PhDs Behaving Badly - Part II

Yesterday I posted a story about the fate of one commentator who dared challenge the liberal orthodoxy in higher education. Today we have the sad story of one person who earned his Ph.D. and promptly went on unemployment and food stamps.

Tony Yang, who holds a PhD in History from the University of California, has received unemployment benefits and been on food stamps since earning his Ph.D. He makes some money working as an adjunct. (The academic equivalent of a temp worker, adjuncts typically are hired on a semester-by-semester basis. Universities use them as needed to balance temporary surges in demand for a particular class, or to fill in for faculty who are out for a while. It's an uncertain and nomadic existence.)

"The darkest moment had to be when I finished my dissertation. I turned it in and there (was) no job ... So when I graduated, the first thing I had to do was file for unemployment."

After the recession took hold in 2007, the rate of PhD holders who've filed for government assistance more than tripled to 33,655 by 2010...

While I feel sorry for Yang and others in his situation, I also would like to ask them "What were you thinking?" Before you got your Ph.D. in history, or english literature, or womens studies, or whatever, did you take a look at the job prospects for graduates? There is only so much demand for those courses, and the faculty that hold tenured positions in those fields aren't going away any time soon. They realize that a Ph.D. in certain areas is only good for one thing - teaching at the university level. How many corporate positions are there for people with a Ph.D. in the humanities?

I get the 'follow your dream' thing. I've always loved history. When I went back to school I toyed with the idea of getting a Ph.D. in history. Then I did a little research and found out what history professors make (not much) and what the job market was like for them (dismal, even back in the mid-1990s). So I earned my Ph.D. in a field I had practical experience in, and which I knew would be in demand in both the academic and corporate worlds. My degree is in Information Systems.

It took me five years -- that's five years of lost income -- and I ended up making about 25% less in my first university position than my pre-Ph.D. salary, but to me it's worth it. The hours are about the same, but the stress level is much lower. I can work on projects that are of interest to me, not what my boss tells me to do. Dealing with the university administration can be extremely frustrating, but it's really not that much different than dealing with bureaucrats in a large corporation. Dealing with students can likewise be challenging, but it's also very rewarding (at times...). I have a lot more flexibility in terms of hours and location, so I can work from home quite a bit and spend more time with my family. Best of all, no more suits and ties - I wear Hawaiian shirts to class.

I'll freely acknowledge that there is great value in subjects such as history, english literature, and the like. But our institutions of high learning (*snort*) have reached the point where a student can graduate without ever reading Shakespeare or taking American history. In order to attract more students, many schools have substituted popular culture courses for the basics in their core curriculum. I'd love to see universities return to the fundamentals and teach - REALLY teach - english, history, math, civics, and the other subjects that a truly educated member of society should know.

Unfortunately, I don't see that happening anytime soon...