Six Years and Counting

I have been subscribing to Adjunct Advocate for almost six years. In that time, I have taught at four different institutions, been fired (like clockwork) at the end of every semester, and rehired (like more clockwork) at the beginning of the next semester. I have put over 80,000 miles on my car, and earned under $30,000 every year. My life, in short, has been predictable, if not slightly demoralizing. Every year, I apply for the openings which inevitably crop up at the colleges where I teach part-time. And every year the hiring committees look past my obvious experience and qualifications.

I was 30 when I first came across an issue of Adjunct Advocate in the faculty lounge at one of the community colleges where I teach. Today I’m closer to 40, but no closer to the full-time teaching job I thought I’d find when I graduated with my Ph.D. Then, teaching part-time was a stop-gap measure--a way for me to keep myself in shape, so to speak, before being called up to the Game.

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