February 29, 2004
Is Teaching Worth It?
The responses to my previous post raised the issue of whether or not it pays to teach. Here are some randomly discovered answers and datasets on teacher/faculty salaries, for the curious:
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I briefly considered skipping out to Silicon Valley during the dot-com boom... but then I would have had to do what other people tell me to, all the time. While there are days and weeks when it seems I'm scheduled with wall-to-wall meetings and classes, there are also very pleasant down times when I look furtively around my office and pinch myself because I'm reading a novel or fiddling with a web page at work -- AND I'M GETTING PAID FOR IT! Not that much, of course... but I agree with John about the psychological value of relative job security.
The Chronicle recently had an article about financial planning for academics...
http://chronicle.com/jobs/2004/02/2004022501c.htm
Great point, John. I finally got a secure job here right before the the recession hit, and I felt privileged, in a way, to have this somewhat secure employment (I put this in guarded terms because "tenure track" is never secure the way it is post-tenure review). And even when the economy lags and we all suffer, to some degree our jobs seem secure as teachers...if only because there is a swelling of need for people to retrain, since going 'back to school' is an alternative to being unemployed. Thanks, too, for that link, Dennis: although my eyes glaze over whenever I read financese, this one had some valuable insights into the equity that collegiate educators can acquire over a lifetime.
On the averages, I agree with you guys. I originally went to school to be a robotics engineer. I thought I could always write in my free time like Azimov. Then I pulled a week on 6 hours of sleep total. Forget time to write, I just wanted some time away from the purple elephants that kept talking to me. There is a reason for the high burnout in engineering. Combine that with dyslexia that made math a royal pain, it was not for me, regardless of the money. I'm of two minds about it now as I have yet to secure a full-time position. It is supposed to be a good deal. Great retirement, healthcare. The salary isn't great, but it is supposed to be stable. Then my district cut 56 teachers last year. I like teaching for the non-monetary benefits, and the way it almost forces me to write. I just wish I knew I had a job tomorrow. I worked in a foundry and industrial painting earning more than I am as a teacher (to start). I couldn't see myself doing those things for the long-haul, but they are looking tempting right now. When I worked as a cashier, I worked alongside PhD's and Masters' degreed people. Meanwhile, the head of my school-board (a welder) complains about how much a teacher makes when he is pulling down 90k a year with a 1year certificate from the local community college.
Sorry for the long bitch. I guess the drought of jobs is getting to me. It was kind of annoying to go through Ed school being told that when you graduate the country will need tons of teachers as the baby-boomers will be retiring, only to find fewer jobs than ever upon graduation.
After looking at your posting, I went to the Chronicle page on college salaries and almost looked up the info for SHU and comparable institutions. But, I stopped, knowing that this wouldn't be the best activity for just before bedtime.
But during the last few months I've felt much better about teaching and its material benefits. There are the obvious ones, such as both time and actual encouragement (pressure?) to write and publish. I know, there's never enough time. But how much whould I have if I were, say, a lawyer, a travel agent, or a welder (all career paths that I considered)? But even the simple issue of pay seems like a good deal when I see people downsized out of well-paying jobs in business. I know, they will probably make it back into a good place soon enough, and over their lives make more than I make. But, who needs all that grief?
But, wait--this is just between us, right? There's no way the Dean can see this. Because if she does, let's just be clear, I'm living on bread and water when I have anything to eat at all.