
02 April 2014Length of book:
152 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781475807974
The Road to Tenure offers humorous recollections of the messiness and confusion that fill the days of a pre-tenure academic—from graduate school through the postdoc and into the assistant professor days. The book’s three sections roughly map onto the chronology of academic life, beginning with graduate school and the job search experience; followed by teaching, research, and service; and finally the challenges of family and academic identity.
The book is not a how-to, nor does it emphasize “lessons learned” on the way to tenure. Instead, the collection earnestly, and with good humor, captures a significant and meaningful slice of the experience of pursuing academia in contemporary colleges and universities. For the doctoral student or newly hired faculty member, these essays will provide some comfort with their implicit suggestion that, while it’s certainly hard work, you are not alone.
The book is not a how-to, nor does it emphasize “lessons learned” on the way to tenure. Instead, the collection earnestly, and with good humor, captures a significant and meaningful slice of the experience of pursuing academia in contemporary colleges and universities. For the doctoral student or newly hired faculty member, these essays will provide some comfort with their implicit suggestion that, while it’s certainly hard work, you are not alone.
Learning from your mistakes is good, but learning from other people’s hilarious mishaps is much better. While laughing and cringing, you’ll get some wise advice and perspective from this gem of dark comedy.