Letters to the Editor
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Community Colleges
I notice that a number of posters here who are underemployed have advanced degrees--community colleges want you! As an X-er with a PhD and 60K in student loan debt, I jumped aboard the community college gravy train six years ago and never looked back. And I am happy to report that I both live by my ideals *and* make a living. Many faculty at my institution are compensated better than those at the large state university in town, in part because we teach so many classes (5 a semester) and our pay scale is uniform. The salaries are determined simply by years of experience and educational level, so there is no inequity in pay between those in the sciences and those in the humanities, for instance. We receive fairly predictable raises every year, and many of us belong to an influential teacher's union. I'm not making a killing, but I'm managing my student loan payments and a mortgage on a tiny house.
The reason we need you? The average age of faculty at my institution is 47, which is not an unusual figure. I am the youngest person in a department with 25 full-time faculty, and I am almost 34--not quite a spring chicken. What that means, of course, is that the boomers will begin retiring in droves over the next few years, and community colleges across the nation foresee widespread shortages in faculty. So if you have at least a Master's degree and a willingness to teach, consider community colleges. Yes, there is a LOT of teaching, and it is indeed challenging to teach a traditionally under-served population, but it's immensely rewarding as well. Many of my students are first-generation college students who have a hunger to learn that is simply missing from their more privileged counterparts at the universities.
And the cherry on top? This year I'll be taking a paid, year-long sabbatical to write a textbook. Even my university colleagues often can't expect an entire year in which to research and write.