I usually blog on Sunday. It’s rare that I miss a week. I probably missed one or two when I was on the road but I had a lot to write about then, so I made it a priority to fire up the laptop and drain my batteries telling the world what I was up to, whether the world wanted to hear it or not. The good thing is, few people know this blog exists, so if I miss a week here or there, the blog police won’t be coming after me.
I don’t remember why I missed last Sunday. I’m sure I had no good reason. Probably because I was busy indulging my addiction to Chinese historical dramas. I tell myself I’m learning about characters, plot, pace, and costumes. I’m really avoiding my writing project.
I don’t know if I have mentioned my part-time job as adjunct faculty at a for-profit online university in the Midwest. I’m in the Doctoral Research department, which means I help usher doctoral candidates through the program. I’m on sixteen committees now, and I’m Chair for eight. That’s a lot for me. The good news is several people are working on their final chapters. That means after their dissertations are approved, they will go through the traditional but meaningless ritual of defending their work with an uninspired PowerPoint deck. After that, we call them “Doctor” and send them on their way.
In the earlier incarnation of this blog, I complained a lot about for-profit higher education. I was (and still am) qualified to pick that particular bone. I “taught” at a for-profit career college for ten years while I simultaneously worked toward a doctorate in Business Administration (focus in marketing, a poor choice) at a for-profit online university. Two views of for-profit higher ed gave me deep insight into for-profit education. The main take-away is that it’s a mug’s game for students while making owners rich.
Anyway, here I am “working” for a for-profit online college. If you know the plight of adjunct faculty you know that no matter the business structure, adjunct faculty are a dime a dozen. That means they are overworked and underpaid. I get paid a flat “wage” per student per 10-week term. No matter how many hours I spend reviewing papers, I get paid the same amount per student per term. Not only that, paydays for adjuncts in the doctoral research department happen four times a year.
I cope by mentally separating the work from the income. What else can I do? I’d fall into the black hole of resentment if I started thinking I deserve to get paid by the hour rather than by the student. I try to do the best job I can and not think about the money. Although I admit, I am aware when paydays roll around.
The pace at this college is grueling. At the university I “attended,” we finished the course work, muddled through the comps, and then began the dissertation sequence. I was ABD for quite a while, and when I mean quite a while, I mean almost three years. (Can I blame an adjunct Chair who went AWOL ?) Anyway, the point is we finished the 5K before we ran the marathon. At this college, the students take the coursework while they work on their dissertation chapters. That means they are insane from the pressure.
My job is part reviewer, part editor, and part cheerleader. So far I’ve had one student drop out. She said she enrolled because she was bored.
Meanwhile, I keep chipping away at my writing project. After writing the last one, I now understand my process: Don’t arouse its suspicions by looking too closely, sneak up on it and catch it by surprise. Force it to give up its secrets before it realizes what is happening and slams the door in your face. Keep knocking, and while it’s wondering if it should open the door, climb through a window and throttle it from behind.
So far my strategy is working.