It is a fact that, although I am very proud of my PhD, there are certain times when I do and don’t reveal that this is a designation I carry. When I’m applying for jobs, for example, I do NOT put “Sabine Hikel, PhD” at the top of my resume. To me, that would be like putting, “Sabine Hikel, Ponce” way up there (I do, however, note my PhD on the second page, under “Education”). But when I want to get a meeting with someone, for example, and I think they’d be more likely to meet with me if they knew my credentials, I’ll pop a “Dr.” in front of my name in my email signature file. Another example: when I had to order new cheques after I defended my dissertation, I made a point of changing the way my name appeared on my cheques to read “Dr. Sabine Hikel.”
One instance when I never, ever, EVER make reference to my credential is when I fly. There is absolutely no way I ever want to be on a plane when a flight attendant approaches me with an urgent medical emergency, and I have to ask if the person needs a political scientist to tend to them. When I book travel, it’s “Ms.” all the way.
Don’t you have a smartypants in your life for whom this would be perfect?
Regardless of what kind of holidays you celebrate (or the clever gifts you give and receive), I want to wish all of my readers a happy and healthy holiday season (and tomorrow, I’ll be posting about the early Christmas present I got this year). Remember, if any of you are going to the MLA this year, I’ll be at the Inside Higher Ed booth on the 28th and 29th, answering any questions you have about the post-academic life.
We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming due to the extreme shitshow going on in Copenhagen right now. Canadian readers–hell, American readers, pitch in, too!–if you care at all about Canada’s sullied reputation in the climate talks, and the fact that Prime Minister Harper is selling out the world’s interests for those of Alberta oil, please go sign the petition over at Avaaz. The number of hours left in talks are dwindling, and I just can’t believe what’s happening right now.
Torontonians and GTA’ers: come for another round of advice, support, accountability and idea-generation at our Leaving Academia meeting on Monday, December 14th. We’ll be meeting at The Bean (the cafe formerly known as Kahawa), at 388 College (just east of Bathurst). As always, if you don’t order something to eat and/or drink from the nice folks who run this independent coffee house, ye shall risk the wrath of me frowning at you disapprovingly.
Please RSVP with me if you will be attending: sabine [at] leavingacademia [dot] com.
I was just reading about Films That Move, a film series staged here in Toronto that:
creates a friendly space to bring people together and share ways to make our communities better.
We invite people of all ages and backgrounds to our free movie screenings. This includes education, non-profit, communications and government communities – all are welcome.
Each screening features a community focus, and provides opportunities to participate in sustainable partnership.
The film they’re screening next week is called Lemonade, about advertising professionals who got laid off and subsequently turned their lives around. I haven’t seen it, but I’m a sucker for inspirational shiz like this, so I thought it was appropriate for a Friday posting.
Man, these former-academic-bloggers are just coming out of the woodwork now, aren’t they? Here’s Tony Funk, a man with three university degrees under his belt who became The Accidental Agrarian. His tales about farming and raising animals in British Columbia kinda remind me of former academic Jo Van Every. Jo supports researchers–and yes, I mean those of you who are struggling to finish your dissertations, or land funding for your project, or figure out how to push through that last chapter of your book. Like Tony, Jo lives on a farm with her partner and child, and they raise animals. I’ll spare you the details of all that is involved when you’re living cheek by jowl with nature, and let Jo share that with you instead.
Then there are the people out there who may make you feel a little less alone, like the tenure track prof who suddenly feels like bailing. There’s also the very interesting discussion about using the recession as an excuse to bail from academia. But you can’t have a link roundup without the slightly more jaundiced view, this time from an economist talking to humanities folks.
An interview with Doug Peers, associate vice-president graduate and dean of graduate studies at York University, on why academics should consider the life of an administrator. […]
Talk of ending journalism school at CU-Boulder is latest effort to transform such programs, suggesting the only way to build them anew is to tear them down. […]
A large California community college district has gotten rid of all of its emergency notification boxes to save money -- a move not yet commonplace despite boom in cell phone usage. […]
RT @brianlbaker: Seriously, I'll take ANY full-time job, with benefits, within a 100-250 mile radius of Fresno, that pays $35,000+. Cont ... 2010/06/14
What is it with the past couple of days and all this, like, EMOTION? 2010/06/11
RT @alysonschafer: LGBT students hear anti-gay slurs an average of 26 times a day. 30 % of suicides are LGBT. Support is here: http:// ... 2010/06/08
Don’t you have a smartypants in your life for whom this would be perfect?
