Want to Switch? How to Land a Teaching Job at a 4-Year College. Joseph R. Ferrari. The Chronicle of Higher Education 53.10 (Oct 27, 2006): pNA.
Summary
An account, by Joseph R. Ferrari, of how one can go from teaching in a two year institution, say a community college, to working in a four-year institution. A pretty personal look with some generalizable points.
Quotes
- Faculty members who begin their careers at two-year colleges may think the grass is greener on the other side -- that is, at four-year institutions. And in many ways, it is. But expect a struggle to get there.
- Earn as many degrees as you can. When I had one master's, my job applications always seemed to get lost in a pile. But after I had earned two master's degrees (even though they were in the same area), and had nearly finished a doctorate (all but the dissertation) -- with teaching experience and some scholarly activity under my belt -- I was more competitive.
- Have a backup plan. Consider a job as a visiting faculty member in making the transition from a two-year to a four-year college.
- Some of the research projects I enjoyed the most were those I did with my students. Teaching students at two-year colleges how to do research, and then helping them apply those skills on actual projects, was tremendously rewarding for me and for them. Even though my institution had no major or program in psychology, we were able to present our work at professional meetings, often impressing conferencegoers with the originality of my community-college students' work. Collaboration is essential for success.
- Making that move is possible, but it will not just happen; one needs to work at it. You can be quite happy and content working at a two-year college -- just be sure you know what you want.
Reflections and Analysis
This seems like it has some benefit as a personal piece--someone who has become a teacher at a four-year institution. However, it cannot really help establish trends, general facts about college teaching, or anything else.
The anecdotes, about various elements are good. The advice maybe less so. For instance, when he writes:
- Don't play down your skills. Your experience in service and teaching at the two-year-college level provides you with skills that the typical new Ph.D. does not have. Teaching in a community college gives you more flexibility and range in what you are able to teach. In my field, I had managed to teach both social psychology and applied behavior analysis, a rare combination. When I got my first job at a four-year university, I was told that I fit a niche, and that the hiring committee loved my varied and diverse teaching experiences. During my job interview, I presented some of the research data I had collected and discussed how I taught different classes. I brought along supporting information, like sample syllabi, exams, handouts, and exercises. Because I taught introductory classes as well as upper-level courses (as a doctoral student, I had taught Saturdays and evenings at local four-year colleges to keep my skills honed), and was a new Ph.D. with publications, I looked promising to the committee.
At this point, I could use a few more personal stories, but then I need to really find something about the general state of teaching.
