Top Likes and Dislikes of Working in Academics (Revised)

After more than three decades working in academics (graduated from MIT 1993), this is a small list of things that I like and dislike the most. I understand that my position at a private university in the United States is very privileged. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for having my job. 

I believe that this list might be useful to somebody starting their career, and wondering whether academics is right for them. I would love to hear feedback from others on their experiences.

Likes

1. The thrill of scientific discovery.

The thrill of scientific discovery is when you realize that you have just discovered something new, which could be an interesting paradigm, generalization or explanation. The experience leaves me stunned and elated.

2. Being creative through my linguistic research.

3. Freedom from teaching requirements in the summer.

Courses run until early May, and then pick up again late August. So I basically have 3 months each year without teaching. All of that is for research and family time. Because of these summer months, people often characterize academic jobs as ‘cushy’, as in, ‘He just got a cushy faculty job at Columbia.’

4. A study leave every three years (mostly using unpaid leave).

I take a year off (for fieldwork) every three years. This is partially covered by NYU (3/4 for one semester). The rest is unpaid leave. If I did not take this year off, I would probably go crazy. My temperament is not well-suited to academics, but rather to travel and exploration. So this arrangement is a compromise.

5. Mentoring students (graduate and undergraduate) doing research.

I love to work with grads on their doctoral dissertations. I love to meet with them, and to discuss the cutting-edge issues with them. Some of my most rewarding experiences as an academic have been as a committee member or a committee chair. I usually get as much or more from the interactions than my students do.

6. Teaching curious undergraduates.

7. The opportunities for travel (research, conferences, teaching, etc.).

8. Decent health care benefits for me and my family.

In the US, good health care is neither guaranteed or universal. So I am grateful that my job as a professor provides me with an health plan.

9. Solid retirement plan.

10.  Tuition remission for family members.

My family members have benefited from the NYU tuition remission system, which is quite common in a North American university.

11. Learning about different cultures and languages.

12. Working with and getting to know consultants during fieldwork.

13. The use of the university library, including e-books and e-journals.

14. Flexible schedule.

Being able to work from home on days that I have no classes, or to come in an hour late, or to go for a medical appointment without any permission are all luxuries which I am grateful for.

15. Having my own office.

Dislikes

1. The difficulty (impossibility?) of maintaining a reasonable work-life balance.

Being an academic is all-consuming, especially for younger researchers trying to establish a research record. We don’t really have weekends off. And our breaks and holidays are often filled with research. It is unclear for us where to draw the line. 

2. Completely lack of job mobility once hired.

In linguistics, at least, it is almost impossible for a full professor to relocate. For junior professors it is easier, but still difficult. There are just not that many jobs around. A nurse can step into any large city in the US, and have a well-paying job in a few days. I, as a syntactician, cannot count on a job if I relocate.

3. Hypercompetitive job market for beginning scholars. 

There are basically a handful of syntax positions each year, for the whole field. The younger faculty members compete for those. More and more students are getting non-academic jobs in industry.

4. Departmental politics.

Under departmental politics, I class all those interactions between faculty members and groups of faculty members where there might be differences of opinion. These include (but are not limited to): any departmental vote, allocation of office space, choosing speakers for colloquia, graduate admissions, hirings, selection of the Chair, criteria for getting raise, tenure and promotion decisions, discussions of the direction of the department. Some faculty love these kinds of issues, and the rough and tumble of academic discussions and decisions. But all this is definitely not for me.

5. Largely sedentary profession with negative health consequences.

Being a professor involves sitting in a chair most of the day, doing academic activities, such as advising, reading, writing, grading, course preparation, e-mails, etc. Sitting in a chair for eight hours a day is a definite health hazard. Every effort must be made to do exercise and get the body moving at some point during the day.

6. Attending departmental meetings.

I am not a fan. I have never dared to see what would happen if I just stopped showing up.

7. Anything work related on the weekend (especially e-mail).

I can easily spend a whole weekend on work related e-mails and course preparation or research. That means, there was no time for relaxation. Realistically, I have a seven-day work week, worse than a factory worker in Victorian England.

8. Grade grubbing (by both grads and undergrads).

Grade grubbing and plagiarism are not that frequent, but when they occur, they are soul sapping (exhausting and demoralizing). Piece of advice to student: if you are worried about a letter grade, then commit to the class, attend the lectures and the section, and do the homework assignments.

9. Dealing with student plagiarism (not very frequent).

10. The university as a money-making corporation.

11. Publishing for profit (not my profit).

Things are changing with Open Access, but for now, we publish and review, and are not paid for either. But the journals carrying our papers charge rates to university libraries to carry the journals. It is a real racket.

12. Going through administrative hurdles to do research.

I have had to consult with NYU lawyers about how to pay consultants for fieldwork in a remote location. They want the consultants to use the e-system called I-Buy. This issue never seems to go away.

13. Yearly sexual harassment prevention training.

The videos are a hodgepodge of mostly obvious information, including material on sexual harassment and gender discrimination. The real question is whether showing these videos actually decreases cases of sexual harassment. I have not heard this issue being discussed. I kind of doubt it.

14. Obtaining IRB approval for fieldwork.

15. Zoom taught courses and appointments.

I detest teaching by Zoom, since it creates a mental distance between the teachers and students. The pandemic status quo was unbearable. I strongly prefer not to have appointments by Zoom either (unless it is absolutely unavoidable). I do appreciate the possibility of attending talks by Zoom, since I otherwise would have never been able to see the talks.