On Track for Success: PhDs Working Off the Tenure Track (Week 3)

Welcome back to our series on humanities PhDs who are now working full-time off the tenure track! This week brings us Katherine Kidd, who earned her English PhD from the University of Pittsburgh in 2016. Her dissertation looked at depictions of queer and non-normative people in the working class and below the poverty line, and considered how to reintegrate class and queer politics in the disciplines. Today, she is an Assistant Teaching Professor and the undergraduate English Studies Coordinator for the Department of English at Syracuse University.

What is your job?

I am Assistant Teaching Professor and English Studies Coordinator. This is basically a hybrid of administration and teaching. I report to the English department chair, but I am also going to be working closely with the new faculty Director of Undergraduate Studies.

What made you want to look for a career off the tenure track?

I applied to tenure stream jobs, too. I cast a wide net.

How did you get your job?

I believe that the clincher was a good job letter and my previous experience working in administrative positions outside academia. It’s a bit ironic that that’s the case, but inter-office skills are often something academics sometimes don’t learn before they are on the market.

What kind of job counseling or advice did you seek out?

I had the opportunity to do mock interviews with colleagues at University of Pittsburgh, and these were infinitely valuable. A good practice run generally involves saying all the wrong things and knowing immediately, as you are saying them, how to fix your answers.  

What does your average day look like? What kind of decisions do you make?

I ride my bike straight uphill to campus, then I check in with the undergraduate coordinator and the administrative specialist. I answer emails, send emails out, check my day planner, make my task list (for instance, today my main agenda is typing up meeting minutes for the Undergraduate Committee meeting last week), and then do whatever class prep I may still need to do, and teach. I also am the go-to for the department’s PR intern, so I make sure she gets what she needs for promoting events, and I check that what I’ve sent her has been posted. I ride home for lunch to walk my dog, too. I don’t have to pedal on the ride home!

I enjoy having the routine of coming in to co-workers who I have to talk to and collaborate with. But I also love teaching, and there are a number of bright students in my classes that have a lot of smart things to say.

What skills do you use in your job?

I teach, so I use the critical reading and writing skills I acquired in higher education. I also use my technical skills — programs and applications that are fundamental to office management, such as Excel (I don’t love it, but I can use it). But the main thing is soft skills — communication in particular. I have a lot of questions, and I have to ask confidently, and also listen to or read answers carefully, so I don’t have to ask again or misunderstand. This sounds so obvious, but it can be difficult when a lot is going on.

What, if anything, might you have done differently during your PhD career to set yourself up to transition into a career off the tenure track?

This is a weird question, because really, the tenure track is usually the goal when you go into a PhD program. Non-tenure jobs can be very exploitative and low-paying. This job, though, is much better paying than the equivalent at most other universities, and it has room for promotion. It also makes a space for someone like me who is a dedicated teacher, but may be a little slower to publish than what is expected for tenure today.

What advice would you give to someone considering a career off the tenure track?

Be open to careers outside the tenure track, work on your job materials and begin professionalizing early, attend job market preparation events, and don’t focus on publication alone.