Thanks for all your thoughtful responses to the semi-angsty, half deprecatory previous post. There are several other reasons for the "uselessness" of my degree and most of them are related to the fact that I decided to specialize in Brazilian lit -- hardly anybody studies it, and the Portuguese language in this country. If I had chosen Spanish as one of my lits, I would have many more jobs to apply to (including in Brazilian lit, but with a requirement to be able to teach Spanish too). As it is, only 3-5 TT positions open every year, if not less, that I can possibly apply to. Got it?
It is in this sense that I am absolutely convinced that English is not that bad. Come on, folks. All undergraduates still need to take mandatory writing classes. Everyone needs to learn how to write, right? Of course that if you're more interested in literature -- and I think that's the point the my SIL was making in her post (and please don't feel bad, sis) -- then you're in trouble too. Who in the world cares for literature, really? Worse yet, most foreign languages and us, the people who specialize in them, are in deep trouble. The 2 semester foreign lgg requirement for undergraduates is being dropped in many universities (if it ever existed in some)... so the market for foreign lggs is shrinking rapidly -- just as the world is becoming more interconnected, isn't that sad?
But I have a feeling that English will still be around for a while longer ;-)
Don't you agree? Bring on the discussion...
There were more things that I wanted to say, but I have to go back to my grading. It's all I do lately... "welcome back to teaching" the papers are saying to me in a teasing voice ;-)
post written in 10 minutes flat (that's probably why it isn't that great)
Why on earth are universities dropping the foreign language requirement? Maybe they asume that English is becoming common enough in other countries that we Americans don't need to bother learning another language? How ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteEnglish is probably more marketable, but there are probably many more English degree holders out there to compete against, too.
Yes, Kate!! That is precisely what I was going to say and forgot!!
ReplyDeleteOf course the competition among people holding English degrees is certainly INSANE. But I do know a few of them (at least in the blogging world) who got jobs fairly easily right after getting the Ph.D.
Part of it all comes from knowing how to market oneself. I never ever planned that I would stay here in the U.S. and not go back to Brazil (where I can have tons of good jobs), so I never bothered to make myself "marketable."
I have no regrets, really... I was/am passionate about my research. Too bad passion doesn't pay the bills or bring food to the table. It's OK. I'll find my way, I know that. I shouldn't be complaining, that's for sure!
Some time ago, when I was torturing myself over angst about my dissertation, a friend told me that you should never go into a Ph.D in the humanities expecting the degree to get you a job. You go into for the love of the field, and once you get it no one can take the degree away from you, no matter what happens job-wise. This advice is all well and good, of course, because it doesn't pay the bills. But earning a Ph.D is a huge accomplishment no matter what.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right in that it's all about marketing. I know someone with a Ph.D in comp lit who has gone on to work in a very lucrative field (translation for a government organization). She is married but without kids. She's not teaching full-time, but she teaches one course in the evenings and works a regular 9-5 job. The problem isn't so much the degree, as it is having the flexibility and freedom of picking up and moving anywhere to pursue a job, not having a family, etc.
Does this make sense?