[lbo-talk] job satisfaction

[Wojtek S]

[WS:]  I am well aware of that - I took classes and used to teach in
community colleges in CA (before the system was wrecked by tax cuts.)  As to
"having to like teaching" - it is a mixed bag.  Teaching too is affected by
the general malaise of consumerism that rots this  country.  More and more,
students expect classroom entertainment rather than classroom instruction -
especially in the humanities and social sciences.  I think it may be
different in the sciences, where a more prevalent expectation is to learn
marketable technical skills - but my knowledge of this area is rather
limited.

But I am generally disillusioned about the entire education system at all
levels - from K1 to grad school - in the US.  It is not about learning but
about something else - like selling shit, entertaining, credentialing, or
warehousing the poor.  It sucks.

Wojtek

On Thu, Sep 9, 2010 at 10:57 AM, Miles Jackson <cqmv at pdx.edu> wrote:


>  On 9/9/2010 6:17 AM, Wojtek S wrote:
>
>> I believe this is true of most workplaces in the US - producing things
>> will
>> not get you very far, selling them will.  I imagine that this is even more
>> pronounced in the IT industry - there are many grunts extremely skilled in
>>  code writing, but those who make it salesmen who package and market other
>> people's code.  This realization negatively impacts my job  satisfaction.
>>  I
>> thought that academe offered a refuge from this neo-liberal hell, but this
>> turned out to an illusion.
>>
>> Wojtek
>>
>
> This may surprise you, but I've discovered that working in community
> colleges in fact does "offer a refuge from this neo-liberal hell" in ways
> that research universities does not.  Sure, you have to like teaching--and
> do it well with students with drastically different levels of academic
> preparation--but there is no "salesmen" dynamic.  You teach your classes,
> develop curriculum, and serve on college committees, but you are not
> required to conduct research, publish, or procure grant funding.  I know
> some faculty in research institutions can be a little snooty about community
> colleges, but if you want to circumvent the "publish or perish" bullshit,
> the community college is a good place to work.
>
> Miles
>
>
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