Ford Myers : Get The Job You Want Even  When No One’s Hiring

This book is sone of the better career change and job search books I’ve read in a while. But it’s got at least one flaw.

On page 27, the author suggests that substitute teaching can be a way to earn extra money. Maybe you can be a “sub” for elementary and high schools, but be aware that these jobs are exhausting and demanding. They don’t pay a whole lot: you might do better as a Starbucks barista.

But one element of the author’s advicei is simply inaccurate. I have never, ever heard of substitute teaching in colleges, and I was a university professor for 20+ years. You don’t get a university job by applying to the human resource department. You write to the dean. Competition is keen for these jobs and I’m not aware that they’re looking for people with real world experience. You can get a part-time teaching job at a university; it’s called beng an “adjunct” and you’ll enjoy low pay and bottom-of-the-totem-pole status. These jobs aren’t especially good for networking either.

There’s a HUGE amount of mis-information out there about teaching jobs. That’s one reason I continue to offer consulting on academic careers: after 20+ years as a classroom and online professor, I can demystify academic careers.

Elizabeth Samet holds an undergraduate degree from Harvard and a Ph.D. from Yale, all in English literature. So she’s hardly the type you’d expect to find teaching cadets at West Point.

But Samet accepted a position there in 1996, to the surprise (and, I suspect, consternation) of her academic colleagues. She found surprising rewards and revelations, which she chronicles in her book, Soldier’s Heart.

I can’t help wishing Samet had written more about her everyday life as a West Point professor. She seems to have a large teaching load — 4 English comp classes her first semester — although classes are small. And anyone who’s taught in a business school (where students frequently disappear for interview trips and mental health days) might wish for a class “marcher” who takes attendance and makes sure absences are punished with “hours” of walking the Area.

As a career case study, Samet seems remarkably well-suited to this seemingly odd career choice. Her father’s Army service made his college education (and ultimately her comfortable childhood) possible. Samet herself is the product of an all-girls’ high school in Boston, where she gained confidence that served her well in male-dominated environments. She describes herself as athletic and physically active,

Like much of the literary fiction she teaches, Samet’s book combines rich writing with the absence of a linear plot line. She talks about her job interview, then veers off into detours that move us several years forward. The last two chapters get more philosophical than I would like: Samet is an expert on literature and teaching, not war.

I empathized with her efforts to talk to students who come to her with unanswerable questions. When I was a professor, I would feel inadequate and refer the students to what I considered more appropriate, helpful resources. In contrast, Samet struggles to help students work through questions like, “Should I stay in the Army?” and comes up with some pretty impressive insights.

Because she hasn’t taught anywhere else, she may not realize that students typically expect more nurturing from female professors than from their male counterparts. I was pleased to say that she openy acknowledges she’s pretty hard-nosed and businesslike in class. On September 11, it was business as usual, because, she said, she doesn’t know how to help in other ways. She’s not a psychologist. She doesn’t pray.

With 10 years of teaching at West Point, and now a full professor (I googled her on the Internet), Samet has become thoroughly indoctrinated — or, as she might prefer to say, a fully accepted member of the military tribe. She identifies with military values and feels uncomfortable with many civilian environments.

Yet in the end, she’s still a civilian. And I wonder if she ever feels as though she’s got a foot in both worlds, like a New Yorker who’s been transplanted to a small midwestern or southern town.

For some thought-provoking ideas about career choice, Soldiers Heart is recommended. If you’ve read the book, and/or if you have first-hand experience with military service, academic careers and/or military academies, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Just click on the “Comments” link below — no need to register.

In the Chronicle of Higher Education, a newspaper targeted to anyone even remotely connected to academia, Brandon Withrow ponders this question in an article “Not Your Father’s PhD.” You can read it here.

I would agree with those who say you’ll be better equipped to work with today’s students if you understand modern techo-tools. One of my friends dismisses blogs as “just diaries.” And he teaches a course in internet marketing!

One thing: This post contains advice to blog readers. I don’t think you can advise visitors on how to approach your blog. I encourage my own readers and clients to err on the side of caution.

But you never know. When you’re edgy enough to turn off some readers, most likely you’ll also attract kindred spirits. When I was an academic, my “Personal” section read “Single with 2 cats.” Always good for a chuckle on interview days…and I got jobs.