Tuesday, 8 December 2009

Graduate Studies in Biblical Studies = Bungee Jump without the Cord

Man, why didn't I read these when I was 22?

http://chronicle.com/article/Graduate-School-in-the/44846

http://chronicle.com/article/Just-Don-t-Go-Part-2/44786

As a current graduate student in biblical studies, I must testify to the validity of this person's warnings. What he wrote is so painfully true and accurately describes my situation now. I'm not so desperate that I need to hang myself in the near future, but it is very very very true that I don't see an academic future for myself AT ALL.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The same applies to many other fields of study too. I would say that the social institution of university/college has practically run its course.

This is the 22nd year of my teaching career in a university. (I teach math.) Retirements generally mean eliminations of positions, not replacements. Some longtime sessional teachers are begining to lose their dear little term-to-term opportunities to grad students. Universities keep producing PhDs, and at a rate far exceed the demand of the job market in the academe. And I am not talking about humanities, but my own field.

It seems like you have given up the idea of finishing your program. I am not sure if this might be useful to you: From what I heard, Ambrose university college in Calgary has in the past few years considered starting a Cantonese section in their grad seminary program. I don't know how the matter stands now, but so far, nothing has materialized.

Best of luck,
Joseph Ling