Inquiring minds want to know!
Reading other folks blogs… yes and no.
Dr. Virago and the post-tenure slump. I’ve experienced these slumps at many stages of my career so this is one I will probably have to look out for.
This one’s depressing and tantalizing at the same time. I LIKE going to the big conferences precisely because it forces me to stretch my mind and my ambitions and be around people who are more awesome than I am. At the same time, it does remind me of how much I haven’t done. I would not be happy knowing I was avoiding conferences because I did not feel good enough.
We can hope that tenure provides peace and new meaning, like with reassigned time. Hard work without worry because of the security. Direction because we have proof we are valued.
This wiki says that there’s more service. That’s definitely true. But it also says that tenured folks are expected to take on more active teaching than untenured folks, which is total BS.
What have your experiences been, oh wise ones?
Grumpy Rumblings (of the formerly untenured) 
February 24, 2011 at 7:24 am
I just had a professor friend visit me this weekend and I was surprised to hear that you can get tenure in as little as 5 years. Seems faster than what I remember, but I guess most people get married by the time they’ve known each other for 5 years, so why not make a commitment to an employee too.
February 24, 2011 at 7:27 am
It depends on the university. Some have 5 year clocks, some 6, some 10!
February 24, 2011 at 11:39 am
Noooooobody knooooows the trouble we’ve seeennnnn
Noooobody knoooooows our sorrrrowwwww….
February 25, 2011 at 10:20 am
My husband is just where you are, having just turned in his tenure paperwork. Right now we seem to be spending a lot of time watching people with tenure and desperately wanting to believe life will get better after tenure. Having asked many people about this, I think it really will. The reason I say this to you is that once life becomes a bit less stressful, it’s amazing how quickly feelings/wishes for big life things can change.
Our youngest finally began full-time school this year. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was quite excited to see what it would bring. What did it bring? Energy to do things I never thought I’d ever have energy to do again. And that was on week two of school!
February 25, 2011 at 10:22 am
I wonder if life ever will get less stressful… and if it does, will it be too late!
February 25, 2011 at 2:58 pm
It’s a letdown, but a GOOD letdown.
February 25, 2011 at 3:19 pm
heh, good sounds good
February 25, 2011 at 8:29 pm
My tenure track efforts are reminding me of graduate school. The good news is that I’m more capable of handling such situations (short/stressful deadlines, less sleep, little non-work time) than I was in graduate school. I think that’s because I’m more confident that failure isn’t devastating (see quotes by Thomas Edison, etc) and I have backup plans so I’m not as emotionally invested. The bad news is that I thought I was over the idea of crunch-time and yet here it is again. Perhaps Boice would say I should’ve started my tenure clock before I was ready? …I don’t think I want to stop it early.
February 25, 2011 at 8:39 pm
Yeah, I don’t think any of us wants that clock stopped before we’re ready!
February 26, 2016 at 1:35 am
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