Read on Twitter
Quick thread: I’ve seen a lot of talk about discouraging people from pursuing academia due to the job market. I think we need to be careful to distinguish between discouraging and being honest about their prospects. I was discouraged had I listened I wouldn’t be where I’m at 1/11
In high school I had a low GPA (2.7). For undergrad I went to a small open enrollment regional state university. I realized I wanted to pursue academia during my junior year of undergrad. As a first gen college student I had no idea about prospects. I was discouraged 2/11
Of course my professors weren’t necessarily wrong and had my best interest in mind. They new I was coming from “low pedigree” and had a low GPA 3.4 (I pooped the bed my first year with a 1.9 
). But my mind was set. I applied to many grad schools and was mostly rejected. 3/11
). But my mind was set. I applied to many grad schools and was mostly rejected. 3/11
I got into another mostly undergrad regional university for my masters. Again, I stood little chance at gaining an academic career. But I was very passionate about my field and had great mentors. I kicked butt academically here and applied to PhD programs, only got into one 4/11
Eventually I transferred to my final doc program, where I was again doubted. My advisor @GaleSinatra truly believed in me and gave me incredible mentoring. I got an academic position. Now to the main point 5/11
Discouraging people like me leads to a lot of issues including perpetuating inequities. If we only promote academia at prestigious universities then we generate scholars of certain characteristics. Most likely white and high SES individuals. Many students at small regional 6/11
state “non-prestigious” universities are diverse with regard to ethnicity and class. Thus discouraging can exacerbate these inquiries. Now I want to be clear. The job market is rough. And we need to have very honest conversations with students about that. 7/11
But we have to distinguish between being honest and discouraging. We should focus on training students broadly for academic and non-academic positions. But promote students autonomy to pursue their passions. 8/11
Don’t get me wrong. A lot of academia is flawed and needs to change. And this definitely includes graduate studies and the job search process. There are a lot more qualified people to talk on these issues than me. I’ll turn that over to my Higher Ed colleagues. 9/11
I know a lot of academics/aspiring academics relate to my journey. So I just wanted to share that, yes, prospects are not great, especially this year. But it can be done. And we shouldnt discourage people from non-research universities because it contributes to inequity. 10/11
And finally, please chime in with your thoughts. I know I may have not conveyed this perfectly. And I also recognize that I have certain privilege (being a white male). But I want o make sure that we are honest and encouraging with prospective academics. 11/11
