Prudentiae sal.

Uninspired and Not Yet Hired

Frustrated Latinist Prudentiae salutem dicit.

I am a Latinist in the final year of a visiting professorship, and the bad job market this fall has put me in a difficult position. Although my goal remains securing a tenure-track position in Classics, I am unwilling to chase down a string of temporary jobs that may not lead to a permanent offer. I have therefore been exploring alternative careers while still pursuing a research agenda and doing all the other things that are supposed to make candidates attractive to hiring committees.

The problem that has faced me for the last two months is one of motivation: while I know the best way to get an academic job is to continue working on my research, the awareness that I may have to leave the field in May has made it incredibly difficult to focus on work that may never see the light of day. I’m wondering if you have any advice for how to overcome the malaise that I know could harm my chances of securing a permanent job. I’m eager to keep making forward progress on my research even as I prepare an exit strategy, but am struggling to make it happen.

Prudentia Frustrated sal.

First of all, I want to commend you for your bravery in exploring employment options outside of the professoriate. That’s a difficult decision to make, especially since some will probably tell you that you’re “giving up”. Ignore those people. Your question makes it clear that you’re not giving up — you’re just trying to give yourself the most options.

Unfortunately, it sounds like you’re trying to search for alternative careers, and possibly apply to a few academic jobs, and continue to make your dossier more appealing to future search committees. That’s a lot of work, especially with your current position and possible family members who expect you to buy them holiday gifts. No wonder you feel intellectually exhausted — how could you possibly have any emotional energy left to give to your research?

But your questions suggests that you might have another mental block in place, too. The point of doing research, for you, has become securing an academic job; faced with the prospect of not finding that job, research seems pointless. You’ve started to think of hiring committees as the primary (sole?) audience of your research. That mindset is completely understandable (especially if you’ve been on the job market for several years), but it’s also not a recipe for intellectual engagement with your work.

You should consider giving yourself a few months to pause on new research — you’ll likely be busy with academic conference season, anyway. In the meantime, focus on adapting some research you’ve already done for a wider audience. I’d seem self-serving if I recommended writing for Eidolon, but have you considered something like The Conversation? Thinking about your work in terms of how it can appeal to more readers might help remind you why you love doing academic research, and it can also lead indirectly to opportunities for exciting new academic projects. And even if you do end up pursuing a career outside of academia, public-facing writing can be a way for you to remain engaged with classics.

If you can’t fathom spending the holiday season not working on an article intended for a peer-reviewed venue…consider using those academic conferences to find a colleague to work with on a new research project. Maybe the collaborative energy will help clear your malaise.