You Go To School To Learn, Not For A Fashion Show

I know we've had an excessive number of "what do you wear" posts in the last couple of months, to the point where we've beyond exhausted the topic. It's probably just a symptom of general over-thinking and job-market stress--once you've sent out your applications, there's not much about the process you can control, and so the importance of little insignificant things you can control is distorted.

But it's important not to lose sight of the real goal: to get a permanent teaching job at the college level. I like teaching, and I seem to be good at it, and I want it to be my career. Being on the job market is time-consuming and stressful. And when I am super busy and stressed out, I get grouchy. And when I get grouchy, I am less patient with my students and I can tell that it affects my teaching.

Now, I know that tenure-line jobs come with more responsibilities and that they'll keep me awfully busy, but I think there's a difference between being busy because I have a full-time, permanent job I all-things-considered love with some shitty details, and being busy because I have a full-time job but which has no future, and another part-time job I don't like at all, being on the job market. Just give me a job and let me do my job.

--Mr. Zero