Inevitably someone will say that my examples aren't typical because I teach in a specialized, low-demand field. In fact I have taught some of the biggest, most popular classes on campus at both UCLA and Boulder, and in my current position I'm required to teach at least one each semester that enrolls 150 or more students. These classes usually fill up within a day of registration opening, as they count for Gen. Ed. requirements like history or literature. Norse Mythology in spring 2018 enrolled 174 and the waitlist was at least as long as that; it's capped at 162 in spring 2019 because of resource limitations (and again, the waitlist is already out the door). Icelandic Sagas enrolls 161 right now. Don't assume that someone with a Ph.D. in Old Norse linguistics just teaches classes called "Old Norse linguistics;" similarly, specialized Ph.D.'s in other fields are going to be teaching broad undergraduate surveys too.
The wife being promoted to full professor with tenure was both a blessing and curse. She does have fantastic benefits, but we are very far away from our Wyoming home!
Thanks for talking about this. I know this is an old video, but I would just like to confirm that this is indeed the reality even in fields with many non-academic outside options. In my field, the fairly good job opportunities outside academia translate into somewhat higher wages for tenured and tenure track faculty in the US. Meaning tenure track positions are even more expensive and the vast majority of people with a PhD in the field have no chance of getting a tenure track position, let alone publish well enough to get tenure in the end. People often forget that if you do not meet the tenure requirements (publish well in top journals), you get kicked out after 5-6 years. And in Europe (where I am), you usually don't earn any more in this field than in any other fields, but that doesn't mean competition is any less fierce. I was just lucky to get a publication in a top journal, which helped me get an assistant professor position. It makes me feel guilty, because I run into people every day who are much more intelligent and knowledgeable than I am and still stuck in "post-doc hell" for years and years, going from one 1-year temporary position to the next. And those are the ones who focus on research. Others with more teaching oriented temporary positions have an even harder time since they're not given enough time to produce the research they would have to in order to get a permanent position.
Wow. I don’t know what to say to this. I AM a tenured (full) Professor, having worked my way through the ranks of lecturer, instructor, assistant professor and associate professor (where we get tenured), and while admittedly it’s been a lot of work, my experience has not been as dismal as your video makes the process seem. I’m wondering if the difference is the type of university. I’m not at an R1, though we certainly are expected to research and publish. We teach a 4/4 load ... 4 courses each semester. Mine are split between upper division undergrad and grad but that’s more a function of my specialty than my rank. I found your take on academia to be interesting. Wishing you the best.
I can confirm this is 100% true even in the STEM fields, though fortunately we have more options outside academia. Working conditions are heartwrenching.
As someone entering academia, all the people here making vast political theories are overthinking it. It's just money: the modern R1 university is richer than ever, but, in essentially every field, has absolutely no incentive to give good jobs to its labor force - why pay a professor when an adjunct will do twice the work for half the cost? And when they get a bit too cushy and start asking for more, you can terminate their contract and hire the next desperate PostDoc willing to work for peanuts. Our job insecurity allows us to be exploited and sure, academics complain loudly about our particular situation, but that's just because we're paid to talk about things: the same story is unfolding in essentially every industry, from Amazon to Uber, medicine to commercial driving.
So it's an economy-wide labour surplus? I wonder what could be causing that. It's as if the growth of new enterprises is getting hampered somehow, so most people have to compete to work at the same big players.
@@xunqianbaidu6917 This is a great example of the anti-intellectualist structure of the US capitalist system. If you look at some graphs, you can see the massive increase in innovation and quality of life when most American adults started getting High School diplomas, so a world where most US adults have college undergrads would likely lead to the same thing, but because of the specificity of the economic system, which can change if we wanted it to, it would lead to a labour surplus in high-skill professions. If you want society to improve broadly, then having a highly skilled population is obviously good, so the way to go should be to make higher education tuition free and heavily funded and accessible. The absolute absurdity of the economic system can make only conclude that anti-intellectualism is the point, and that those in power don't actually want an education population because they know they would kick them out.
You named all of the reasons I never pursued my PhD. I was happy with my Masters in Molecular Biology. I am a good teacher, but it's not what I want to do. So, instead I write books. However, I don't "waste" my education as my parents accuse.
I gladly revisited this 3-year-old video. One of my sons, who is a polyglot, was considering majoring in languages as a career path. I shared the video with him back then, which seemed to nudge him away from that idea, although I was only trying to inform and not discourage this. I guess now he may return to college to major in law for what that may yield to his interests. I don't wear a cowboy hat, but my son frequently does as he works in a hat shop in New Orleans. Yet I will very much wish you..."all the best."
There was a time I wanted to be a historian. I definitely don't have it in me to brave academia, and I am also too poor to go more in debt. Dr. Crawford, you have no idea how much I appreciate all the information you put out there for those who are willing to learn but unable to Navigate the oppressive system of "higher education" in this country. Thank you for all that you do! ❤
Thank you for these insights. I am a graduate student (biology) and can confirm, that these horrible working conditions are not dependent on the field of research. This whole academic system needs to change.
Some years ago I was offered a position teaching Spanish at a local university. I laughed when I was told it paid 1/3 what I made as a technical writer and I found out I made more with better benefits than the department chair. Then my son married a PhD student in a natural science field. She is now a tenure track asst professor doing mostly research. My son is a power systems mechanic ( generators). They tell me she will never earn as much as my son. It is my impression that since I was a student in the 60s the number of, and pay of, administrators at universities has gone through the roof while the pay of actual faculty has stagnated. Meanwhile, tuition has also increased dramatically to pay for administrators who don't teach or do research.
I'm glad you and many other academics on youtube talk about the problems in higher learning. Your story shows a glaring problem in higher learning and I hope more speak out so we can find a solution.
Very important information. I was a History major and I remember my adviser telling me how many of my favorite professors were not on "Tenure-track" positions and would either be fired or have to fight for their jobs in 3-6 years.
Ane Bysted, one of the most qualified and popular history lecturers in Denmark, was laid off from the University in Aarhus two years ago due to cutbacks.
Important video. People have no idea how the quality of education has degraded, for many reasons, but partly the direct result of overworks, under-payed, underappreciated teachers. While maybe tenure isn't the best path for the future, what's replacing it isn't good.
It is largely the same in Denmark. This new "social class" of highly qualified and educated academics, with an even larger amount of Ma- educated teachers in the "Gymnasium" (including me), is known as "The Precariate". Struggling from job to job, project to project, for two to twelve months at a time, but never having security and often no job. Meanwhile a layer of consultants, PR-people, managers, etc has grown up as a parasite on the system that the rest of us support.
I have just recently retired from the public school system in Texas and this is exactly how they work, too. I taught elementary music and I didn't know if I had a job until I got the email that asked me to sign my contract. My subject was always up for review due to budget cuts because music and the arts was not very important unless you taught band because if you have a football team you have to have a band. So I do understand the temp feeling.
Very interesting to see the differences across the world. I am a teaching focused academic in Scotland and most of our initial positions have a three year probation before tenure is granted. Even tenured academics here have to do a significant amount of teaching (does vary depending upon the university though). Our issue is that we have to do large amounts of routine administration as universities have reduced the numbers of support staff. I am currently at the Senior lecturer grade. Usually, a research-focused Senior lecturer in the UK would apply for promotion to a Readership, and then to Professor. Teaching-focused staff in my institution must jump straight from Senior lecturer up to Professor. We do have one or two colleagues who are on one or two year temporary contracts for teaching purposes, but this is rare, and we are already trying to find ways to see if we can help them either extend their contracts or become permanent. I do see more research focused positions having 3-5 year positions initially, and then if the academic doesn’t bring in enough research money, their contract is no longer continued. Thank you for your videos.
Good overview of the adjunct lifestyle. I have a MA in English and was an adjunct for 15 years, teaching at universities, community colleges, and at a private college. I left that scene 5 years ago and can't see going back. UW-Madison undergrad 👍
This is a trend that started when I was in college in the 1990s. Tenured professorships were not filled when tenured professors retired or died. Most of my teachers were full professors, but most of my electives were taught by adjuncts. It was just because of the timing, as the former professors for courses like linguistics had retired, and there was no offer to hire instructors for the tenure track. Since then, as my professors retired, they were replaced by adjuncts. And the concerning thing is that my field is education. It's had a real impact on the education of the young teachers coming into the field.
I graduated from UNC in 1972. Contract/instructor teaching staff existed 50 years ago. However, I suspect the ratio of contract staff to tenured staff has increased since then.
Thank you so much for your fascinating classes. I just watched your video about your experience in High School and it was very moving. I went to UCLA for ten years studying anthropology, art then and acupuncture College back when they weren't so expensive. Now it seems prohibitive. But just wanted to say that I love your Norse classes and the unexpected juxtaposition of Norse mythology and the mountains of CO. I just bought your book The Poetic Edda...
I am deeply thankful for your time and sharing. Dr. Crawford. I grew up, and still live, here in CO; obtained a Degree in the Natural Sciences but am now a Custom Jeweler having seen the 'writing on the wall' re: secondary education and the road it was taking. I have missed 'studying' and now, with your lectures; i can again expand my learning process. Thank you again!
As someone who has been chewed and spat-out by academia, only to dust myself off and try again, I loved this video very much. When I was younger, I used to believe all good researchers also taught - because I believed in the 'life of the mind' and that ideas, not 'publish-or-perish' drove the endeavour. Your thankful words at the end to those who did not abuse their positions really resonated with me, as I've borne the brunt of some of those misdeeds. Now, I'm also reaching out to UA-cam and also making a podcast for an Honours project. I love your channel and I love the bridge you are indeed making. You do great work and your 'impact' will indeed be higher than those in the ivory tower. Many thanks for your content!
I know this is an old video, but I really appreciate your Ranch Porch series alongside your educational videos. I don’t work in academia (far from it), but I relate to the short contracts, lack of benefits, nepotism, and the ebbs & flows that happen in the arts. If it wasn’t for commercial art, I would have gone into languages, so it’s incredibly fascinating to hear where your life path has led you, and how you’ve made it work. It’s inspiring that Patreon has offered you so much stability. Thank you for your insight and passion!
You did a great job in shattering many perceptions that I had about teaching in universities. CU is very lucky to have you teaching there. I learned more about Old Norse language, culture and society from you than I did in college! Keep up the great work!!
This is a very instructive video. I have had many friends who took this path, and so few of them ever gained tenure. Irrelevant point - that’s a nice shirt, in particular the print.
Very happy to hear of your interest in reaching folks who tend to be skeptical of university education (for, I assume, reasons I'm not going to explicitly describe here). This is a huge challenge, but critically important, if we're ever to get "both halves" of the U.S. to understand one another. This is one way of breaking down the walls of those "bubbles."
I'm watching this video much later, and I know you have moved on, but I appreciate the honest and open look at universities. One thing sticks out in what you said; my people are deeply skeptical of higher education. I would say this has become outright hostility to the universities and colleges in the last few years . They seem to have done everything in their power to alienate the middle and lower classes whose tuitions they rely on. Its very sad, but I believe we are seeing the beginning of the end of the universities and colleges, and as a college graduate, I say good riddance!
Go Big Red! Given what you said, I feel fortunate. I did my undergrad at the UW in Electrical Engineering in the 80s. I went back through all my classes and every class I took, was taught by an associate, assistant or full professor. Even my entry level calc and physics class. Even my scandinavian grammar class was taught by the department chair (I needed 2 credits to fill out my ROTC-required 15 credits and there were no language prereqs for it lol). And I paid $580/semester when I started university. (H)WTFO? That today, teaching is not the primary mission of a university and they stock the pond with "temps" as you put it, well, color me shocked. Administrators are the cause of the high costs and lack of tenured faculty. They will be the death of the university system.
In the UK, if someone does not (or did not) have a professorial 'chair', they aren't called a professor. This true for both academic staff who have more-or-less permanent posts and several years of teaching under their belt, and those who have just finished a doctoral degree, and are combining teaching with some kind of postdoctoral research fellowship. Staff who teach but are not professors are often referred to as lecturers or tutors in their subject, so if an academic were to say "I'm a lecturer", I think that would make sense to most people.
Thank you for making your field popular and accessible to the general public. How much time do you spend on administrative duties, that is to say, anything that takes away from teaching or research. I would include grading homework as part of administrative duties since for most people standing in front of a class and lecturing is fun, but reading student papers, not so much.
This video was a fascinating perspective coming from the public school area. I find what you do on UA-cam very interesting, and I hope it becomes your full-time job. I think with a travel/historic perspective added and interviews. You could add another dimension and relevant content to your already great channel.
My instructor for CAD was an Engineer who used to work for NASA. My instructor for drafting was a PhD Anthology woman. My instructor for Microsoft word, power point and excel was a Psychologist. My instructor for Human Resources Psychology was an Adjunct Professor, sharing a squad room with other "Adjuncts'; he had a PhD. I once knew a person who had a B S degree in Anthropology; working as a garbage truck driver. Like you say, "hard" sciences have a better chance of getting research Tenured Professor-ships. Glad you shared that story. UAFS is where I got my Associates Degree General; I have around 200 college hours. I am retired now. Thanks. Peace and health to all.
Honestly, since teaching is really what you want to do, if there ever comes a point again where you can't find a job again when applying for every position possible, you could teach online classes. Either in Old Norse, Modern Norwegian, Modern Icelandic, or anything relating to Old Norse linguistics. I'm sure you could find loads of people to take classes with you, sure it wouldn't be the same as teaching in a physical class filled with students but it could still provide solid income as well as keep your goals of teaching alive, just a suggestion though. Love your videos, keep up the great work!
With the availability of instant knowledge due to technology, I believe in the future college will become more of a self-study thing with colleges 'certifying' student knowledge through proctored testing with perhaps some degree tracks requiring set teaching schedules. So instead of paying for a 'class' you pay to sit for a test or to submit a paper to the appropriate committee for review.
Interesting, the epistemology for "Professor", as described, is similar to "Doctor" across our culture. Every discipline seems to have a doctoral academic level. For lay folk, "doctor" means most-est and best-est. Among academics it means little, unless one haven't achieved it! (Certainly entertaining is to observe the over-use of "doctor" in the medical community, considering that "doctor" originates from theological disciplines; much like "professor" which was invented from ancient rhetorical circles.) Great vid, as usual. Ty.
That is interesting! A professor here in Germany is always the one who is teaching all the courses (called lectures here), that is the part of their job. Only the seminars can be taught by someone who isn't a professor. I cannot talk about other countries, because I only attended university here.
Thanks for the video. I've heard similar from other academics and some of my math professors and what you've talked about is part of the reason I decided to pursue a career in programming instead of going to grad school for math.
Thank you for explaining this! I am sure I would say and do all the things you mentioned just due to lack of exposure. It's fascinating the twists and turns a career can take, thank you!
Also falls into the semantics of the title 'engineer'. There are old school, crazy intelligent degree holding certified engineers, and then there are random IT dudes who restart printers for a living stealing the title as well.
I'm a sociologist, but my hobby is historical linguistics (Germanist - because learned German in the Army in the 1960s.) I really appreciate your linguistics clips. One key may be setting your sights lower. With a PhD at 51, I was able to get a T-T job at a masters comprehensive. These aren't great places, and I had to switch twice before settling down to a place where I made full and retired. I published my butt off and this let me move.
I think in my (European) country, it is the same. Professors are here the heads of the faculty. Much of their time is spent not even on research, but on management of the faculty and trying to obtain funds. Professor here is a management job, mainly, with research and almost no teaching. I think during my studies, I have received only one teaching course from a "real" professor. In summary, there are very few professors at each university (between 2 and 10% of teaching staff depending on the size of the faculty).
Layne Lo Respectfully must disagree. Oðin encouraged strife & warfare, at least according to the sagas. Dr. Crawford isn’t that type of man. (BTW, I personally like Þor a lot more than Oðin.)
I obviously don't want you to feel pressure to reveal information that's too personal, but I think it would be helpful to talk about salary ranges for these positions as well.
A friend was working on his PhD. in English Literature and what he told me echos a lot of this. He did teach briefly, I believe as an adjunct, but became frustrated with the system and left. It's really screwy.
I've just watched around 6 minutes, and you might mention this further along in the video, I just have to say that, employing a professor for a lifetime tenure track really isn't that expensive in itself. The problem is that the administrative faculty has conspired to take the student loans of students and the earnings of academic faculty for themselves. One might argue that it's a positive thing that professors no longer have to worry as much about bureaucracy and paper pushing, and can leave this to other people, but the reality is that your pay and your standing as an academic suffers as a result of it. If you ask me, administrative bloat is the cause of all this, and administrations in general should be cut back a lot at universities.
Yeah, administrative worker here; not working in the same sector, but in the public sector nonetheless. I'm well aware of the 'too many chiefs, not enough Indians' phenomenon in administration, and if you're talking about getting rid of a few middle managers, I'm right behind you. But if you think it's a question of just having too many administrative staff, let's just say that that's a much easier thing to say when you don't work in administration.
@@johntate6537 Saying "I recognize that too many administrators is the problem, and Im ok with you taking somebody elses job, but i dont think you should take my job." sounds rather unprincipled. Perhaps I dont understand what you are saying, do you think that your job is actually necessary, or do you think your job is part of the problem but simply dont want to lose it?
Missouri State University actually has a bit of the opposite going on. We have a healthy tenure track, not the best paying jobs vs across the country, but that has been worked on with new hires making more than before. A healthy amount of instructors, adjunct, and GAs teaching, all with decent pay. Our upper administration makes far too much, which takes away from the lower administration, but faculty here is never cut back to help out lower admin jobs. It's frustrating for lower admin, but everyone else is pretty happy with their pay and benefits.
I can sympathize with these positions greatly, as someone outside of the higher levels of academia. I work at an office for History, Political Science, and Social Science at a state university, as a staff member. I'm a glorified office aid, but I do all the technology related work both hardware and software - as long as its within my access and we don't need to send out to the university's tech staff. I've redeveloped the Cloud storage solution, partially automated the process of checking students for graduation, administer exams, oversee classrooms/lectures when a professor can't make it, and plenty of other minor duties around the office. I get paid minimum wage, and a bonus stipend. That's about it. I've been in this office awhile though, even started there as a Work Study, and have gotten to know many of the staff. A large portion of the staff is tenured, but a small portion of them are not. I've seen a bad professor filtered out through the system, but I've also seen good professors discouraged or who left to take what they hoped would be a better offer; people who the tenured professors would've rather kept if it was in their power - or at least, the vocal and pleasant among them stated. And now there is a new adjunct at the university, who had the same position I do now back when I was starting as a work study. And he has days where he teaches his class(es) here in the morning, then hops off to a nearby community college to teach the rest. And these are staff who help with students, engage in out-of-class activities, give office hours to continue to educate and provide further assistance. These are not people who don't care (except that one bad professor), and it doesn't always help the morale / faculty strength of the university. And this is from someone pursuing a tech job, going through grad school. Not someone who ever intends to teach at a traditional institution. Best of luck to everyone making it happen out there.
About 15 years ago I dated a woman who had just started work as an adjunct professor. At the time I was still getting a toehold as an editor (speaking of ivory tower professions that aren’t nearly as glorious as outsiders think), and had done a few stints as a temp office worker at local universities. Comparing her workload and paycheck to mine was enlightening. Some days she didn’t have time for lunch because she had to commute between two campuses on a tight schedule, and grading tests and papers devoured every minute of her free time for a week or more after every assignment. For all that work she had no benefits at all and was paid $20K to $30K a year. That was the only job she had, and it left no time for moonlighting. Meanwhile, I had some benefits through my temp company, and for extremely light work at a 9-to-5 job with a lot of downtime, I got the equivalent of $24k to $30K a year. If I worked the same hours she did, I might have almost doubled my pay. For me, these were low-paying jobs I took to tide me over between editorial jobs. If I was a full-time employee doing the same job, I would have had full benefits, much higher pay, and a regular 40-hour schedule with generous time off at holidays. People who sneer at “professors” as being part of the elite need to realize that most people who teach at universities are paid worse than office staff. If they wanted to be part of the elite, they’d take their skills just about anywhere else.
All the problems you described is why I decided to get my degree in engineering instead of physics; I am so glad I did not get pigeon holed into academia. One can still pursue academic interests as a hobby while having a day job.
I for a long time wanted to be a professor with a doctorate in American Civil War history. Then I found out that in 2019 there were 900 people who got their PhD in Civil War and there were 9 tenure track jobs in the Civil War field in the United States. I’m no longer willing to take on the debt and time it takes for no guarantee of job security. I think channels like this are the future of the scholarly world. The university model is becoming outdated.
how much do u make though yearly with this gig at the moment? am studying to become a professor of english some day, which i guess now i mean by that is i would like to just teach and lecture at for a university someday, and this because of the pay compared to other levels of education. the next several years of my life i plan on investing in this dream, still centers around the goal of a prospering financial future.
The increasing rarity of tenure is why I would not consider a career in academia. Also, not being able to choose where I live. I salute your dedication, shirt, and hw.
Cool lizard. I don't mean no disrespect by this, but how possible do you think it is to acquire higher education level knowledge on a subject as a personal project while preparing for another career? The reason i ask is because I'm very skeptical today of the idea of pursuing one's passion as a plan for making a living. Most of us did, but often enough people end up either in a field with low demand (or at least in your country of origin), or walking into a lifestyle that is completely different from what they expected, or most importantly, different from what they wanted for themselves. I started to wonder if we shouldn't advise young people on career paths in the same way we advise them on choosing a life partner: don't just get blinded by passion, make sure you invest your time and effort in someone promising, love may emerge from where you least expect it and relationships are built. I hope the comparison makes sense, I'm just concerned with helping others avoid as many mistakes as possible or to at least have a proper idea of what they are getting into. I obviously think that following your passion is in part the essence of a good life, I still would advise people to pursue their interests, but there are many ways to do it; hobbies are tremendously important and not just for fun.
Thank you for validating my experience in Higher Ed. I don't regret my journey (grad school, teaching, etc.) but I'm ready to GTFO. We're contractors, plain and simple. The days of the cushy professor job, if it ever was a thing, are long gone.
You talked about basically having to move wherever you can find employment in your field. It may be ridiculous, but could you ever see yourself having to move to a Scandinavian country? What are your thoughts on this in general?
There is an old saying in the military. It goes like this, “you pick your rate, you pick your fate’”.It sounds like that is the case here with professors and their working conditions.
Rate?......Navy? In the Marines and Army we just say BOHICA SNAFUBAR (Bend Over Here It Comes Again, Situation Normal All Fu*ked Up Beyond All Recognition)
Gentille. To flip: on dois pas reponde a “what do you do” with accreditation. Anyone who knows what the cap letters after your name will not care! I drop the acronyms and say Mama, or Friend Tutor Listener Student as these are studies that will take all my days. Or at least so far. We all have openings to teach; I appreciate your esprit (spirit). Paix
Try to pitch your UA-cam series to some TV/Cable networks and internet streaming services who might want to have an educational programme on their network. That can attract more following from Generation Z who are less likely to be interested on these topics but might tune in if you take popular shows and deduce their origins from old mythologies connected to your specialization. I am not a Gen Z but I would watch that show more than any other.
Inevitably someone will say that my examples aren't typical because I teach in a specialized, low-demand field. In fact I have taught some of the biggest, most popular classes on campus at both UCLA and Boulder, and in my current position I'm required to teach at least one each semester that enrolls 150 or more students. These classes usually fill up within a day of registration opening, as they count for Gen. Ed. requirements like history or literature. Norse Mythology in spring 2018 enrolled 174 and the waitlist was at least as long as that; it's capped at 162 in spring 2019 because of resource limitations (and again, the waitlist is already out the door). Icelandic Sagas enrolls 161 right now. Don't assume that someone with a Ph.D. in Old Norse linguistics just teaches classes called "Old Norse linguistics;" similarly, specialized Ph.D.'s in other fields are going to be teaching broad undergraduate surveys too.
The wife being promoted to full professor with tenure was both a blessing and curse. She does have fantastic benefits, but we are very far away from our Wyoming home!
Dang! I hope you have a GA or two helping you out with all of that grading for those big survey courses!
Thanks for talking about this. I know this is an old video, but I would just like to confirm that this is indeed the reality even in fields with many non-academic outside options. In my field, the fairly good job opportunities outside academia translate into somewhat higher wages for tenured and tenure track faculty in the US. Meaning tenure track positions are even more expensive and the vast majority of people with a PhD in the field have no chance of getting a tenure track position, let alone publish well enough to get tenure in the end. People often forget that if you do not meet the tenure requirements (publish well in top journals), you get kicked out after 5-6 years. And in Europe (where I am), you usually don't earn any more in this field than in any other fields, but that doesn't mean competition is any less fierce. I was just lucky to get a publication in a top journal, which helped me get an assistant professor position. It makes me feel guilty, because I run into people every day who are much more intelligent and knowledgeable than I am and still stuck in "post-doc hell" for years and years, going from one 1-year temporary position to the next. And those are the ones who focus on research. Others with more teaching oriented temporary positions have an even harder time since they're not given enough time to produce the research they would have to in order to get a permanent position.
Wow. I don’t know what to say to this. I AM a tenured (full) Professor, having worked my way through the ranks of lecturer, instructor, assistant professor and associate professor (where we get tenured), and while admittedly it’s been a lot of work, my experience has not been as dismal as your video makes the process seem. I’m wondering if the difference is the type of university. I’m not at an R1, though we certainly are expected to research and publish. We teach a 4/4 load ... 4 courses each semester. Mine are split between upper division undergrad and grad but that’s more a function of my specialty than my rank. I found your take on academia to be interesting. Wishing you the best.
I took both of these classes at CU and thoroughly enjoyed them. I was sad to see you were no longer teaching there. Thank you Dr. Crawford.
You’re a professor to us Dr., keep up the great content
I can confirm this is 100% true even in the STEM fields, though fortunately we have more options outside academia. Working conditions are heartwrenching.
As someone entering academia, all the people here making vast political theories are overthinking it. It's just money: the modern R1 university is richer than ever, but, in essentially every field, has absolutely no incentive to give good jobs to its labor force - why pay a professor when an adjunct will do twice the work for half the cost? And when they get a bit too cushy and start asking for more, you can terminate their contract and hire the next desperate PostDoc willing to work for peanuts. Our job insecurity allows us to be exploited and sure, academics complain loudly about our particular situation, but that's just because we're paid to talk about things: the same story is unfolding in essentially every industry, from Amazon to Uber, medicine to commercial driving.
So it's an economy-wide labour surplus? I wonder what could be causing that. It's as if the growth of new enterprises is getting hampered somehow, so most people have to compete to work at the same big players.
@@xunqianbaidu6917 This is a great example of the anti-intellectualist structure of the US capitalist system. If you look at some graphs, you can see the massive increase in innovation and quality of life when most American adults started getting High School diplomas, so a world where most US adults have college undergrads would likely lead to the same thing, but because of the specificity of the economic system, which can change if we wanted it to, it would lead to a labour surplus in high-skill professions. If you want society to improve broadly, then having a highly skilled population is obviously good, so the way to go should be to make higher education tuition free and heavily funded and accessible. The absolute absurdity of the economic system can make only conclude that anti-intellectualism is the point, and that those in power don't actually want an education population because they know they would kick them out.
You named all of the reasons I never pursued my PhD. I was happy with my Masters in Molecular Biology. I am a good teacher, but it's not what I want to do. So, instead I write books. However, I don't "waste" my education as my parents accuse.
Isn't molecular biology the perfect education to go into highly paid industry?
I gladly revisited this 3-year-old video. One of my sons, who is a polyglot, was considering majoring in languages as a career path. I shared the video with him back then, which seemed to nudge him away from that idea, although I was only trying to inform and not discourage this. I guess now he may return to college to major in law for what that may yield to his interests. I don't wear a cowboy hat, but my son frequently does as he works in a hat shop in New Orleans. Yet I will very much wish you..."all the best."
There was a time I wanted to be a historian. I definitely don't have it in me to brave academia, and I am also too poor to go more in debt. Dr. Crawford, you have no idea how much I appreciate all the information you put out there for those who are willing to learn but unable to Navigate the oppressive system of "higher education" in this country. Thank you for all that you do! ❤
Love the sitting on the porch 'hang out' style.
Thank you for these insights. I am a graduate student (biology) and can confirm, that these horrible working conditions are not dependent on the field of research. This whole academic system needs to change.
But seriously, when are you going to write us the textbook on A Primer in Old Norse. You’ve got my preorder for it.
Some years ago I was offered a position teaching Spanish at a local university. I laughed when I was told it paid 1/3 what I made as a technical writer and I found out I made more with better benefits than the department chair. Then my son married a PhD student in a natural science field. She is now a tenure track asst professor doing mostly research. My son is a power systems mechanic ( generators). They tell me she will never earn as much as my son. It is my impression that since I was a student in the 60s the number of, and pay of, administrators at universities has gone through the roof while the pay of actual faculty has stagnated. Meanwhile, tuition has also increased dramatically to pay for administrators who don't teach or do research.
I'm glad you and many other academics on youtube talk about the problems in higher learning. Your story shows a glaring problem in higher learning and I hope more speak out so we can find a solution.
Very important information. I was a History major and I remember my adviser telling me how many of my favorite professors were not on "Tenure-track" positions and would either be fired or have to fight for their jobs in 3-6 years.
Ane Bysted, one of the most qualified and popular history lecturers in Denmark, was laid off from the University in Aarhus two years ago due to cutbacks.
Happened to my favorite professors right after I graduated.
Important video. People have no idea how the quality of education has degraded, for many reasons, but partly the direct result of overworks, under-payed, underappreciated teachers. While maybe tenure isn't the best path for the future, what's replacing it isn't good.
Yet tuition rates are constantly increasing
It is largely the same in Denmark. This new "social class" of highly qualified and educated academics, with an even larger amount of Ma- educated teachers in the "Gymnasium" (including me), is known as "The Precariate". Struggling from job to job, project to project, for two to twelve months at a time, but never having security and often no job.
Meanwhile a layer of consultants, PR-people, managers, etc has grown up as a parasite on the system that the rest of us support.
I have just recently retired from the public school system in Texas and this is exactly how they work, too. I taught elementary music and I didn't know if I had a job until I got the email that asked me to sign my contract. My subject was always up for review due to budget cuts because music and the arts was not very important unless you taught band because if you have a football team you have to have a band. So I do understand the temp feeling.
Very interesting to see the differences across the world. I am a teaching focused academic in Scotland and most of our initial positions have a three year probation before tenure is granted. Even tenured academics here have to do a significant amount of teaching (does vary depending upon the university though). Our issue is that we have to do large amounts of routine administration as universities have reduced the numbers of support staff. I am currently at the Senior lecturer grade. Usually, a research-focused Senior lecturer in the UK would apply for promotion to a Readership, and then to Professor. Teaching-focused staff in my institution must jump straight from Senior lecturer up to Professor. We do have one or two colleagues who are on one or two year temporary contracts for teaching purposes, but this is rare, and we are already trying to find ways to see if we can help them either extend their contracts or become permanent. I do see more research focused positions having 3-5 year positions initially, and then if the academic doesn’t bring in enough research money, their contract is no longer continued. Thank you for your videos.
Good overview of the adjunct lifestyle. I have a MA in English and was an adjunct for 15 years, teaching at universities, community colleges, and at a private college.
I left that scene 5 years ago and can't see going back.
UW-Madison undergrad 👍
In the UK we call most people teaching at Uni just "lecturers" and in Germany "Dozent". "Professor" is a special position as well, in both countries.
same here in Denmark!
This is a trend that started when I was in college in the 1990s. Tenured professorships were not filled when tenured professors retired or died. Most of my teachers were full professors, but most of my electives were taught by adjuncts. It was just because of the timing, as the former professors for courses like linguistics had retired, and there was no offer to hire instructors for the tenure track. Since then, as my professors retired, they were replaced by adjuncts. And the concerning thing is that my field is education. It's had a real impact on the education of the young teachers coming into the field.
The art of being human. Thank you Professor.
I graduated from UNC in 1972. Contract/instructor teaching staff existed 50 years ago. However, I suspect the ratio of contract staff to tenured staff has increased since then.
Thank you so much for your fascinating classes. I just watched your video about your experience in High School and it was very moving. I went to UCLA for ten years studying anthropology, art then and acupuncture College back when they weren't so expensive. Now it seems prohibitive. But just wanted to say that I love your Norse classes and the unexpected juxtaposition of Norse mythology and the mountains of CO. I just bought your book The Poetic Edda...
thank you for your service
I am deeply thankful for your time and sharing. Dr. Crawford. I grew up, and still live, here in CO; obtained a Degree in the Natural Sciences but am now a Custom Jeweler having seen the 'writing on the wall' re: secondary education and the road it was taking. I have missed 'studying' and now, with your lectures; i can again expand my learning process. Thank you again!
As someone who has been chewed and spat-out by academia, only to dust myself off and try again, I loved this video very much. When I was younger, I used to believe all good researchers also taught - because I believed in the 'life of the mind' and that ideas, not 'publish-or-perish' drove the endeavour. Your thankful words at the end to those who did not abuse their positions really resonated with me, as I've borne the brunt of some of those misdeeds. Now, I'm also reaching out to UA-cam and also making a podcast for an Honours project. I love your channel and I love the bridge you are indeed making. You do great work and your 'impact' will indeed be higher than those in the ivory tower. Many thanks for your content!
I know this is an old video, but I really appreciate your Ranch Porch series alongside your educational videos. I don’t work in academia (far from it), but I relate to the short contracts, lack of benefits, nepotism, and the ebbs & flows that happen in the arts. If it wasn’t for commercial art, I would have gone into languages, so it’s incredibly fascinating to hear where your life path has led you, and how you’ve made it work. It’s inspiring that Patreon has offered you so much stability. Thank you for your insight and passion!
You did a great job in shattering many perceptions that I had about teaching in universities. CU is very lucky to have you teaching there. I learned more about Old Norse language, culture and society from you than I did in college! Keep up the great work!!
This is a very instructive video. I have had many friends who took this path, and so few of them ever gained tenure.
Irrelevant point - that’s a nice shirt, in particular the print.
Doc, your doing what you love in an area you love. Live the dream, ride that bronco. Thank you for these videos
Been there.
@Jackson Crawford or Dr. Crawford, I wish you the very best in finding a good position. If anyone deserves a tenured job it is you.
Thank you.
How do you ever get enough stability to have a family with one year employments and also at diff locations?
You generally don't.
Very, very difficult. Modern academics often don’t marry or have children.
@@Tina06019 Is this why the West has effectively outsourced child-rearing?
It's called tap n gap. Let another man think the baby is his.
PhD student in Asian Languages and Literature here, and I can confirm that this is 100% accurate.
Very happy to hear of your interest in reaching folks who tend to be skeptical of university education (for, I assume, reasons I'm not going to explicitly describe here). This is a huge challenge, but critically important, if we're ever to get "both halves" of the U.S. to understand one another. This is one way of breaking down the walls of those "bubbles."
Informative video and I love your shirt.
Greetings Jsckson Crawford Good Morning From Utah to Colorado I Really Enjoy Your Work Thank You!~BobCat
A very illuminating discussion.
I'm watching this video much later, and I know you have moved on, but I appreciate the honest and open look at universities. One thing sticks out in what you said; my people are deeply skeptical of higher education. I would say this has become outright hostility to the universities and colleges in the last few years . They seem to have done everything in their power to alienate the middle and lower classes whose tuitions they rely on. Its very sad, but I believe we are seeing the beginning of the end of the universities and colleges, and as a college graduate, I say good riddance!
Go Big Red!
Given what you said, I feel fortunate.
I did my undergrad at the UW in Electrical Engineering in the 80s. I went back through all my classes and every class I took, was taught by an associate, assistant or full professor. Even my entry level calc and physics class.
Even my scandinavian grammar class was taught by the department chair (I needed 2 credits to fill out my ROTC-required 15 credits and there were no language prereqs for it lol).
And I paid $580/semester when I started university.
(H)WTFO?
That today, teaching is not the primary mission of a university and they stock the pond with "temps" as you put it, well, color me shocked.
Administrators are the cause of the high costs and lack of tenured faculty. They will be the death of the university system.
In the UK, if someone does not (or did not) have a professorial 'chair', they aren't called a professor. This true for both academic staff who have more-or-less permanent posts and several years of teaching under their belt, and those who have just finished a doctoral degree, and are combining teaching with some kind of postdoctoral research fellowship. Staff who teach but are not professors are often referred to as lecturers or tutors in their subject, so if an academic were to say "I'm a lecturer", I think that would make sense to most people.
Hello, I just wanted to say I love your videos, I've learned so much from them. I just bought your book on audible and I cant wait to listen!
Thank you for making your field popular and accessible to the general public. How much time do you spend on administrative duties, that is to say, anything that takes away from teaching or research. I would include grading homework as part of administrative duties since for most people standing in front of a class and lecturing is fun, but reading student papers, not so much.
This video was a fascinating perspective coming from the public school area. I find what you do on UA-cam very interesting, and I hope it becomes your full-time job. I think with a travel/historic perspective added and interviews. You could add another dimension and relevant content to your already great channel.
My instructor for CAD was an Engineer who used to work for NASA. My instructor for drafting was a PhD Anthology woman. My instructor for Microsoft word, power point and excel was a Psychologist. My instructor for Human Resources Psychology was an Adjunct Professor, sharing a squad room with other "Adjuncts'; he had a PhD. I once knew a person who had a B S degree in Anthropology; working as a garbage truck driver. Like you say, "hard" sciences have a better chance of getting research Tenured Professor-ships. Glad you shared that story. UAFS is where I got my Associates Degree General; I have around 200 college hours. I am retired now. Thanks. Peace and health to all.
Honestly, since teaching is really what you want to do, if there ever comes a point again where you can't find a job again when applying for every position possible, you could teach online classes. Either in Old Norse, Modern Norwegian, Modern Icelandic, or anything relating to Old Norse linguistics. I'm sure you could find loads of people to take classes with you, sure it wouldn't be the same as teaching in a physical class filled with students but it could still provide solid income as well as keep your goals of teaching alive, just a suggestion though. Love your videos, keep up the great work!
With the availability of instant knowledge due to technology, I believe in the future college will become more of a self-study thing with colleges 'certifying' student knowledge through proctored testing with perhaps some degree tracks requiring set teaching schedules. So instead of paying for a 'class' you pay to sit for a test or to submit a paper to the appropriate committee for review.
I guess it makes more sense to become associate dean in charge of vending machine placement.
Thank you for sharing. 🌞
I'm not pursuing an academic career and never have, yet I still found this video insightful and interesting.
Interesting, the epistemology for "Professor", as described, is similar to "Doctor" across our culture. Every discipline seems to have a doctoral academic level. For lay folk, "doctor" means most-est and best-est. Among academics it means little, unless one haven't achieved it! (Certainly entertaining is to observe the over-use of "doctor" in the medical community, considering that "doctor" originates from theological disciplines; much like "professor" which was invented from ancient rhetorical circles.) Great vid, as usual. Ty.
Very interesting ! Thank you for sharing !
That is interesting! A professor here in Germany is always the one who is teaching all the courses (called lectures here), that is the part of their job. Only the seminars can be taught by someone who isn't a professor. I cannot talk about other countries, because I only attended university here.
Spot on!
Thanks for the video. I've heard similar from other academics and some of my math professors and what you've talked about is part of the reason I decided to pursue a career in programming instead of going to grad school for math.
Thank you for explaining this! I am sure I would say and do all the things you mentioned just due to lack of exposure. It's fascinating the twists and turns a career can take, thank you!
I for one enjoy your channel. Glad Patreon is working out for you.
Also falls into the semantics of the title 'engineer'. There are old school, crazy intelligent degree holding certified engineers, and then there are random IT dudes who restart printers for a living stealing the title as well.
I'm a sociologist, but my hobby is historical linguistics (Germanist - because learned German in the Army in the 1960s.) I really appreciate your linguistics clips. One key may be setting your sights lower. With a PhD at 51, I was able to get a T-T job at a masters comprehensive. These aren't great places, and I had to switch twice before settling down to a place where I made full and retired. I published my butt off and this let me move.
Very interesting. Really.
I think in my (European) country, it is the same. Professors are here the heads of the faculty. Much of their time is spent not even on research, but on management of the faculty and trying to obtain funds. Professor here is a management job, mainly, with research and almost no teaching. I think during my studies, I have received only one teaching course from a "real" professor. In summary, there are very few professors at each university (between 2 and 10% of teaching staff depending on the size of the faculty).
This man is on a whole other level of knowledge. I believe we have found Odin. The beards looking very nice man
Layne Lo Respectfully must disagree.
Oðin encouraged strife & warfare, at least according to the sagas. Dr. Crawford isn’t that type of man. (BTW, I personally like Þor a lot more than Oðin.)
I obviously don't want you to feel pressure to reveal information that's too personal, but I think it would be helpful to talk about salary ranges for these positions as well.
A friend was working on his PhD. in English Literature and what he told me echos a lot of this. He did teach briefly, I believe as an adjunct, but became frustrated with the system and left. It's really screwy.
I've just watched around 6 minutes, and you might mention this further along in the video, I just have to say that, employing a professor for a lifetime tenure track really isn't that expensive in itself. The problem is that the administrative faculty has conspired to take the student loans of students and the earnings of academic faculty for themselves. One might argue that it's a positive thing that professors no longer have to worry as much about bureaucracy and paper pushing, and can leave this to other people, but the reality is that your pay and your standing as an academic suffers as a result of it.
If you ask me, administrative bloat is the cause of all this, and administrations in general should be cut back a lot at universities.
+Hooga Wow! That last line sounds a lot like the trucking industry. No kidding.
Yeah, administrative worker here; not working in the same sector, but in the public sector nonetheless. I'm well aware of the 'too many chiefs, not enough Indians' phenomenon in administration, and if you're talking about getting rid of a few middle managers, I'm right behind you. But if you think it's a question of just having too many administrative staff, let's just say that that's a much easier thing to say when you don't work in administration.
@@johntate6537 Saying "I recognize that too many administrators is the problem, and Im ok with you taking somebody elses job, but i dont think you should take my job." sounds rather unprincipled. Perhaps I dont understand what you are saying, do you think that your job is actually necessary, or do you think your job is part of the problem but simply dont want to lose it?
Missouri State University actually has a bit of the opposite going on. We have a healthy tenure track, not the best paying jobs vs across the country, but that has been worked on with new hires making more than before. A healthy amount of instructors, adjunct, and GAs teaching, all with decent pay. Our upper administration makes far too much, which takes away from the lower administration, but faculty here is never cut back to help out lower admin jobs. It's frustrating for lower admin, but everyone else is pretty happy with their pay and benefits.
@@johntate6537 Does the phrase "The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy" describe the situation?
Great video and a great shirt!
Very helpful, as always
do you know how this is in other countries?
"Have you learned enough all father?"
I can sympathize with these positions greatly, as someone outside of the higher levels of academia. I work at an office for History, Political Science, and Social Science at a state university, as a staff member. I'm a glorified office aid, but I do all the technology related work both hardware and software - as long as its within my access and we don't need to send out to the university's tech staff. I've redeveloped the Cloud storage solution, partially automated the process of checking students for graduation, administer exams, oversee classrooms/lectures when a professor can't make it, and plenty of other minor duties around the office. I get paid minimum wage, and a bonus stipend. That's about it.
I've been in this office awhile though, even started there as a Work Study, and have gotten to know many of the staff. A large portion of the staff is tenured, but a small portion of them are not. I've seen a bad professor filtered out through the system, but I've also seen good professors discouraged or who left to take what they hoped would be a better offer; people who the tenured professors would've rather kept if it was in their power - or at least, the vocal and pleasant among them stated. And now there is a new adjunct at the university, who had the same position I do now back when I was starting as a work study. And he has days where he teaches his class(es) here in the morning, then hops off to a nearby community college to teach the rest.
And these are staff who help with students, engage in out-of-class activities, give office hours to continue to educate and provide further assistance. These are not people who don't care (except that one bad professor), and it doesn't always help the morale / faculty strength of the university. And this is from someone pursuing a tech job, going through grad school. Not someone who ever intends to teach at a traditional institution.
Best of luck to everyone making it happen out there.
The gig economy is on full swing
Oh, that all makes sense. I never knew that "professor" was a title, not given to all teachers at the university level.
Professors of engineering at my uni teach undergrad classes (tier 1 research institution).
u look comfortable
About 15 years ago I dated a woman who had just started work as an adjunct professor. At the time I was still getting a toehold as an editor (speaking of ivory tower professions that aren’t nearly as glorious as outsiders think), and had done a few stints as a temp office worker at local universities.
Comparing her workload and paycheck to mine was enlightening. Some days she didn’t have time for lunch because she had to commute between two campuses on a tight schedule, and grading tests and papers devoured every minute of her free time for a week or more after every assignment. For all that work she had no benefits at all and was paid $20K to $30K a year. That was the only job she had, and it left no time for moonlighting.
Meanwhile, I had some benefits through my temp company, and for extremely light work at a 9-to-5 job with a lot of downtime, I got the equivalent of $24k to $30K a year. If I worked the same hours she did, I might have almost doubled my pay. For me, these were low-paying jobs I took to tide me over between editorial jobs. If I was a full-time employee doing the same job, I would have had full benefits, much higher pay, and a regular 40-hour schedule with generous time off at holidays.
People who sneer at “professors” as being part of the elite need to realize that most people who teach at universities are paid worse than office staff. If they wanted to be part of the elite, they’d take their skills just about anywhere else.
LOL. "Neither a blessing, nor particularly well hidden."
Please look into audio books, I'd buy simply to hear your voice.
Hey I don't know if you made this comment before he released them but he has recorded audio versions of at least some of his own books
All the problems you described is why I decided to get my degree in engineering instead of physics; I am so glad I did not get pigeon holed into academia. One can still pursue academic interests as a hobby while having a day job.
Guess I'll be a landscaper
If I join at Boulder can I expect to be a Badass in the language and history?
SOUNDS LIKE MY JOURNEY THRU ACADEMIA. TEXAS SCHOOLS
I for a long time wanted to be a professor with a doctorate in American Civil War history. Then I found out that in 2019 there were 900 people who got their PhD in Civil War and there were 9 tenure track jobs in the Civil War field in the United States. I’m no longer willing to take on the debt and time it takes for no guarantee of job security. I think channels like this are the future of the scholarly world. The university model is becoming outdated.
Your Drs., & most medical professionals are Temps also!
tenure... the most powerfull galdr
Don't think I saw one lizard in the 20 or so years I've lived in Colorado.
how much do u make though yearly with this gig at the moment?
am studying to become a professor of english some day, which i guess now i mean by that is i would like to just teach and lecture at for a university someday, and this because of the pay compared to other levels of education. the next several years of my life i plan on investing in this dream, still centers around the goal of a prospering financial future.
What are some of those "adverse circumstances", professor?
21:40 magic hat appears out of nowhere
The increasing rarity of tenure is why I would not consider a career in academia. Also, not being able to choose where I live. I salute your dedication, shirt, and hw.
Long live the HW! ☺
That's a green screen right? No way there is a home that has such great scenery surrounding it.
Nope, not a green screen, can confirm.
You ain't been to Colorado have you? That place is gorgeous.
Cool lizard.
I don't mean no disrespect by this, but how possible do you think it is to acquire higher education level knowledge on a subject as a personal project while preparing for another career?
The reason i ask is because I'm very skeptical today of the idea of pursuing one's passion as a plan for making a living. Most of us did, but often enough people end up either in a field with low demand (or at least in your country of origin), or walking into a lifestyle that is completely different from what they expected, or most importantly, different from what they wanted for themselves.
I started to wonder if we shouldn't advise young people on career paths in the same way we advise them on choosing a life partner: don't just get blinded by passion, make sure you invest your time and effort in someone promising, love may emerge from where you least expect it and relationships are built. I hope the comparison makes sense, I'm just concerned with helping others avoid as many mistakes as possible or to at least have a proper idea of what they are getting into.
I obviously think that following your passion is in part the essence of a good life, I still would advise people to pursue their interests, but there are many ways to do it; hobbies are tremendously important and not just for fun.
Thank you for validating my experience in Higher Ed. I don't regret my journey (grad school, teaching, etc.) but I'm ready to GTFO. We're contractors, plain and simple. The days of the cushy professor job, if it ever was a thing, are long gone.
You talked about basically having to move wherever you can find employment in your field. It may be ridiculous, but could you ever see yourself having to move to a Scandinavian country? What are your thoughts on this in general?
No jobs here, believe me. Government cutbacks for years leave highly qualified locals unemployed.
There is an old saying in the military. It goes like this, “you pick your rate, you pick your fate’”.It sounds like that is the case here with professors and their working conditions.
Rate?......Navy?
In the Marines and Army we just say BOHICA SNAFUBAR (Bend Over Here It Comes Again, Situation Normal All Fu*ked Up Beyond All Recognition)
Gentille. To flip: on dois pas reponde a “what do you do” with accreditation. Anyone who knows what the cap letters after your name will not care! I drop the acronyms and say Mama, or Friend Tutor Listener Student as these are studies that will take all my days. Or at least so far. We all have openings to teach; I appreciate your esprit (spirit). Paix
Sorry had my English helper off from french
If anyone wants this career then I recommend sticking with the community colleges. Working in STEM at a research university is not worthwhile.
Program coordinator?
Try to pitch your UA-cam series to some TV/Cable networks and internet streaming services who might want to have an educational programme on their network. That can attract more following from Generation Z who are less likely to be interested on these topics but might tune in if you take popular shows and deduce their origins from old mythologies connected to your specialization. I am not a Gen Z but I would watch that show more than any other.