because you didnt want to lie so that americans who caused the most harm in the world woul dcontinue to be the best and bigest? let me help you...genetics studies...completely false. they are lying through their teeth. all of them world wide.
I'm adjunct faculty and it's exhausting and demoralizing. The worst part of the whole thing is I'm good at teaching. I've won awards for my teaching. Students tell me years after we've been in class together that I inspired them. And the university doesn't care. Because teaching isn't valued by the administration. Students will be pay the same amount of tuition regardless. I don't bring in grants. And that's what matters. It's exhausting. I can't pay my rent in teaching awards and kind words.
You have to go where you can teach, where you are valued for your teaching. Maybe a prep school or high school would be better b/c no grants are expected, just teaching. I mention prep school cos i imagine it pays higher
I have a friend with a PhD in Philosophy. After a post-doc and several years as a part-time (contract) professor she left to do an MBA degree. It was two years full time, but she ended up in investment banking and today is perfectly happy with the choice.
I was in a PhD program for mathematics, and the first day I was there the Dean of the department told us how incredibly difficult it will be to get a job as a professor when we are done. He said they get literally hundreds of applications whenever they have an opening for 1 tenure track position in the math department, and priority will go to someone with a robust record of publications. I saw a lot of older class mates who were finishing their programs struggle to find work in academia, other than adjunct roles or roles outside of academia. I got the masters degree and left for an industry job. One of the best decisions I've ever made.
Nobody cares if you have autism...I'm not going to cry for people with PH.D's. My dreams have died as many times as i have crossed into the 3.75 spiritual dimension in a single night....calculate that. if you need help with the math consult Heather O'Rourke.
I got a PhD in Philosophy of Religion from King's College London. It was (and is) a top program. I had multiple peer reviewed publications, even serving as an assistant editor for a Routledge philosophy handbook. I had a strong beat on a JRF (like a superstar postdoc) lined up at Oxford and was on track to finish my degree on time. Then... a family member got sick. I had to pause my PhD (put in an interruption of studies) in order to take care of and be with this family member through the end of their life (about a year and a half). I came back and finished the PhD, but that was it. I was now damaged goods. I was out of the academia loop. I adjuncted at a community college for a few years, and picked up part time teaching at some graduate schools as well. I was rated very highly as a teacher, but eventually, I just wasn't making enough money to support a family. I left, moving into another area of public service, where I have been incredibly happy. I grieved the loss of my academic life. I also felt like a failure. As I looked back on my choices, I do not regret a single one. I did everything right, but because of life I was kicked aside. I hate that this is how academia is (I was a *good* teacher and *great* researcher), but I don't regret my choices at all.
@treymedley I went to KCL for a graduate degree in philosophy too. My experience there completely dissuaded me from pursuing academia. I did my undergraduate in North America, I loved it, and maybe in another life if I had done a graduate degree state-side I wouldn't have abandoned that career path. Now I work in tech! I'm curious, what area of public service do you work in that you enjoy?
You are not damaged goods. You are compassionate, loyal, and dedicated. It is their loss. May you find another way to infuse your life with the good things you remember fondly from academia!
Jared you have 221k and counting subscribers and almost 10m views on your videos. That's 10 million times that people wanted to hear what you had to say, and 221k people that want to make sure they don't miss out your opinion and presentation of interesting material. That's a tremendous succuss by any measure, never consider yourself a failure. There are probably tenured professors all over this country, including the most prestigious schools, that wish they had the reach you have. Looking forward to more of your videos and would love to see some long form philosophy videos.
Same here. I went in as a physics major and was so quickly disillusioned by academia. It’s not what everyone thinks it is. I finished my undergrad and never looked back. It was difficult to realize I wouldn’t be living the life I expected, but my life now is far better than my life would have been in academia.
I guess I shared that dream to some extent... though I don' think I had a firm idea of what I wanted to do. I thought some of the professors and grad students lived an elevated life of learning that never stopped. Sort of a monk-like existence but you could still date college girls... Oh well. I guess I didn't miss anything by failing to hang in there after graduation.
Thank you for this video, Jared. Witnessing the corporatization of higher education in the United States -- along with the drastic increase in administrative positions and administrative pay -- has saddened me as an educator. I have heard administrators refer to students as customers, and I have heard students say things like, "I paid for this course, so why can't I have an A?" To me, the decline of higher education has much to do with the fact that profit has replaced learning as the primary reason for its existence. Prioritizing profit is the reason we have a horrifically exploitative system where adjuncts are barely surviving in the hope that they might be one of the lucky few to get a full-time position. Twenty years ago, I would have advised students interested in a career in higher education to go for it. Today, I would not.
Clearly, those people, the student-customers, are not interested in learning, so of course they don't want to pay for teaching. They're paying for the diploma and the prestige of that institution. Unfortunately, the majority of people don't want to learn or work in general and it has been mostly society or government that in the past imposed learning and gave some authority to teachers and professors. Nowadays, many people are willing to teach as adjuncts for almost no pay and universities are not really motivated to pay people more on their own. Let's be honest, how many people look for ways to pay less for products and services? And with no external authority to impose actual learning, it's up to the market to regulate itself. What we see is that those who want to really learn will pay for it and go to insitutions or individuals that really teach, including an online class or private tutoring, and in time university degrees will become less and less valuabe, with the private sector not making them a requirement in time. For most young adults college has become just a second high school, a way to postpone their teenage years without having to get a job because they get loans and money from their parents.
This comment makes me glad I bucked the advice of people I was studying under in academia 20 years ago and got out because I thought I could intuit what was already happening / on the horizon. It seems my guesses from that time of life were mostly correct. But I wish it were different.
On the other hand, just because you are interesed in researching or even purely learning something doesn't mean anyone should pay you for doing it. I don't see any problem with wanting something in return. So what are your contributions to society? Why should society pay you for doing what you do? You're not just asking for attention. You're asking for a salary, for money, which has to come from somewhere. So all that "corporatization" can't be that bad.
Interesting. It always irks me when I hear medical doctors and psychotherapists referring to their patients as clients. It’s about the same as customers. The appropriate language needs to be applied or those professionals should be referred to as traders.
You might be interested in this podcast hosted by Peter Adamson, called "History of Philosophy, Without any Gaps", which are long-form, comprehensive, and very clear scholarship. It's still stuck in the classics, of course, so not the place for 20th century thought at the moment, but I'm a fan.
@@Eta_Carinae__ I found it a year or two ago and have been listening to it off and on. Every once in a while I look ahead to see where he's at... man he was not kidding when he said "without any gaps"
My undergrad was in Latin and Ancient Greek language and literature, and I was admitted to a highly ranked PhD program to work with a specific scholar on Roman comedy, but at the last minute I decided not to go, for many of the same reasons you describe here. Classics departments are being shuttered left and right (or merged with philosophy or religion departments!), and I would have been signing up for a life of instability (with little control over where I would live) and relative financial precarity. I also dreaded the idea of ruining my love of Latin literature by entering into a dysfunctional relationship with academia. That was about 15 years ago, and it has proven to be the right decision for me. Unfortunately, several of my old colleagues are now out of work, and many of them are burned out or disillusioned. I still read and translate Latin, but I do it out of fascination and passion, not because I'm desperately racing to stay relevant or pump up my publication list. My career thus far has been varied (and weird!) and interesting, and I have had amazing experiences I never would have had in academia. I have a feeling that you too will look back in 10 or 15 years and be glad you made the choice you did. Among other things, you're bringing philosophy to more people as a youtuber than you ever could as a professor at a university.
Great move. Classics is a dead discipline. I have two friends whose departments were closed due to a lack of students. That was as tenured professors. Both ended up being moved to other employment by their universities. But both hate what they teach and the type of research they do. But they feel stuck since it is hard to move to another Classics department. I know another Classics PhD who eventually went to law school and is happy as a lawyer. But that involved more student debt in getting the JD degree. Plus she was in her 30s before writing the bar. All of this cost her the opportunity for marriage and children.
@@peke1822 I work in sales and marketing. The transition was not easy, but it is a lot less stress since the job is consistent and I am not worried about getting work contracts renewed.
@@peke1822 I went to law school, worked in contract and tax law, then later left to work in the publishing industry. A couple years later, I opened my own business. I now also serve on the board of directors for a non-profit that provides adult education to new immigrants and low-income people (GEDs, ESL, that sort of thing).
I got my PhD in Latin and ancient Greek in 2012 from a university with a new PhD. Luckily, I was fully funded through the MA and PhD. I didn’t get a one year position coming out and pivoted to secondary education. It was the best thing that could have happened to me. I teach Latin at a private high school on the East Coast and have a better quality of life than I would’ve ever had in academia. I likely would have been an adjunct for years.
I took a very similar path man. I was particularly touched by the part where you talk about grieving for the life you're not going to live, and not having people around to talk to about the things that interest you intellectually. Great video, and thank you for sharing.
I got my undergraduate degree in Philosophy and I'm now the head of cyber security architecture for one of the top 15 financial institutions in North America. I am 100% positive that my degree directly contributed to my entry into Cyber Security in addition to the successes I've had throughout my career. While it may not be obvious, what I learned in pursuit of degree (topics like logic, argumentation, and ethical reasoning) have served me extremely well over the decades. I would certainly be an advocate for the notion that a degree in philosophy can be rewarding outside the world of academia.
For my undergrad, I did a dual major: music and philosophy. I had considered grad school and philosophy and law school. However, now I do technology consulting focused on cloud computing and data engineering. I think that a music degree: especially music theory and composition has very similar underlying thought processes to technology work.
You spoke things I have felt and thought so much. I did my PhD in English Literature and grieved when it became apparent that an academic career would never materialise. I also miss conferences and research, and just having conversations with fellow researchers. I have just decided to start my own RUclips channel, which I how I found yours. Thank you for voicing what I have experienced. It’s the first time I have heard anyone else’s experience. Keep up the great work, love your channel!
This comment lead me to your channel and wow. You have earned another subscriber. I hope you find a better place here on RUclips than you did in academia. You certainly have a place here I think 💙
Yes, absolutely. This is a sort of disenfranchised grief, and in my experience, you can expect little - if any - understanding from people outside academia. Fortunately, it's gradually become less of a taboo subject in academia itself. And there's a sort of "leaving academia" scene with honest and substantial discussions (like this video), which did not exist when I left years ago. I also miss conferences, research, conversations, and just being part of a larger, international community working on topics they're passionate about and consider important. It's really hard to realize that won't, and can't be your life, that you've already been privileged to experience this on a temporary basis, and then leave and take it from there. In my experience, it certainly has a sobering effect on your identity and approach to life in general. And that's probably a good thing.
i think one of the factors contributing to this is that now that getting a degree has become the “default” path for most people, it has turned most universities into “degree factories” instead of places that really value education everything has to be vocational, it all has to contribute to your ability to get a job or else it’s considered a naive endeavour. they are hyper focused on “hard skills” because that’s what you can put on a resume. i’m a political science major and my resume is mostly “i know how to work with quantitative data and do long form technical writing” - despite me thinking by far the most valuable skill i learned being understanding institutional logic and the workings of major projects. those, however, are nebulous and may not have immediately apparent use value. it creates this death spiral where students are there cause they think they need it to live, profs are only there to chattel students through the program, and administrators boom because those are the people that make the higher ups feel important.
I want to see a video on the scam and racket of academic journals. Super interesting. This is one of my favorite channels right now and I’d love to see more long form philosophy content
Hey man im 32, studied chemical engineering at a big 10 state school. Got a chance to take an ancient greek philosophy class and it changed my life. I love love LOVE Plato and would love to see more videos about some of your favorite dialogues. Keep up the good work.
My father, with a doctorate in civil engineering from a prestigious university and a post-doc in marketing (!) went into the private sector in the late 90s. He published far more, at an astounding rate, after he left academia. His prestige became such that he was able to pick his own academic job a few years later. I'm a huge fan of alternative/parallel academies. Glad I found your channel.
@@peke1822 The foundational principle is still the same: publish or perish. It does not matter how or where you do it, and if you can make more money in the private sector, even better. What's competitive is to do it in the preset way of looking for a tenure-track job first. If you find an alternate path that is not saturated, you don't have the same stressors, obstacles, and competition.
@@quietudreparadora Publish or perish indeed. When the historians of posterity, if there is any posterity at the rate we're going, try to make sense of the past they will look back at late-capitalism western academia as the true engine of modern society's self-destruction. It seems like it's reaching a breaking point, what with the replication crisis rampant, even in the hard sciences, and every Tom Dick and Harry on the block getting their PhDs in.... whatever. Philosophy in this case. And of course no academic jobs for the boys left that aren't monopolized by what appears now to be a fully gamed academic employment prestige pyramid. And the universities just keep pumping out these random suburban schlubs who we're now supposed to regard as serious scholars, no matter the skyrocketing tuition, and no surprise American society not to mention the biosphere itself, appears to be collapsing under the weight of it all. And all because of the deathly shame of ever being reduced to the despised peasant underclass of real work. And I would definitely say RUclips is pretty much totally saturated with philosophy channels as well. The university system needs to go. It never needed to be open to the general public. People would be so much happier....
Great video, Jared. I left philosophy in 1997 for much the same reasons you left, though I had the additional consideration that my dissertation was going nowhere. And twenty-seven years down the road, I still miss the things you miss: the seminars, the symposia, and just the community of people engaged with ideas.
Yep. I miss the relationships I had through academia. Going to conferences to see old friends. The flex time you don't get in real jobs. But I don't miss the BS.
"I still miss the things you miss: the seminars, the symposia, and just the community of people engaged with ideas." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yes, I understand what you're saying. However, surrounding yourself only with people with similar interests creates a sheltered, cloistered kind of life. After I left my PhD program, I was forced through various jobs to interact with all kinds of people. And those years of interaction gave me valuable real-world knowledge and perspective, something one doesn't get living in the proverbial ivory tower.
Sounds like you have a great life! I salute you! I worked for the usual number of years, mostly as a high school teacher, which is brutal! I managed to get old enough to retire and changed my life to embrace my two favorite things: plants and books. I have a large, varied garden to spend time in, and am a member of several serious reading groups. Life is good!
I backed out of academia when I was working on my Ph.D. dissertation in philosophy, and, yes, I definitely went through that grieving period, and still go through it at times, about the life I wouldn't be able to live. However, I backed out because I met my wife and started having a family, and I just couldn't dedicate the time needed to do the research and hold down a full-time job to support my family, so I do not consider that a bad thing. I got into philosophy in undergrad (I changed from a business major) because I loved it and I loved seeking the truth; philosophy changed my life and my world view. Even outside of institutionalized sophism, I am still able to read, discuss, and seek out the truth, as my humanity was not revoked with my enrollment in my program. Even if my day-to-day job is not at a college every day I continue to live a life of a philosopher and seek to understand myself in/and the world. Whether I have a Ph.D. or not, the joy I get from having meaningful conversations with others is not lessened or magnified by it, only my opportunities to be put in those situations to have those conversations.
@@Notmyname979 After grad school I took a lower level position at a company doing analyst work and did well, so I got promoted to a management position. I was then able to make a move into another company to a non-management analyst position, where I excelled and worked my way up the corporate ladder into another management role. In business, a lot of times, it isn't what degree you have, it is the traits you have (e.g., being thoughtful, analytical, eye for detail, good communication, etc.). Philosophy helps develop a lot of those desirable skills, which really allows a philosophy student to in excel various industries one wouldn't normally think of.
I love philosophy but would never dream about majority in philosophy or any liberal arts before I come from poverty and job was a big consideration when I went to college .So I went into engineering. I keep on reading philosophy especially the stoics and existentialists. Lucky I speak good French and i am able to read originals of Pascal , Rousseau, Voltaire, Sartre, Camus, Hugo etc. I also read French translations of Russian and german philosophers especially Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chestov, Nietzche and Schopenhauer.
My advice: post the type of content you’re genuinely interested in. I most appreciate how candid you are in these videos because it’s stuff you honestly care about. The philosophy of language sounds like a great place to start. I wouldn’t overthink your “vision” for the channel or else it will turn into a schtick that you probably won’t enjoy doing anymore.
I also want to hear more about Philosophy of Language. As someone who love languages I just heard this term today here and I'm more interested to learn about it. Might do a little amaturish research on it
Very relatable. I have a PhD in anthropology and was enrolled in a prestigious programme in Europe. The state of universities over here is similar to the US. Just instead of being forced to move to a different city, we're forced to move to different countries in the Post-Doc treadmill. I'm glad you found something that fulfills your intellectual muscle. I also left academia about 2 years ago and am still going through the grieving stages, but happy about the decision.
I bailed 30 years ago when some of the trends you discuss were already underway. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. Nice to hear the issues explored by someone vastly more articulate than I am. Cheers!
This was the case ten years ago too. I loved university, but even in undergrad I was seeing the writing on the wall with how my younger professors were being treated and never really considered going for a PhD. It isn’t the job it used to be sixty years ago.
Checks out. I spent several years as a postdoc adjunct. Love many things about the life, but have been happier since stepping off the track. English PhD, 18th/19th c, now a software dev. The underlying skill set isn’t so different. I miss teaching the most. Thanks for sharing your story!!
Sort of the same here. Got out of grad school a little sooner than you (after M.A. before PhD), found my way into tech in the nineties. Had several years of very stressful but extremely lucrative work. I put myself permanently ahead, at least financially (but other ways too), with my decision to leave academia.
I did a PhD at Cambridge, England, then postdocs in London and Montreal. I had a horrible experience in Montreal, and left academia. I was lucky. Academia is a mugs game unless you are incredibly gifted, have powerful friends, a lot of luck or all three. Most people can’t get a job in university research, there are hundreds of applications for each job. Don’t waste your life, don’t even do a PhD. Get a real job, with a proper salary, then get a house, learn skills, progress and enjoy life with less stress, no moving city every few years and continuous insecurity. Or spend a couple of years doing a job for fun in a foreign country, seeing the world, learning a second language, developing character.
Jared, thank you for sharing this post. You experience echoes mine; I left academia after completing my doctorate in philosophy of religion in London around 25 years ago, for similar reasons to the ones you describe. I can attest to the grieving process; when asked whether I miss it, I tend to say, only every hour or so, which is only partly a joke. Looking through the comments it's clear there is no shortage of people who share this experience or something like it. What you are doing, and I hope will do more, is building an online community of people who can continue to explore philosophy outside the academy, which is very valuable. I've continued to study since leaving, though not to write; I am beginning to change that now, and to develop the scope of a research project, as I'm coming to think that the study of philosophy will be more rewarding for me when directed to an end - that is, when I have a particular research project in mind. (Though, that may or may not require actual writing.) I wonder whether the internet/social media is a platform for something going beyond simply a community of people with this shared interest - to enable them to *collaborate* actively in philosophy (or in any discipline) in a way analogous to the academic setting - rebuilding the academy outside the academy, as it were, with a slightly more open nature and set of conventions, without compromising academic and intellectual standards in so doing. Do you have any thoughts about that and how it might work?
Thank you for this video, Jared, and for your other work as well. I hope you keep the channel going! I'm a PhD "affiliate" faculty, nearing the end of my teaching career. For me, not having to attend meetings was a bonus, helping to make up for a substantially lower salary than my tenured colleagues. It also helps that I've had a life outside of academia as well. But when a student asks me about whether they should do graduate work in philosophy, I always ask them, to begin, "Have you had a recent mental health examination?" 🙂
Your channel has been a gift. I became interested in philosophy at age 45, after 16 years of teaching community college English. I love my job, but I suddenly wanted to learn about the voices that inspired and shape many of the voices and ideas I appreciate. Your channel has been a great resource and encouragement as I began my self-study. Keep up the good work. Many of us are taking notes. And blessings to your family in your move.
Jared, this is a phenomenal video. I'm nearly done with my BA in history, and I also had dreams of working in the academy. I've slowly come to realize that I don't think I'm cut out for it, plus the chances of success in that field are so dismal. It's been a very bitter pill to swallow, and honestly kind of depressing. So i'm looking into other things I could do with this degree. Thank you for your advice and honesty.
Interesting! I am doing a history phd in Sweden and I believe the situation isn't quite as dire here. All phd programs are fully funded so working conditions are much better overall. But my (honest) advice would be to only do a phd if it's the only thing you're good at that can give you an income, hehe.
Jared, Appreciate your transparency about your education & experiences. In the early 80's when I was college, I discovered the downside of the academic life as well. I had a couple of close friends-one a Professor of Latin & the other Religious Studies-- their lives were always uncertain and it was difficult for them financially with 2 young children. They strongly advised me against the academic life, which I took to heart and pursued a different path. Long form videos on Philosophy would be excellent. I enjoy the intersection of literature and art with Philosophy. In addition, History of Philosophy as well.
Wow, a great video that many people (students, faculty, and admin, politicians etc.) should all hear. So many great points made not just about academia but also student loans, the motive to work hard as an undergraduate, and hiring in general. But I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised since it’s coming from a philosopher. I found that my reasons were very similar when leaving the university (mathematics). But you can always do what you love even if it’s not your official job. I still research math and that’s the real reason we started academia in the first place: for the joy of it as a hobby.
Absolutely go more in depth on philosophy topics. The more philosophy available for free on the internet the better because like you said the racket keeps people away from knowledge.
Hey man, I appreciate the video, it was interesting to hear your reasoning. I work as a professional in public libraries, and the bit you mentioned about certain departments facing budget cuts, lay-offs, and only hiring part-time and contractual staff really hit home for me. Lots of parallels there, unfortunately. I’m glad that you found a way out of your situation. Thanks for the great content you put out, regardless of its frequency
I am almost an associate professor in Sweden (it will be in autumn), I can say that in Europe universities are in crisis too...but here in the nordics, despites highs and low the situation is not so bad. (Ok not perfect...but I cannot complain). About PhD...here in Europe we got paid. Here in Sweden I had 2500 euros (netto) per month. This allowed to me to have a "normal" life. Plus books and travels expenses.
Yeah, this is very specific to the Nordics I think but not the case for the UK, Germany or France. I know a lot of people who moved to Sweden or Finland because you guys still have jobs and something like security when you're in the humanities or social sciences.
Definitely not "Europe". I am pretty sure it is not the case in the majority of European countries. For instance, my stipend < 500eur (~70% of the minimum wage).
Finishing up my first year as a tenure track professor at a junior college. Honestly love it, introduction classes are fun if you make them fun, I think more PhDs should take this sector seriously. (Not for nothing, but the pay is also not bad at all - even better than some liberal arts). PS my college is two hours from Austin, if you ever wanted to be a guest speaker!
I came here to say something similar (I am at a small private university, also about 2 hrs. from Austin!). There are something like 3000 schools in the nation, so many people just focus on those 100 or so "big" schools as the only option. My school is smaller than many high schools. Getting tenure was basically a breeze (love teaching and don't be a jerk) and there is none of the "publish or perish" mindset. It's a pretty great option. Our applicant pools have shrunk since covid. In all fields we are seeing around 10 applicants for searches, a couple of those aren't really qualified, so it's not as nearly as competitive as it once was. Still, I get that its not for everyone and I'm glad there are non academic options out there across the disciplines.
As a PhD in math who worked at a two year college for about a decade, I agree both with the assertion that teaching the intro classes can be fun and that more PhDs should take the sector seriously. I found it to be an interesting and challenging job not so much because the math was difficult but because the task of helping students connect with the material and open doors to a different future for themselves required flexibility, depth of subject knowledge, and close attention. I have also taught intro classes at large institutions and that was NOT fun for me, so...mileage can vary on that depending on your environment. Things I think need to be considered before embarking on such a career: * First, these jobs do not normally give you time to continue the sort of research in the field that a tenure-track job at a research institution would, and you need to be okay with that. Research is not considered part of your job and is not directly rewarded. That has benefits and drawbacks. * Second, these jobs are very teaching-heavy. If you don't love teaching, you're not going to love being at a junior college or community college. * Third, if you start out with an attitude about the type of students you're going to encounter in the job, you're likely to be unhappy. These students have to be met where they are and, as does everyone else you encounter, deserve to be treated with respect. I just wanted to be up-front about those aspects of it because my experience with people who earn PhDs is that they often don't earn those degrees because they're excited about teaching.
@@amw6846 a lot of great wisdom here! For sure, if your interest is solely in research, a 2 year is not the way to go. I guess I was one of the weirdos who got a PhD for the purposes of teaching 😂 I can only speak to my experience, but in graduate school, I taught intro classes at an R2 “good not great” research institution, and when I compare their students skills to that of my current two year, I don’t see a lot of difference. This isn’t a critique at all of either student set, but I had tons of invested students at each and a good amount “give me the credits so I can leave” students at each, too.
@ProductionsFromBeyon thanks! I absolutely had great students at the two year college. Math is weird because most places require a certain amount of teaching the courses for students deemed not ready for college-level coursework, and there are a lot of different ways that's handled. Some of those students at the low end are really low. Also, students weren't required to pass ESL benchmarks before taking math courses. That said, the math chops of students who were taking a given course were relatively comparable to those at other institutions. They tended towards more varied backgrounds, which I found made teaching more interesting.
@@RyanCaesar Absolutely what I felt every time I read/listened to anyone talking about 'academia is broken'. It seems to me that most of the grudges would disappear if people stopped fetishizing prestigious US or UK universities and went elsewhere.
Thank you for sharing your story. I found your voice so calming, even if you were talking about triggering topics for me. I am a PhD candidate trying to finish my degree. I fell out of love for academia a while ago and feel like I have lost so much of my precious time in it... I got sick as a result. I have been actively working on side projects that will help me work elsewhere but in research at universities. I think keeping those options up is so important!
Hi Jared. I enjoyed hearing about your career decisions, disappointments, and successes. I am one of your subscribers who is older, not oriented to philosophy, and not a college graduate. My son-in-law has a PhD. He currently teaches a few counseling education classes at a state college branch. Not his dream job and his degrees came with huge debt. As for myself, I am in a life transition due to the death of my spouse 6 months ago. I guess more accurately I am in a life crises as I am trying to heal from trauma and navigate grief. Your videos have given me a lot to consider as I struggle to accept my new realities.
Thanks for introducing me to the writing of Ursula K. LeGuin. I might never have picked up her books if it wasn't for your recommendations. I appreciate your book reviews and journaling content.
hey jared, recent philosophy phd here (also with a relatively new kid, also married to a philosopher!). a lot of what you said really resonated with me, especially as someone on the job market with philosophy of logic as an AOS, desperately trying to avoid falling into an adjunct pit. i too have been thinking about making philosophy content on YT as a way of staying involved in some way with my passion independently of my job prospects in academia. maybe i’ll pass along all my good video ideas to you so they’ll see the light of day since i doubt YT is really in the cards for me
I think it a good idea for any degree that you do, that you think of various ways it can translate into other jobs apart from academia. You may get the same satisfaction out of your subject in ways you have never thought of.
I’m a grad student in psychology with a focus on language, specific to abnormalities arising whilst in psychosis-tangentially related. Just want to say: I appreciate your content and especially this video.
As a highly curious and inquisitive person with a degree in neuropsychology working at an HR department, I can tooootaly relate to all of the points you mentioned! Especially about missing the engaging discussions in topics everyone is passionate about and actively contributes to! That is a tough one to cover after leaving the academic setting to pursue a stable life.
I'm a 30 year old philosophy undergrad with the goal of a PhD in the future. I fell in love with philosophy in my mid 20s. Nothing satisfies me quite like philosophy so I decided to study it academically. I love your content and would love more in depth content!
Thanks for this video, Jared. I usually never comment on RUclips, but this topic hits close to home, as it’s something I’ve grappled with personally for a while. I’m also a Texan (who recently attended a conference at Austin!); I recently graduated with my degree in philosophy and a minor in chemistry, and I happened to get accepted to a master’s program in philosophy in the UK, which I’m incredibly grateful for. I’ve always wanted (and still to some extent want) to obtain a PhD. My academic moves so far have been geared toward that: conferences, a published paper, etc., but I’ve always been skeptical and weary of doing so for the reasons you mentioned. As much as the rhetoric from my family annoys me, partly as a consequence of my youth (“you have to earn a ‘living’ somehow!”), deep down I know it’s largely correct. Luckily, because of a scholarship, I don’t have any student debt from my undergraduate degree. So funding any future endeavors in grad school would be slightly easier. Still, it pains me to see how the pursuit of knowledge has been barred from those who want it the most. I’ve always wanted to do research in academia, but over time I’ve realized how exceedingly hard it is to do so in comfort and security. Thanks for opening me up to what else is out there. PhD or not, I’ll keep your experiences in mind.
I imagine I am in a minority here, but I'd love for you to do some beginner/intermediate level philosophy of language videos, which include the history of the subject and why it is of interest. I've heard some people say that metaphysics is "jibberish" because of the philosophy of language (particularly the work of wittgenstein?) and I'd be interested in finding out if that is the case or not.
So glad the algorithm recommended this video to me. Jared I too had an extremely similar story to yours (albeit in the UK). And I even made a channel for the same reasons. I don’t regret my decision either. I am so glad to hear that I am not alone! I will watch more of your videos and subscribe. Congratulations on the success of your channel!
Oh wow! Thank you for this. I am a PhD historian dealing with the same exact thing. Have decided to develop my own genealogy business to stay out of academia. Hope things may change though. Nice to know we are not alone. And yes, I do greave.
Coming from robotics and 15 years in european academia: enjoying the PhD itself and not expecting any particular outcome post-PhD (do not expect respect, jobs, money, etc) are my main pieces of advice. This echoes what you recommend in the video too.
I just want to say how much I appreciated watching this video. I have a PhD in English and work as an adjunct at three different colleges. I don't regret my time as a graduate student (and I second what Jared says about the importance of actually liking the experience and NOT going into debt in the process), but I do have to admit that I am rather dissatisfied in my current role in life (for me, grading a lot of student papers is the worst). (Knowing what I know now, I'm not sure I would have tried to get a PhD in English although it was a very happy time in my life during that process.) I am glad that you were able to find a way of life that works well for you and your family. For several years, I did work in a non-academic job (while also teaching night classes), but it was in the housing industry (low level structural design of roof trusses) and that business went under during the housing market collapse in 2008. In regards to your plans for future videos: do whatever you like. I like your content a lot and have watched many of your videos. Just from my own perspective, though, I tend to avoid videos that are longer than about 30 minutes. It's too much of a time investment for me. I like watching a variety of different content, and if it's more than about 30 minutes that uses up too much of the limited time I have to watch. It could just also be my diminished attention span that can't take much longer than that, and I start to lose interest quickly. Anyways, again, thank you for the personable nature of this particular video. Whenever we can share our stories with one another, good things usually result.
These are the same problems that we face here in the Eastern hemisphere. I am from India and let me assure you that getting into academia and staying there is close to impossible. Plus getting a P.hd will send you into an existential crisis
One thing I can take away from this video is that neoliberalism is hurting academia, especially the humanities Btw, I’d love to watch more intense philosophy of language content🙌🏻
I'm living overseas now as I'm retired, and on a fixed income. Good you chose Austin as a home!! I had lived there for 20 years, and it is a wonderful place. And, yes, there are many academics working in all areas in Austin. They didn't want to leave Austin after graduating from UT! I was a high school science teacher there, and most of the teachers I worked with had advanced degrees and/or were musicians or artists. Great people. I miss it. Good luck to you!
Academia died in the 1970s. There is a great interview with Dr Thomas Sowell on Firing Line in 1981 or 82 where he talks about how he was driven out of it for not holding the same views as the majority of the professors and trying to teach what they deemed to be dangerous ideas known as the truth shown via actual studies of the subjects that did not lead to results that matched what people wanted to hear. It was not just 1 college, but several he was pushed out of. We are talking major colleges like Rutgers, Cornell, UCLA and Howard...yes, all 4 before the 1980s. This has happened to MANY since then but since most of them were labeled as "conservative" people were fine with it. This created the echo-chamber that has existed and allowed the spiraling out of control unchallenged views held on campus's. This issue has been around for a very long time and most people said nothing because it did not effect them personally and it slowly spread across most fields over the last 40 years. An echo-chamber is literal poison to academia.
I am an assistant professor right now and the tenure clock ticking in my head is more and more exhausting. I always wanted this for my life but I am having second thoughts right now, especially because the tenure is not really tenure anymore after the 5 year reviews got implemented...
Just randomly caught this video, love it. I'm a retired academic, did math logic in the 70s, wrote a decent-but-not-earth-shattering thesis, spent 6 years doing post-docs and instructorships, and finally got onto the tenure ladder at a Midwest Jesuit university. Several times I thought of chucking the academic grind, but couldn't imagine the alternatives. I made it through to retirement, praise be, with my passion for research more or less intact. One of my hobbies, now that I can be a grad student again, is pondering how adjectives work in natural language. Looking forward to more of your content!
If you forced upon yourself and/or are willing to teach at a university for 45 years as an adjunct for a minimal wage, sorry, it's your fault that you let yourself being exploited.
@@updreams6892 If you have a PhD in the US, two things are obvious: 1) You belong to a privileged group of people who could afford to do so. In your country, you need to pay for PhD and that amount is ginourmous compared to any other country (say my own, Czech Republic). 2) You belong to a broader cognitive elite of your country (circa 120+ IQ). That means that you have the ability to do any job you want. Also the PhD skills like research, writing, presenting, speaking are transferrable to any other job. That means: if you work for 45 years in academia, and you are unhappy due to the minimal wage. It is your choice, you are a victim of your own fear, complacency, and frankly economic stupidity.
@@JakubFerenc1911 People usally stay in academia because of passion, not economic ignorance. If you passion is money, sure, academia is a bad choice, but not everyone is like that. Some poeple just want to seek knowledge out of passion, without having to worry about making ends meet. Underpayed academics, who lay down the fundamentals for technological advancement are victims in my book.
I would love some kind of lecture series or book club discussion. As an adult not in college I’d love a more in depth study on some of the works that you’ve recommended
Great summary. I'm 5 years into an academic career and hanging on. I think the "letting go of the life you dreamed of living" part is my biggest challenge.
Well done, Jason, a very balanced, fair-minded and accurate overview of the situation facing aspiriing academics, particularly in the Humanities. I am an Emeritus with a daughter heading to grad school in English in the Fall. I am pleased of course but concerned about the state of the profession, which is as important to civil society as it ever was, perhaps more.
Just wanted to say thanks for this video. My experience getting an English master's degree (with a minor in classics) and then subsequently abandoning my Doctoral degree before I even started sounds somewhat similar to your experience here. Getting that MA degree was both the proudest day of my life and one of the saddest for, as you said, I was "grieving for the lift I lost", but the thought of spending another 5-8 years at one of those "good" state schools in the middle of nowhere Illinois and making 13K a year doing so didn't sound like a great idea. Now, nearly 10 years after getting my MA, I've been adjuncting at several community colleges in the Chicagoland area and, despite the absolute trash income, adore my job. One thing to note about adjunct courses: most schools (at least from my experience) will allow the adjunct instructor to teach whatever they want, so even though I'm teaching developmental reading and writing courses alongside the standard composition courses, I'm teaching stories that I love. The other good factor is that adjuncting allows me to explore my other hobbies. If I want to spend time going on a mini tour with my band, I can just request fewer classes in a given semester and/or teach online courses and go tour/travel. The freedom and flexibility certainly has its positives here. There's definitely a push/pull with this lifestyle here, and obviously the full-time tenure-track position is the goal (which, with my experience, isn't too far out of the reach), but I'm pretty content with how everything has planned out. The vast majority of my friends who have degrees in the liberal arts and humanities don't even use their degrees in their careers. I'm thankful that I get to use mine while also making an influence on the lives of students makes it worth it to me.
Thanks for being open and vulnerable. It's very refreshing to see. I'd love to hear, in the future, you discuss philosophy around education or learning.
I stumbled across your channel searching for videos about books and ideas. And I'm a fan. I am in academia, and have gone through some of the challenges you described, and have had nearly identical conversations with my own students. Thanks so much for your candor and for your spot-on observations. I look forward to what comes next with your channel.
Dang, really relating to your journey. I'm currently transitioning out of a career path I though I'd do for the rest of my life. I truly think this new path I'm on will be better for me, but I also have this voice in the back of my head saying it was a decision based in fear. As for video ideas for the channel, I'm currently watching and enjoying John Vervaeke's 'Awakening From the Meaning Crisis' and I would love getting content like that but with your unique perspective and voice
I would love for you to do some videos (playlist) on the language/words that affect how or why we fall in love, feel for someone, grieve for someone, become friends with someone, etc. I feel that one of the reasons why I consistently failed in the conjugal container or cupboard was because my partners would clamp up in the heat of passion, whereas I wanted to hear them speak! I wanted to hear them express their thoughts so that I would be able to feel closer to them. Just as you allow us access to your mind and heart with your words. I once asked one of my partners to speak to me during you-know-what and I wish I did too. She said, 'What do you want me to talk about or say?' I said, 'Everything and nothing and visa versa'. She recited the nine times tables because it was the only table she could remember! We broke up three weeks later! She took my goldfish Tish and Tosh, but left my dog Boo. I loved that dog! I just believe that language and words have such power over us for good and for ill, but I would like you to explain or discuss why this is the case. I also believe that the main reason why your videos are so entertaining and enlightening is because you open up your mind and heart to us with words, not animated visuals or gimmicks. You are a word wizard! Thank you!
Philosophy teacher (adjunct)/admin here, currently in the struggle. Thanks for making this video. Its like an ASMR for my continual occupational existential crisis.
I just graduated with my master's, and I am getting ready to apply to universities for a Ph.D. You are providing very good information here. Thank you.
Dr Henderson: my answer to your question about what to do with the channel. I would love to hear you talk about one or a few ideas at a time that are philosophical but also have a foot in one of the narrower disciplines, e.g., ideas about philosophy & creole aspect of languages, philosophy & species concepts, philosophy & self-organization, etc. I'm thinking of videos that are fun and easy to understand but that are not dumbed down so much as slowed down and made less formal than a review would be in a scholarly text. It would be hard work to pull this off even 10 times a year, but we need more of this and you're someone who seems to be able to popularize at the level of a good student taking a general education class. You could bring philosophical research to the people.
When I was in the high school, our philosophy teacher made us go out and talk to people in cafes and on the street about some philosophical theories, let’s say stoics, and we discussed with various people how does that translate into our current life. It was very interesting and crowds would gather to listen and contribute. People love philosophy when it’s not presented as a huffy puffy realm of the academics alone.
As someone who quit a PhD program 1.5 years in because of my concerns over not getting a job and being stuck on adjunct purgatory, I’m so grateful for this video. I think speaking about this is the only way to ensure that people can make informed decisions about going into academia. I experienced a lot of secret keeping, denial, and shutting down of concerns from faculty in my program when I voiced concerns over the academic job market. Thank you for this!
as i grow older i get more interested in learning at least an introductory level of the philosophy of (e.g., language, music, science, etc.).. thank you jared for all you do. society these days needs more wisdom and you among others help expose a lot more people (laymen) to the world of ideas, to think deeply, slowly..
This is truly a superb video; thank you for sharing it. In high school, I was deeply passionate about philosophy and academia, but ultimately pursued a career in Medicine. However, the ideas discussed in this video resonated with me, even then. Despite hailing from a poor country, the path I took seemed to align perfectly with my aspirations. Now, I find myself studying linguistics in Europe after leaving Medicine behind. Reflecting on this journey, I'm unsure whether to attribute it to freedom, determinism, or destiny. Perhaps it's a blend of all three. Regardless, I'm grateful for the opportunities and experiences that have shaped my path.
Jared, I don't have any formal training in Philosophy. Your channel was one of the first that got the ball rolling for me, so thank you. I think in depth philosophy content would be great. Personally, I would enjoy getting a comprehensive understanding of the arguments of philosophers that shaped the course of history. Their ideas make up the symbolic world we live in, and that's amazing!
UNLV issues Las Vegas residents library cards on request and lets them check out books, etc. In 2012 residents with a library card had full access to their online holdings too, but several years ago they reduced that to a single terminal that only offers partial access (this is for the general public, so there is no log-in). I've found interlibrary loan through the public library (Las Vegas-Clark County) to be the most useful resource of all.
I'm someone who also makes tons of random youtube videos without one clear niche (granted not like i have any audience or following at all, just in general I make videos that don't ever get seen just for the fun of it) and I think my best advice is to make short videos about everything and then longer videos when people say they want them. I realized a while ago that sometimes I have some idea I want to talk about, but then I get it all out in like 5 minutes and I can move on, but other ideas are longer. I graduated from undergrad last december and never had any desire to go further, but I'm really happy to see videos like this confirming that going further would not have helped me.
I commend your decision for a more secure livelihood. An idea for your channel would be to stream panel discussions with other philosophers about a particular topic. It might give you miss from academia and giving the audience insight into those robust conversations.
I got my criminology PhD in Greece. Although it was free (I got it in a Public high prestige university) i had to deliver lectures also for free in order to gain the requested academic experience. After my PhD defence I tried to get involved in academia but the positions are so rare that it is practically impossible to get a position not only in Greece but in almost all EU. What i managed to do was to get involved in a research institute. There i can publish my research books and articles and have some extra income from the sells. It doesn't pay the bills (I have a regular job to support my family) but at least i can do what i love (research) and get published. Just an alternative idea.
Being an older person who didn't get into philosophy when I was young, videos by those who have thoroughly read philosophers helps to make them more accessible to me when I dive in. Jared, you are easy to listen to and I have just subscribed. Would love to hear more long form philosophy content whenever you can produce it!
Great video. "Don't get into debt" but I would also add that in that first half of life do not be defined by your degree, your early decisions, or the paths only open to you eventually. I am 51 years old, and half-way through a mid-life PhD. Watching videos like this reminds me so much of the splintered path and necessary compromise or readjustment as plans hit reality of the road ahead. My retrospective view is that I was lucky to fluff my lines in my first degree. Lucky too that I stayed curious and a forever life learner. Lucky to have found good people in my life, and goodness in the world. Luckiest of all, I hit an existential crisis in mid-life which forced me to recalibrate once again. Philosophy per se. only knocked on my door when I thought my angst had closed my last gate around me. "Don't get into debt" has different meaning to me now. I borrowed plenty from my future, but there was I think investment in that path too. I did not quite get the grades to go immediately to an MSc or a PhD. Instead I found myself in commercial insurance, finance, and risk management. Twenty-five years later I am still not rich, or financially independent, but I do have some foundations more than I ever could have built living within academia. I assumed my mind would be rotting away by now, because I believed the myth of the young-brain being more capable of learning than the old. It is now well known that the brain is just as capable of learning in ones 50s as it is in ones twenties. The brain remains plastic. In addition the pre-frontal cortex is only fully developed by age 25. Life in academia, or merely being occasionally academic, is not over just because one is forced onto a different path to that societal norm. There is no one path, and nothing is defined. As Heidegger would perhaps suggest there is only possibility as we are thrown back into the everyday whilst always-already being in that world and projecting ourselves forward best we can. In my opinion we cannot help but be in our own debt to ourselves. However, that is contextually relatable only to what one deems significant and framed by what we individually deem life to be about. That is rarely known early in one's life. Indeed, I suspect most live life without ever finding that purpose. However, if we can individually find a platform of stability in life - only eventually, and by whatever that means to us each differently - then we may at some future point find our own way to build. "Don't get into debt", then has different meaning. Don't borrow from tomorrow, but do perpetually invest in keeping open those future doors of possibility.
I ended up with a philosophy degree as my second major (good advice on double majoring in philosophy). After finishing undergrad, I really missed the deep, careful reading and resulting discussions that came along with my philosophy courses. Recently I began reading with The Catherine Project (completely free) and it has brought some of that type of philosophical thought back into my life. It sounded like you might be in a similar boat, so I wanted to pass along the recommendation. In a larger city like Austin, you might be able to find similar programs in person. As academic institutions whither, there is still a deep thirst in the public to engage critically with the systems and theories that underpin our lives. Good luck and congratulations on the expansion to your family!
I have checked all the boxes needed to move into academia. Above and beyond and I am around people who are amazing. While I was working on my Masters in Education, I had so many Professors ask me to come work with them. I had many accolades and I was introduced to many people, who said I would be a wonderful match I was encouraged to pursue my PHD. I decided this summer to take all of my education and background and move into Tech Education. It's been wonderful and I make almost twice as much as I did. I just couldn't do it anymore, after ten years.
Longer stuff would be great! Maybe lives on a topic where you answer questions, like a fireside chat. Maybe tapping the shoulders of other philosophical RUclipsrs or anyone really for discussions, analysis. More book studies would be cool.
Thank you for this video. I've never seen your channel before, nor am I in philosophy myself, but I've recently been put in a situation where being in academia has become untenable for me. A lot of people I've listened to on this topic before approach it with a kind of glib doomerism--"Academia is completely broken! Leave now and you'll never regret it!" which I always found unhelpful, because I--and every academic!--am here because I love the subject I study, and I love teaching it to others. How could I not regret leaving? So I really appreciate you admitting that there are things you miss, and that there was grief for the life you thought you'd have, and that you did have to overcome the feeling of failing, but that it was the right choice anyways. You've given me some hope for my future. Thank you.
This video got me right in the feels. I was an adjunct prof for 5 years, never knowing from one year to the next what I would be teaching or even if I would be hired for the following academic year. There are two issues which really struck me during that time. The first is how hard adjunct profs have to work and the incredible hours required for teaching courses for the first time, and we were assigned to new courses every year (new to us, that is). The second is how bitter and demoralized so many adjunct profs have become because of the issues you mentioned: low job security, no benefits, high level of uncertainty, all the stress with none of the advantages. I found that I loved teaching environmental science and I miss the intellectual challenges that go with university teaching but sadly, being an adjunct prof really is a lousy way to make a living.
I'm a cs student that have always wanted to read philosophy but find it to complex and also was hard to read a whole book of idk 200 pages. this year i wanted to start reading again like when i was a kid and read in a week 3 harry potter books. in this time i found your channel, learning how to read and enjoy it more, getting more out of the books and starting a small background in philosophy, just as a hobby. knowing you left academia shocked me a little but at the same time i understood, because i want to be a professor in my area too. it's awfuly paid where i am from (greetings from Chile!) but is more of a calling than a choice for me, it comes from my heart. still teaching, sort of, in your youtube channel is a wonderful news. kkeping up with that fulfilling feeling. it inspired me a lot and made me think of my future choices: trying to make a living and somehow still teach, give back to my peers an fellow coleagues. an equilibrium is hard but hard work (smart work, actually) makes it possible. your video gave me the hope to feel its possible. thank you, for your content and for sharing this :)
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Link to your dissertation?
Given the deterioration of academia by the far left, is anyone surprised ? Was the movie 'good will hunting' related to Boston Uni ?
@@Matlockization I read your comment and I think that you are dum as ass. Concatenate for fun!!
because you didnt want to lie so that americans who caused the most harm in the world woul dcontinue to be the best and bigest?
let me help you...genetics studies...completely false.
they are lying through their teeth.
all of them
world wide.
I'm adjunct faculty and it's exhausting and demoralizing. The worst part of the whole thing is I'm good at teaching. I've won awards for my teaching. Students tell me years after we've been in class together that I inspired them. And the university doesn't care. Because teaching isn't valued by the administration. Students will be pay the same amount of tuition regardless. I don't bring in grants. And that's what matters. It's exhausting. I can't pay my rent in teaching awards and kind words.
=(((
That’s so sad. I hope you have an option of continuing to teach in other avenues, especially if teaching lights you up
Please get out
You have to go where you can teach, where you are valued for your teaching. Maybe a prep school or high school would be better b/c no grants are expected, just teaching. I mention prep school cos i imagine it pays higher
I have a friend with a PhD in Philosophy. After a post-doc and several years as a part-time (contract) professor she left to do an MBA degree. It was two years full time, but she ended up in investment banking and today is perfectly happy with the choice.
I was in a PhD program for mathematics, and the first day I was there the Dean of the department told us how incredibly difficult it will be to get a job as a professor when we are done. He said they get literally hundreds of applications whenever they have an opening for 1 tenure track position in the math department, and priority will go to someone with a robust record of publications. I saw a lot of older class mates who were finishing their programs struggle to find work in academia, other than adjunct roles or roles outside of academia. I got the masters degree and left for an industry job. One of the best decisions I've ever made.
Maths Phd is a great degree when looking for a job. Philosophy jobs are pretty rare, look before you leep folks.
Nobody cares if you have autism...I'm not going to cry for people with PH.D's. My dreams have died as many times as i have crossed into the 3.75 spiritual dimension in a single night....calculate that. if you need help with the math consult Heather O'Rourke.
Departments do not have deans. They have chairs or heads.
You made the right decision.
Too many people chasing too few jobs.
I got a PhD in Philosophy of Religion from King's College London. It was (and is) a top program. I had multiple peer reviewed publications, even serving as an assistant editor for a Routledge philosophy handbook. I had a strong beat on a JRF (like a superstar postdoc) lined up at Oxford and was on track to finish my degree on time. Then... a family member got sick. I had to pause my PhD (put in an interruption of studies) in order to take care of and be with this family member through the end of their life (about a year and a half). I came back and finished the PhD, but that was it. I was now damaged goods. I was out of the academia loop. I adjuncted at a community college for a few years, and picked up part time teaching at some graduate schools as well. I was rated very highly as a teacher, but eventually, I just wasn't making enough money to support a family. I left, moving into another area of public service, where I have been incredibly happy. I grieved the loss of my academic life. I also felt like a failure. As I looked back on my choices, I do not regret a single one. I did everything right, but because of life I was kicked aside. I hate that this is how academia is (I was a *good* teacher and *great* researcher), but I don't regret my choices at all.
@treymedley I went to KCL for a graduate degree in philosophy too. My experience there completely dissuaded me from pursuing academia. I did my undergraduate in North America, I loved it, and maybe in another life if I had done a graduate degree state-side I wouldn't have abandoned that career path. Now I work in tech! I'm curious, what area of public service do you work in that you enjoy?
It be brutal out here yo brotherman
Fact is there are WAY more PHD's in the arts than there is any academic use for. But you aren't exactly clear what the loop is.
You sound like a huge success in terms of academia, career, morals, and life. Well done, sir.
You are not damaged goods. You are compassionate, loyal, and dedicated. It is their loss. May you find another way to infuse your life with the good things you remember fondly from academia!
Jared you have 221k and counting subscribers and almost 10m views on your videos. That's 10 million times that people wanted to hear what you had to say, and 221k people that want to make sure they don't miss out your opinion and presentation of interesting material. That's a tremendous succuss by any measure, never consider yourself a failure. There are probably tenured professors all over this country, including the most prestigious schools, that wish they had the reach you have. Looking forward to more of your videos and would love to see some long form philosophy videos.
brilliant observation!
"Grieve for the life they weren't going to live." Perfectly encapsulates my college experience
Welcome 🙂...
Same here. I went in as a physics major and was so quickly disillusioned by academia. It’s not what everyone thinks it is.
I finished my undergrad and never looked back. It was difficult to realize I wouldn’t be living the life I expected, but my life now is far better than my life would have been in academia.
@@isaiahmumaw good luck my friend some of us fight for life
I guess I shared that dream to some extent... though I don' think I had a firm idea of what I wanted to do. I thought some of the professors and grad students lived an elevated life of learning that never stopped. Sort of a monk-like existence but you could still date college girls... Oh well. I guess I didn't miss anything by failing to hang in there after graduation.
@@pcatful by time people will know the truth
Thank you for this video, Jared. Witnessing the corporatization of higher education in the United States -- along with the drastic increase in administrative positions and administrative pay -- has saddened me as an educator. I have heard administrators refer to students as customers, and I have heard students say things like, "I paid for this course, so why can't I have an A?" To me, the decline of higher education has much to do with the fact that profit has replaced learning as the primary reason for its existence. Prioritizing profit is the reason we have a horrifically exploitative system where adjuncts are barely surviving in the hope that they might be one of the lucky few to get a full-time position. Twenty years ago, I would have advised students interested in a career in higher education to go for it. Today, I would not.
Clearly, those people, the student-customers, are not interested in learning, so of course they don't want to pay for teaching. They're paying for the diploma and the prestige of that institution. Unfortunately, the majority of people don't want to learn or work in general and it has been mostly society or government that in the past imposed learning and gave some authority to teachers and professors. Nowadays, many people are willing to teach as adjuncts for almost no pay and universities are not really motivated to pay people more on their own. Let's be honest, how many people look for ways to pay less for products and services?
And with no external authority to impose actual learning, it's up to the market to regulate itself. What we see is that those who want to really learn will pay for it and go to insitutions or individuals that really teach, including an online class or private tutoring, and in time university degrees will become less and less valuabe, with the private sector not making them a requirement in time. For most young adults college has become just a second high school, a way to postpone their teenage years without having to get a job because they get loans and money from their parents.
This comment makes me glad I bucked the advice of people I was studying under in academia 20 years ago and got out because I thought I could intuit what was already happening / on the horizon. It seems my guesses from that time of life were mostly correct. But I wish it were different.
On the other hand, just because you are interesed in researching or even purely learning something doesn't mean anyone should pay you for doing it. I don't see any problem with wanting something in return. So what are your contributions to society? Why should society pay you for doing what you do? You're not just asking for attention. You're asking for a salary, for money, which has to come from somewhere. So all that "corporatization" can't be that bad.
Interesting. It always irks me when I hear medical doctors and psychotherapists referring to their patients as clients. It’s about the same as customers. The appropriate language needs to be applied or those professionals should be referred to as traders.
@@SculptExpress-gv8jp Well, they are clients. Unless they pay, they cannot benefit from their service.
Long form philosophy videos by someone with a philosophy degree would be great
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You might be interested in this podcast hosted by Peter Adamson, called "History of Philosophy, Without any Gaps", which are long-form, comprehensive, and very clear scholarship. It's still stuck in the classics, of course, so not the place for 20th century thought at the moment, but I'm a fan.
@@Eta_Carinae__ Thanks for suggestion
@@Eta_Carinae__ I found it a year or two ago and have been listening to it off and on. Every once in a while I look ahead to see where he's at... man he was not kidding when he said "without any gaps"
@@Eta_Carinae__ I am unable to find it on RUclips (atleast not in single playlist) can you suggest where i can get in a more feasible way?
My undergrad was in Latin and Ancient Greek language and literature, and I was admitted to a highly ranked PhD program to work with a specific scholar on Roman comedy, but at the last minute I decided not to go, for many of the same reasons you describe here. Classics departments are being shuttered left and right (or merged with philosophy or religion departments!), and I would have been signing up for a life of instability (with little control over where I would live) and relative financial precarity. I also dreaded the idea of ruining my love of Latin literature by entering into a dysfunctional relationship with academia.
That was about 15 years ago, and it has proven to be the right decision for me. Unfortunately, several of my old colleagues are now out of work, and many of them are burned out or disillusioned.
I still read and translate Latin, but I do it out of fascination and passion, not because I'm desperately racing to stay relevant or pump up my publication list. My career thus far has been varied (and weird!) and interesting, and I have had amazing experiences I never would have had in academia.
I have a feeling that you too will look back in 10 or 15 years and be glad you made the choice you did. Among other things, you're bringing philosophy to more people as a youtuber than you ever could as a professor at a university.
Great move. Classics is a dead discipline. I have two friends whose departments were closed due to a lack of students. That was as tenured professors. Both ended up being moved to other employment by their universities. But both hate what they teach and the type of research they do. But they feel stuck since it is hard to move to another Classics department.
I know another Classics PhD who eventually went to law school and is happy as a lawyer. But that involved more student debt in getting the JD degree. Plus she was in her 30s before writing the bar. All of this cost her the opportunity for marriage and children.
So what did you move on to when you didn't take the academic path?
@@peke1822 I work in sales and marketing. The transition was not easy, but it is a lot less stress since the job is consistent and I am not worried about getting work contracts renewed.
@@peke1822 I went to law school, worked in contract and tax law, then later left to work in the publishing industry. A couple years later, I opened my own business. I now also serve on the board of directors for a non-profit that provides adult education to new immigrants and low-income people (GEDs, ESL, that sort of thing).
I got my PhD in Latin and ancient Greek in 2012 from a university with a new PhD. Luckily, I was fully funded through the MA and PhD. I didn’t get a one year position coming out and pivoted to secondary education. It was the best thing that could have happened to me. I teach Latin at a private high school on the East Coast and have a better quality of life than I would’ve ever had in academia. I likely would have been an adjunct for years.
I took a very similar path man. I was particularly touched by the part where you talk about grieving for the life you're not going to live, and not having people around to talk to about the things that interest you intellectually. Great video, and thank you for sharing.
I got my undergraduate degree in Philosophy and I'm now the head of cyber security architecture for one of the top 15 financial institutions in North America. I am 100% positive that my degree directly contributed to my entry into Cyber Security in addition to the successes I've had throughout my career. While it may not be obvious, what I learned in pursuit of degree (topics like logic, argumentation, and ethical reasoning) have served me extremely well over the decades. I would certainly be an advocate for the notion that a degree in philosophy can be rewarding outside the world of academia.
Wow. You should be proud of yourself. I'm thinking of doing my phd, but now I think I might change my mind 😂
For my undergrad, I did a dual major: music and philosophy. I had considered grad school and philosophy and law school. However, now I do technology consulting focused on cloud computing and data engineering. I think that a music degree: especially music theory and composition has very similar underlying thought processes to technology work.
I don’t know if this is sarcasm or a real story (not an English speaker).
Haha I need to talk to you. I studied political philosophy went into tech marketing and I’m now trying to transition to cybersecurity.
Studying Kant never helped me setting up my firewall correctly.
You spoke things I have felt and thought so much. I did my PhD in English Literature and grieved when it became apparent that an academic career would never materialise. I also miss conferences and research, and just having conversations with fellow researchers. I have just decided to start my own RUclips channel, which I how I found yours. Thank you for voicing what I have experienced. It’s the first time I have heard anyone else’s experience. Keep up the great work, love your channel!
This comment lead me to your channel and wow. You have earned another subscriber. I hope you find a better place here on RUclips than you did in academia. You certainly have a place here I think 💙
@@TiNBoY63 Thank you so much! Your comment made my day.
Yes, absolutely. This is a sort of disenfranchised grief, and in my experience, you can expect little - if any - understanding from people outside academia. Fortunately, it's gradually become less of a taboo subject in academia itself. And there's a sort of "leaving academia" scene with honest and substantial discussions (like this video), which did not exist when I left years ago. I also miss conferences, research, conversations, and just being part of a larger, international community working on topics they're passionate about and consider important. It's really hard to realize that won't, and can't be your life, that you've already been privileged to experience this on a temporary basis, and then leave and take it from there. In my experience, it certainly has a sobering effect on your identity and approach to life in general. And that's probably a good thing.
You're not missing anything. Academia is a masturbatory racket.
i think one of the factors contributing to this is that now that getting a degree has become the “default” path for most people, it has turned most universities into “degree factories” instead of places that really value education
everything has to be vocational, it all has to contribute to your ability to get a job or else it’s considered a naive endeavour. they are hyper focused on “hard skills” because that’s what you can put on a resume. i’m a political science major and my resume is mostly “i know how to work with quantitative data and do long form technical writing” - despite me thinking by far the most valuable skill i learned being understanding institutional logic and the workings of major projects. those, however, are nebulous and may not have immediately apparent use value.
it creates this death spiral where students are there cause they think they need it to live, profs are only there to chattel students through the program, and administrators boom because those are the people that make the higher ups feel important.
I want to see a video on the scam and racket of academic journals. Super interesting. This is one of my favorite channels right now and I’d love to see more long form philosophy content
RUclips is full of those. Just put your request into the search bar and you'll find them.
I'm working on my first publication right now, and when my PI told me that a specific journal in my field cost $10,000 to publish in, I was shook.
No way, academia is corrupt? Imagine a 'school' (should be public) that charges tens of thousands is in a ponzi scam?
Hey man im 32, studied chemical engineering at a big 10 state school. Got a chance to take an ancient greek philosophy class and it changed my life. I love love LOVE Plato and would love to see more videos about some of your favorite dialogues. Keep up the good work.
My father, with a doctorate in civil engineering from a prestigious university and a post-doc in marketing (!) went into the private sector in the late 90s. He published far more, at an astounding rate, after he left academia. His prestige became such that he was able to pick his own academic job a few years later.
I'm a huge fan of alternative/parallel academies. Glad I found your channel.
But academic life was very different like even 15 years ago than it is now, even more different during the 90's
@@peke1822 more competitive now you mean? I would guess.
@@peke1822 The foundational principle is still the same: publish or perish. It does not matter how or where you do it, and if you can make more money in the private sector, even better. What's competitive is to do it in the preset way of looking for a tenure-track job first. If you find an alternate path that is not saturated, you don't have the same stressors, obstacles, and competition.
@@quietudreparadora Publish or perish indeed. When the historians of posterity, if there is any posterity at the rate we're going, try to make sense of the past they will look back at late-capitalism western academia as the true engine of modern society's self-destruction. It seems like it's reaching a breaking point, what with the replication crisis rampant, even in the hard sciences, and every Tom Dick and Harry on the block getting their PhDs in.... whatever. Philosophy in this case. And of course no academic jobs for the boys left that aren't monopolized by what appears now to be a fully gamed academic employment prestige pyramid. And the universities just keep pumping out these random suburban schlubs who we're now supposed to regard as serious scholars, no matter the skyrocketing tuition, and no surprise American society not to mention the biosphere itself, appears to be collapsing under the weight of it all. And all because of the deathly shame of ever being reduced to the despised peasant underclass of real work. And I would definitely say RUclips is pretty much totally saturated with philosophy channels as well.
The university system needs to go. It never needed to be open to the general public. People would be so much happier....
Great video, Jared. I left philosophy in 1997 for much the same reasons you left, though I had the additional consideration that my dissertation was going nowhere. And twenty-seven years down the road, I still miss the things you miss: the seminars, the symposia, and just the community of people engaged with ideas.
Yep. I miss the relationships I had through academia. Going to conferences to see old friends. The flex time you don't get in real jobs. But I don't miss the BS.
"I still miss the things you miss: the seminars, the symposia, and just the community of people engaged with ideas."
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Yes, I understand what you're saying. However, surrounding yourself only with people with similar interests creates a sheltered, cloistered kind of life. After I left my PhD program, I was forced through various jobs to interact with all kinds of people. And those years of interaction gave me valuable real-world knowledge and perspective, something one doesn't get living in the proverbial ivory tower.
fascinating story for me who knows nothing about academia. I run a plant nursery and read books. Best wishes on continuing to do what you love.
There are many paths through life, and it sounds like you have chosen a nice one.
A plant nursery sounds very lovely, I’ve never even heard of that before.
Sounds like you have a great life! I salute you! I worked for the usual number of years, mostly as a high school teacher, which is brutal! I managed to get old enough to retire and changed my life to embrace my two favorite things: plants and books. I have a large, varied garden to spend time in, and am a member of several serious reading groups. Life is good!
Your life sounds amazing 👍
Man I want a life like you someday
I backed out of academia when I was working on my Ph.D. dissertation in philosophy, and, yes, I definitely went through that grieving period, and still go through it at times, about the life I wouldn't be able to live. However, I backed out because I met my wife and started having a family, and I just couldn't dedicate the time needed to do the research and hold down a full-time job to support my family, so I do not consider that a bad thing. I got into philosophy in undergrad (I changed from a business major) because I loved it and I loved seeking the truth; philosophy changed my life and my world view. Even outside of institutionalized sophism, I am still able to read, discuss, and seek out the truth, as my humanity was not revoked with my enrollment in my program. Even if my day-to-day job is not at a college every day I continue to live a life of a philosopher and seek to understand myself in/and the world. Whether I have a Ph.D. or not, the joy I get from having meaningful conversations with others is not lessened or magnified by it, only my opportunities to be put in those situations to have those conversations.
@@Notmyname979 I am a manager at a software company.
@@Notmyname979 After grad school I took a lower level position at a company doing analyst work and did well, so I got promoted to a management position. I was then able to make a move into another company to a non-management analyst position, where I excelled and worked my way up the corporate ladder into another management role. In business, a lot of times, it isn't what degree you have, it is the traits you have (e.g., being thoughtful, analytical, eye for detail, good communication, etc.). Philosophy helps develop a lot of those desirable skills, which really allows a philosophy student to in excel various industries one wouldn't normally think of.
I love philosophy but would never dream about majority in philosophy or any liberal arts before I come from poverty and job was a big consideration when I went to college .So I went into engineering. I keep on reading philosophy especially the stoics and existentialists. Lucky I speak good French and i am able to read originals of Pascal , Rousseau, Voltaire, Sartre, Camus, Hugo etc. I also read French translations of Russian and german philosophers especially Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chestov, Nietzche and Schopenhauer.
Love these types of videos, its really interesting to hear an honest perspective with no bs. Glad you chose RUclips!
My advice: post the type of content you’re genuinely interested in. I most appreciate how candid you are in these videos because it’s stuff you honestly care about. The philosophy of language sounds like a great place to start. I wouldn’t overthink your “vision” for the channel or else it will turn into a schtick that you probably won’t enjoy doing anymore.
I totally agree
Agree! I always love when RUclipsrs I follow post on random topics that actually come from the heart, as opposed to sticking to a "brand"
I also want to hear more about Philosophy of Language. As someone who love languages I just heard this term today here and I'm more interested to learn about it. Might do a little amaturish research on it
Very relatable. I have a PhD in anthropology and was enrolled in a prestigious programme in Europe. The state of universities over here is similar to the US. Just instead of being forced to move to a different city, we're forced to move to different countries in the Post-Doc treadmill. I'm glad you found something that fulfills your intellectual muscle. I also left academia about 2 years ago and am still going through the grieving stages, but happy about the decision.
I bailed 30 years ago when some of the trends you discuss were already underway. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. Nice to hear the issues explored by someone vastly more articulate than I am. Cheers!
Thanks for the honest video!
It really resonates with my personal experience of getting a PhD
I wish you all the best!
This was the case ten years ago too. I loved university, but even in undergrad I was seeing the writing on the wall with how my younger professors were being treated and never really considered going for a PhD. It isn’t the job it used to be sixty years ago.
Checks out. I spent several years as a postdoc adjunct. Love many things about the life, but have been happier since stepping off the track. English PhD, 18th/19th c, now a software dev. The underlying skill set isn’t so different. I miss teaching the most. Thanks for sharing your story!!
Sort of the same here. Got out of grad school a little sooner than you (after M.A. before PhD), found my way into tech in the nineties. Had several years of very stressful but extremely lucrative work. I put myself permanently ahead, at least financially (but other ways too), with my decision to leave academia.
I did a PhD at Cambridge, England, then postdocs in London and Montreal. I had a horrible experience in Montreal, and left academia. I was lucky. Academia is a mugs game unless you are incredibly gifted, have powerful friends, a lot of luck or all three. Most people can’t get a job in university research, there are hundreds of applications for each job. Don’t waste your life, don’t even do a PhD. Get a real job, with a proper salary, then get a house, learn skills, progress and enjoy life with less stress, no moving city every few years and continuous insecurity. Or spend a couple of years doing a job for fun in a foreign country, seeing the world, learning a second language, developing character.
Jared, thank you for sharing this post. You experience echoes mine; I left academia after completing my doctorate in philosophy of religion in London around 25 years ago, for similar reasons to the ones you describe. I can attest to the grieving process; when asked whether I miss it, I tend to say, only every hour or so, which is only partly a joke. Looking through the comments it's clear there is no shortage of people who share this experience or something like it.
What you are doing, and I hope will do more, is building an online community of people who can continue to explore philosophy outside the academy, which is very valuable. I've continued to study since leaving, though not to write; I am beginning to change that now, and to develop the scope of a research project, as I'm coming to think that the study of philosophy will be more rewarding for me when directed to an end - that is, when I have a particular research project in mind. (Though, that may or may not require actual writing.)
I wonder whether the internet/social media is a platform for something going beyond simply a community of people with this shared interest - to enable them to *collaborate* actively in philosophy (or in any discipline) in a way analogous to the academic setting - rebuilding the academy outside the academy, as it were, with a slightly more open nature and set of conventions, without compromising academic and intellectual standards in so doing. Do you have any thoughts about that and how it might work?
Exactly what I am thinking while watching this video.
Thank you for this video, Jared, and for your other work as well. I hope you keep the channel going!
I'm a PhD "affiliate" faculty, nearing the end of my teaching career. For me, not having to attend meetings was a bonus, helping to make up for a substantially lower salary than my tenured colleagues. It also helps that I've had a life outside of academia as well. But when a student asks me about whether they should do graduate work in philosophy, I always ask them, to begin, "Have you had a recent mental health examination?" 🙂
Your channel has been a gift. I became interested in philosophy at age 45, after 16 years of teaching community college English. I love my job, but I suddenly wanted to learn about the voices that inspired and shape many of the voices and ideas I appreciate. Your channel has been a great resource and encouragement as I began my self-study. Keep up the good work. Many of us are taking notes. And blessings to your family in your move.
Jared, this is a phenomenal video. I'm nearly done with my BA in history, and I also had dreams of working in the academy. I've slowly come to realize that I don't think I'm cut out for it, plus the chances of success in that field are so dismal. It's been a very bitter pill to swallow, and honestly kind of depressing. So i'm looking into other things I could do with this degree. Thank you for your advice and honesty.
Start a history RUclips channel
Look into nonprofit, especially grant writing.
Interesting! I am doing a history phd in Sweden and I believe the situation isn't quite as dire here. All phd programs are fully funded so working conditions are much better overall. But my (honest) advice would be to only do a phd if it's the only thing you're good at that can give you an income, hehe.
😂
Jared, Appreciate your transparency about your education & experiences. In the early 80's when I was college, I discovered the downside of the academic life as well. I had a couple of close friends-one a Professor of Latin & the other Religious Studies-- their lives were always uncertain and it was difficult for them financially with 2 young children. They strongly advised me against the academic life, which I took to heart and pursued a different path.
Long form videos on Philosophy would be excellent. I enjoy the intersection of literature and art with Philosophy. In addition, History of Philosophy as well.
i was literally journaling while watching the video because i saw your journaling videos 7-8 months ago. i honestly want more of that stuff
Wow, a great video that many people (students, faculty, and admin, politicians etc.) should all hear. So many great points made not just about academia but also student loans, the motive to work hard as an undergraduate, and hiring in general. But I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised since it’s coming from a philosopher.
I found that my reasons were very similar when leaving the university (mathematics). But you can always do what you love even if it’s not your official job. I still research math and that’s the real reason we started academia in the first place: for the joy of it as a hobby.
Absolutely go more in depth on philosophy topics. The more philosophy available for free on the internet the better because like you said the racket keeps people away from knowledge.
Hey man, I appreciate the video, it was interesting to hear your reasoning. I work as a professional in public libraries, and the bit you mentioned about certain departments facing budget cuts, lay-offs, and only hiring part-time and contractual staff really hit home for me. Lots of parallels there, unfortunately. I’m glad that you found a way out of your situation. Thanks for the great content you put out, regardless of its frequency
I am almost an associate professor in Sweden (it will be in autumn), I can say that in Europe universities are in crisis too...but here in the nordics, despites highs and low the situation is not so bad. (Ok not perfect...but I cannot complain). About PhD...here in Europe we got paid. Here in Sweden I had 2500 euros (netto) per month. This allowed to me to have a "normal" life. Plus books and travels expenses.
Yeah, this is very specific to the Nordics I think but not the case for the UK, Germany or France. I know a lot of people who moved to Sweden or Finland because you guys still have jobs and something like security when you're in the humanities or social sciences.
Definitely not "Europe". I am pretty sure it is not the case in the majority of European countries. For instance, my stipend < 500eur (~70% of the minimum wage).
Finishing up my first year as a tenure track professor at a junior college. Honestly love it, introduction classes are fun if you make them fun, I think more PhDs should take this sector seriously. (Not for nothing, but the pay is also not bad at all - even better than some liberal arts).
PS my college is two hours from Austin, if you ever wanted to be a guest speaker!
I came here to say something similar (I am at a small private university, also about 2 hrs. from Austin!). There are something like 3000 schools in the nation, so many people just focus on those 100 or so "big" schools as the only option. My school is smaller than many high schools. Getting tenure was basically a breeze (love teaching and don't be a jerk) and there is none of the "publish or perish" mindset. It's a pretty great option. Our applicant pools have shrunk since covid. In all fields we are seeing around 10 applicants for searches, a couple of those aren't really qualified, so it's not as nearly as competitive as it once was. Still, I get that its not for everyone and I'm glad there are non academic options out there across the disciplines.
As a PhD in math who worked at a two year college for about a decade, I agree both with the assertion that teaching the intro classes can be fun and that more PhDs should take the sector seriously. I found it to be an interesting and challenging job not so much because the math was difficult but because the task of helping students connect with the material and open doors to a different future for themselves required flexibility, depth of subject knowledge, and close attention. I have also taught intro classes at large institutions and that was NOT fun for me, so...mileage can vary on that depending on your environment.
Things I think need to be considered before embarking on such a career:
* First, these jobs do not normally give you time to continue the sort of research in the field that a tenure-track job at a research institution would, and you need to be okay with that. Research is not considered part of your job and is not directly rewarded. That has benefits and drawbacks.
* Second, these jobs are very teaching-heavy. If you don't love teaching, you're not going to love being at a junior college or community college.
* Third, if you start out with an attitude about the type of students you're going to encounter in the job, you're likely to be unhappy. These students have to be met where they are and, as does everyone else you encounter, deserve to be treated with respect.
I just wanted to be up-front about those aspects of it because my experience with people who earn PhDs is that they often don't earn those degrees because they're excited about teaching.
@@amw6846 a lot of great wisdom here! For sure, if your interest is solely in research, a 2 year is not the way to go. I guess I was one of the weirdos who got a PhD for the purposes of teaching 😂
I can only speak to my experience, but in graduate school, I taught intro classes at an R2 “good not great” research institution, and when I compare their students skills to that of my current two year, I don’t see a lot of difference. This isn’t a critique at all of either student set, but I had tons of invested students at each and a good amount “give me the credits so I can leave” students at each, too.
@ProductionsFromBeyon thanks! I absolutely had great students at the two year college. Math is weird because most places require a certain amount of teaching the courses for students deemed not ready for college-level coursework, and there are a lot of different ways that's handled. Some of those students at the low end are really low. Also, students weren't required to pass ESL benchmarks before taking math courses.
That said, the math chops of students who were taking a given course were relatively comparable to those at other institutions. They tended towards more varied backgrounds, which I found made teaching more interesting.
@@RyanCaesar Absolutely what I felt every time I read/listened to anyone talking about 'academia is broken'. It seems to me that most of the grudges would disappear if people stopped fetishizing prestigious US or UK universities and went elsewhere.
Thank you for sharing your story. I found your voice so calming, even if you were talking about triggering topics for me. I am a PhD candidate trying to finish my degree. I fell out of love for academia a while ago and feel like I have lost so much of my precious time in it... I got sick as a result. I have been actively working on side projects that will help me work elsewhere but in research at universities. I think keeping those options up is so important!
Jared. I am from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I had to leave academia for similar reasons. This video helped me a lot. Thank you.
Hi Jared. I enjoyed hearing about your career decisions, disappointments, and successes. I am one of your subscribers who is older, not oriented to philosophy, and not a college graduate. My son-in-law has a PhD. He currently teaches a few counseling education classes at a state college branch. Not his dream job and his degrees came with huge debt. As for myself, I am in a life transition due to the death of my spouse 6 months ago. I guess more accurately I am in a life crises as I am trying to heal from trauma and navigate grief. Your videos have given me a lot to consider as I struggle to accept my new realities.
Thanks for introducing me to the writing of Ursula K. LeGuin. I might never have picked up her books if it wasn't for your recommendations. I appreciate your book reviews and journaling content.
hey jared, recent philosophy phd here (also with a relatively new kid, also married to a philosopher!). a lot of what you said really resonated with me, especially as someone on the job market with philosophy of logic as an AOS, desperately trying to avoid falling into an adjunct pit. i too have been thinking about making philosophy content on YT as a way of staying involved in some way with my passion independently of my job prospects in academia. maybe i’ll pass along all my good video ideas to you so they’ll see the light of day since i doubt YT is really in the cards for me
Philosophy of logic is brutal right now, from what I can tell. (When I listed my AOS, it was always language, logic, and metaphysics.)
I think it a good idea for any degree that you do, that you think of various ways it can translate into other jobs apart from academia. You may get the same satisfaction out of your subject in ways you have never thought of.
I’m a grad student in psychology with a focus on language, specific to abnormalities arising whilst in psychosis-tangentially related.
Just want to say: I appreciate your content and especially this video.
As a highly curious and inquisitive person with a degree in neuropsychology working at an HR department, I can tooootaly relate to all of the points you mentioned! Especially about missing the engaging discussions in topics everyone is passionate about and actively contributes to! That is a tough one to cover after leaving the academic setting to pursue a stable life.
Could you possibly consider adding subtitles? That would be really helpful for non-native listeners like me.
The automatic ones work well I use them
Automatic transcript works too... cut 'n' pastable too.
my brother in christ click the CC button
The CC bitton at the top right of the screen will turn on the captions 😊
I'm a 30 year old philosophy undergrad with the goal of a PhD in the future. I fell in love with philosophy in my mid 20s. Nothing satisfies me quite like philosophy so I decided to study it academically. I love your content and would love more in depth content!
Thanks for this video, Jared. I usually never comment on RUclips, but this topic hits close to home, as it’s something I’ve grappled with personally for a while. I’m also a Texan (who recently attended a conference at Austin!); I recently graduated with my degree in philosophy and a minor in chemistry, and I happened to get accepted to a master’s program in philosophy in the UK, which I’m incredibly grateful for. I’ve always wanted (and still to some extent want) to obtain a PhD. My academic moves so far have been geared toward that: conferences, a published paper, etc., but I’ve always been skeptical and weary of doing so for the reasons you mentioned. As much as the rhetoric from my family annoys me, partly as a consequence of my youth (“you have to earn a ‘living’ somehow!”), deep down I know it’s largely correct. Luckily, because of a scholarship, I don’t have any student debt from my undergraduate degree. So funding any future endeavors in grad school would be slightly easier. Still, it pains me to see how the pursuit of knowledge has been barred from those who want it the most. I’ve always wanted to do research in academia, but over time I’ve realized how exceedingly hard it is to do so in comfort and security. Thanks for opening me up to what else is out there. PhD or not, I’ll keep your experiences in mind.
Alot of wisdom in this video. Thank you for sharing.
You've pointed out the reasons I didn't return to school to get my masters/PhD. Great content. Looking forward to more videos!
I imagine I am in a minority here, but I'd love for you to do some beginner/intermediate level philosophy of language videos, which include the history of the subject and why it is of interest.
I've heard some people say that metaphysics is "jibberish" because of the philosophy of language (particularly the work of wittgenstein?) and I'd be interested in finding out if that is the case or not.
So glad the algorithm recommended this video to me. Jared I too had an extremely similar story to yours (albeit in the UK). And I even made a channel for the same reasons. I don’t regret my decision either. I am so glad to hear that I am not alone! I will watch more of your videos and subscribe. Congratulations on the success of your channel!
As adjunct faculty at a liberal arts college for almost two decades, I can support most of what you're saying.
Oh wow! Thank you for this. I am a PhD historian dealing with the same exact thing. Have decided to develop my own genealogy business to stay out of academia. Hope things may change though. Nice to know we are not alone. And yes, I do greave.
Thank you for sharing Jared ❤
Coming from robotics and 15 years in european academia: enjoying the PhD itself and not expecting any particular outcome post-PhD (do not expect respect, jobs, money, etc) are my main pieces of advice. This echoes what you recommend in the video too.
Please do more stuff like this!
Edit: For example, "ACADEMIC PUBLISHING IS A SCAM" sounds like a GREAT video idea
I just want to say how much I appreciated watching this video. I have a PhD in English and work as an adjunct at three different colleges. I don't regret my time as a graduate student (and I second what Jared says about the importance of actually liking the experience and NOT going into debt in the process), but I do have to admit that I am rather dissatisfied in my current role in life (for me, grading a lot of student papers is the worst). (Knowing what I know now, I'm not sure I would have tried to get a PhD in English although it was a very happy time in my life during that process.) I am glad that you were able to find a way of life that works well for you and your family. For several years, I did work in a non-academic job (while also teaching night classes), but it was in the housing industry (low level structural design of roof trusses) and that business went under during the housing market collapse in 2008. In regards to your plans for future videos: do whatever you like. I like your content a lot and have watched many of your videos. Just from my own perspective, though, I tend to avoid videos that are longer than about 30 minutes. It's too much of a time investment for me. I like watching a variety of different content, and if it's more than about 30 minutes that uses up too much of the limited time I have to watch. It could just also be my diminished attention span that can't take much longer than that, and I start to lose interest quickly. Anyways, again, thank you for the personable nature of this particular video. Whenever we can share our stories with one another, good things usually result.
These are the same problems that we face here in the Eastern hemisphere. I am from India and let me assure you that getting into academia and staying there is close to impossible. Plus getting a P.hd will send you into an existential crisis
PHD aka permanent head damage
PhD in India is close to actual suicide as you can.
One thing I can take away from this video is that neoliberalism is hurting academia, especially the humanities
Btw, I’d love to watch more intense philosophy of language content🙌🏻
I'm living overseas now as I'm retired, and on a fixed income. Good you chose Austin as a home!! I had lived there for 20 years, and it is a wonderful place. And, yes, there are many academics working in all areas in Austin. They didn't want to leave Austin after graduating from UT! I was a high school science teacher there, and most of the teachers I worked with had advanced degrees and/or were musicians or artists. Great people. I miss it. Good luck to you!
Academia died in the 1970s. There is a great interview with Dr Thomas Sowell on Firing Line in 1981 or 82 where he talks about how he was driven out of it for not holding the same views as the majority of the professors and trying to teach what they deemed to be dangerous ideas known as the truth shown via actual studies of the subjects that did not lead to results that matched what people wanted to hear. It was not just 1 college, but several he was pushed out of. We are talking major colleges like Rutgers, Cornell, UCLA and Howard...yes, all 4 before the 1980s. This has happened to MANY since then but since most of them were labeled as "conservative" people were fine with it. This created the echo-chamber that has existed and allowed the spiraling out of control unchallenged views held on campus's.
This issue has been around for a very long time and most people said nothing because it did not effect them personally and it slowly spread across most fields over the last 40 years. An echo-chamber is literal poison to academia.
"Dr Thomas Sowell "
@@TheDanEdwards
I am an assistant professor right now and the tenure clock ticking in my head is more and more exhausting. I always wanted this for my life but I am having second thoughts right now, especially because the tenure is not really tenure anymore after the 5 year reviews got implemented...
Just randomly caught this video, love it. I'm a retired academic, did math logic in the 70s, wrote a decent-but-not-earth-shattering thesis, spent 6 years doing post-docs and instructorships, and finally got onto the tenure ladder at a Midwest Jesuit university. Several times I thought of chucking the academic grind, but couldn't imagine the alternatives. I made it through to retirement, praise be, with my passion for research more or less intact. One of my hobbies, now that I can be a grad student again, is pondering how adjectives work in natural language. Looking forward to more of your content!
If you forced upon yourself and/or are willing to teach at a university for 45 years as an adjunct for a minimal wage, sorry, it's your fault that you let yourself being exploited.
What should someone in that situation do in your opinion?
@JakubFerenc1911 - That's easy for you to say.
People who are being exploited are usually a victim and being a victim is not something that people usually choose.
@@updreams6892 If you have a PhD in the US, two things are obvious:
1) You belong to a privileged group of people who could afford to do so. In your country, you need to pay for PhD and that amount is ginourmous compared to any other country (say my own, Czech Republic).
2) You belong to a broader cognitive elite of your country (circa 120+ IQ). That means that you have the ability to do any job you want. Also the PhD skills like research, writing, presenting, speaking are transferrable to any other job.
That means: if you work for 45 years in academia, and you are unhappy due to the minimal wage. It is your choice, you are a victim of your own fear, complacency, and frankly economic stupidity.
@@JakubFerenc1911 People usally stay in academia because of passion, not economic ignorance. If you passion is money, sure, academia is a bad choice, but not everyone is like that. Some poeple just want to seek knowledge out of passion, without having to worry about making ends meet. Underpayed academics, who lay down the fundamentals for technological advancement are victims in my book.
I would love some kind of lecture series or book club discussion. As an adult not in college I’d love a more in depth study on some of the works that you’ve recommended
Good idea
Great summary. I'm 5 years into an academic career and hanging on. I think the "letting go of the life you dreamed of living" part is my biggest challenge.
Well done, Jason, a very balanced, fair-minded and accurate overview of the situation facing aspiriing academics, particularly in the Humanities. I am an Emeritus with a daughter heading to grad school in English in the Fall. I am pleased of course but concerned about the state of the profession, which is as important to civil society as it ever was, perhaps more.
Just wanted to say thanks for this video. My experience getting an English master's degree (with a minor in classics) and then subsequently abandoning my Doctoral degree before I even started sounds somewhat similar to your experience here. Getting that MA degree was both the proudest day of my life and one of the saddest for, as you said, I was "grieving for the lift I lost", but the thought of spending another 5-8 years at one of those "good" state schools in the middle of nowhere Illinois and making 13K a year doing so didn't sound like a great idea.
Now, nearly 10 years after getting my MA, I've been adjuncting at several community colleges in the Chicagoland area and, despite the absolute trash income, adore my job. One thing to note about adjunct courses: most schools (at least from my experience) will allow the adjunct instructor to teach whatever they want, so even though I'm teaching developmental reading and writing courses alongside the standard composition courses, I'm teaching stories that I love. The other good factor is that adjuncting allows me to explore my other hobbies. If I want to spend time going on a mini tour with my band, I can just request fewer classes in a given semester and/or teach online courses and go tour/travel. The freedom and flexibility certainly has its positives here.
There's definitely a push/pull with this lifestyle here, and obviously the full-time tenure-track position is the goal (which, with my experience, isn't too far out of the reach), but I'm pretty content with how everything has planned out. The vast majority of my friends who have degrees in the liberal arts and humanities don't even use their degrees in their careers. I'm thankful that I get to use mine while also making an influence on the lives of students makes it worth it to me.
Thanks for being open and vulnerable. It's very refreshing to see. I'd love to hear, in the future, you discuss philosophy around education or learning.
Thank you for giving an honest account of your experience, to help others who are about to take, or who are already on this path.
I stumbled across your channel searching for videos about books and ideas. And I'm a fan. I am in academia, and have gone through some of the challenges you described, and have had nearly identical conversations with my own students. Thanks so much for your candor and for your spot-on observations. I look forward to what comes next with your channel.
Dang, really relating to your journey. I'm currently transitioning out of a career path I though I'd do for the rest of my life. I truly think this new path I'm on will be better for me, but I also have this voice in the back of my head saying it was a decision based in fear.
As for video ideas for the channel, I'm currently watching and enjoying John Vervaeke's 'Awakening From the Meaning Crisis' and I would love getting content like that but with your unique perspective and voice
I would love for you to do some videos (playlist) on the language/words that affect how or why we fall in love, feel for someone, grieve for someone, become friends with someone, etc. I feel that one of the reasons why I consistently failed in the conjugal container or cupboard was because my partners would clamp up in the heat of passion, whereas I wanted to hear them speak! I wanted to hear them express their thoughts so that I would be able to feel closer to them. Just as you allow us access to your mind and heart with your words.
I once asked one of my partners to speak to me during you-know-what and I wish I did too.
She said, 'What do you want me to talk about or say?' I said, 'Everything and nothing and visa versa'.
She recited the nine times tables because it was the only table she could remember!
We broke up three weeks later! She took my goldfish Tish and Tosh, but left my dog Boo. I loved that dog!
I just believe that language and words have such power over us for good and for ill, but I would like you to explain or discuss why this is the case. I also believe that the main reason why your videos are so entertaining and enlightening is because you open up your mind and heart to us with words, not animated visuals or gimmicks. You are a word wizard! Thank you!
Philosophy teacher (adjunct)/admin here, currently in the struggle. Thanks for making this video. Its like an ASMR for my continual occupational existential crisis.
I just graduated with my master's, and I am getting ready to apply to universities for a Ph.D. You are providing very good information here. Thank you.
Dr Henderson: my answer to your question about what to do with the channel. I would love to hear you talk about one or a few ideas at a time that are philosophical but also have a foot in one of the narrower disciplines, e.g., ideas about philosophy & creole aspect of languages, philosophy & species concepts, philosophy & self-organization, etc. I'm thinking of videos that are fun and easy to understand but that are not dumbed down so much as slowed down and made less formal than a review would be in a scholarly text. It would be hard work to pull this off even 10 times a year, but we need more of this and you're someone who seems to be able to popularize at the level of a good student taking a general education class. You could bring philosophical research to the people.
When I was in the high school, our philosophy teacher made us go out and talk to people in cafes and on the street about some philosophical theories, let’s say stoics, and we discussed with various people how does that translate into our current life. It was very interesting and crowds would gather to listen and contribute. People love philosophy when it’s not presented as a huffy puffy realm of the academics alone.
You may say this video is rambly, but it is such an honest, candid, analysis of career in academia. Thank you for sharing!
As someone who quit a PhD program 1.5 years in because of my concerns over not getting a job and being stuck on adjunct purgatory, I’m so grateful for this video. I think speaking about this is the only way to ensure that people can make informed decisions about going into academia. I experienced a lot of secret keeping, denial, and shutting down of concerns from faculty in my program when I voiced concerns over the academic job market. Thank you for this!
Would love to see more videos of this kind where you just ramble on! It's different from your usual videos, but I did enjoy it quite a bit.
I'm one of those oldsters, never been to college, raised a plethora of children, and still working till death us do part >g
as i grow older i get more interested in learning at least an introductory level of the philosophy of (e.g., language, music, science, etc.)..
thank you jared for all you do. society these days needs more wisdom and you among others help expose a lot more people (laymen) to the world of ideas, to think deeply, slowly..
This is truly a superb video; thank you for sharing it. In high school, I was deeply passionate about philosophy and academia, but ultimately pursued a career in Medicine. However, the ideas discussed in this video resonated with me, even then. Despite hailing from a poor country, the path I took seemed to align perfectly with my aspirations. Now, I find myself studying linguistics in Europe after leaving Medicine behind. Reflecting on this journey, I'm unsure whether to attribute it to freedom, determinism, or destiny. Perhaps it's a blend of all three. Regardless, I'm grateful for the opportunities and experiences that have shaped my path.
Jared, I don't have any formal training in Philosophy. Your channel was one of the first that got the ball rolling for me, so thank you. I think in depth philosophy content would be great. Personally, I would enjoy getting a comprehensive understanding of the arguments of philosophers that shaped the course of history. Their ideas make up the symbolic world we live in, and that's amazing!
UNLV issues Las Vegas residents library cards on request and lets them check out books, etc. In 2012 residents with a library card had full access to their online holdings too, but several years ago they reduced that to a single terminal that only offers partial access (this is for the general public, so there is no log-in). I've found interlibrary loan through the public library (Las Vegas-Clark County) to be the most useful resource of all.
It's really cool to see how far you've come since The Sixth Sense came out.
I'm someone who also makes tons of random youtube videos without one clear niche (granted not like i have any audience or following at all, just in general I make videos that don't ever get seen just for the fun of it) and I think my best advice is to make short videos about everything and then longer videos when people say they want them. I realized a while ago that sometimes I have some idea I want to talk about, but then I get it all out in like 5 minutes and I can move on, but other ideas are longer.
I graduated from undergrad last december and never had any desire to go further, but I'm really happy to see videos like this confirming that going further would not have helped me.
Cheers from a fellow former philosopher (abd) who now lives in Austin and works in tech.
I commend your decision for a more secure livelihood. An idea for your channel would be to stream panel discussions with other philosophers about a particular topic. It might give you miss from academia and giving the audience insight into those robust conversations.
I got my criminology PhD in Greece. Although it was free (I got it in a Public high prestige university) i had to deliver lectures also for free in order to gain the requested academic experience. After my PhD defence I tried to get involved in academia but the positions are so rare that it is practically impossible to get a position not only in Greece but in almost all EU. What i managed to do was to get involved in a research institute. There i can publish my research books and articles and have some extra income from the sells. It doesn't pay the bills (I have a regular job to support my family) but at least i can do what i love (research) and get published. Just an alternative idea.
Being an older person who didn't get into philosophy when I was young, videos by those who have thoroughly read philosophers helps to make them more accessible to me when I dive in. Jared, you are easy to listen to and I have just subscribed. Would love to hear more long form philosophy content whenever you can produce it!
Great video. "Don't get into debt" but I would also add that in that first half of life do not be defined by your degree, your early decisions, or the paths only open to you eventually. I am 51 years old, and half-way through a mid-life PhD. Watching videos like this reminds me so much of the splintered path and necessary compromise or readjustment as plans hit reality of the road ahead. My retrospective view is that I was lucky to fluff my lines in my first degree. Lucky too that I stayed curious and a forever life learner. Lucky to have found good people in my life, and goodness in the world. Luckiest of all, I hit an existential crisis in mid-life which forced me to recalibrate once again. Philosophy per se. only knocked on my door when I thought my angst had closed my last gate around me.
"Don't get into debt" has different meaning to me now. I borrowed plenty from my future, but there was I think investment in that path too. I did not quite get the grades to go immediately to an MSc or a PhD. Instead I found myself in commercial insurance, finance, and risk management. Twenty-five years later I am still not rich, or financially independent, but I do have some foundations more than I ever could have built living within academia. I assumed my mind would be rotting away by now, because I believed the myth of the young-brain being more capable of learning than the old. It is now well known that the brain is just as capable of learning in ones 50s as it is in ones twenties. The brain remains plastic. In addition the pre-frontal cortex is only fully developed by age 25. Life in academia, or merely being occasionally academic, is not over just because one is forced onto a different path to that societal norm. There is no one path, and nothing is defined. As Heidegger would perhaps suggest there is only possibility as we are thrown back into the everyday whilst always-already being in that world and projecting ourselves forward best we can. In my opinion we cannot help but be in our own debt to ourselves. However, that is contextually relatable only to what one deems significant and framed by what we individually deem life to be about. That is rarely known early in one's life. Indeed, I suspect most live life without ever finding that purpose. However, if we can individually find a platform of stability in life - only eventually, and by whatever that means to us each differently - then we may at some future point find our own way to build. "Don't get into debt", then has different meaning. Don't borrow from tomorrow, but do perpetually invest in keeping open those future doors of possibility.
I ended up with a philosophy degree as my second major (good advice on double majoring in philosophy). After finishing undergrad, I really missed the deep, careful reading and resulting discussions that came along with my philosophy courses. Recently I began reading with The Catherine Project (completely free) and it has brought some of that type of philosophical thought back into my life. It sounded like you might be in a similar boat, so I wanted to pass along the recommendation. In a larger city like Austin, you might be able to find similar programs in person. As academic institutions whither, there is still a deep thirst in the public to engage critically with the systems and theories that underpin our lives.
Good luck and congratulations on the expansion to your family!
I have checked all the boxes needed to move into academia. Above and beyond and I am around people who are amazing. While I was working on my Masters in Education, I had so many Professors ask me to come work with them. I had many accolades and I was introduced to many people, who said I would be a wonderful match I was encouraged to pursue my PHD. I decided this summer to take all of my education and background and move into Tech Education. It's been wonderful and I make almost twice as much as I did. I just couldn't do it anymore, after ten years.
Longer stuff would be great! Maybe lives on a topic where you answer questions, like a fireside chat. Maybe tapping the shoulders of other philosophical RUclipsrs or anyone really for discussions, analysis. More book studies would be cool.
Thank you for this video. I've never seen your channel before, nor am I in philosophy myself, but I've recently been put in a situation where being in academia has become untenable for me. A lot of people I've listened to on this topic before approach it with a kind of glib doomerism--"Academia is completely broken! Leave now and you'll never regret it!" which I always found unhelpful, because I--and every academic!--am here because I love the subject I study, and I love teaching it to others. How could I not regret leaving? So I really appreciate you admitting that there are things you miss, and that there was grief for the life you thought you'd have, and that you did have to overcome the feeling of failing, but that it was the right choice anyways. You've given me some hope for my future. Thank you.
Your authenticity. My dude this is rare. I genuinely want you to succeed.
This video got me right in the feels. I was an adjunct prof for 5 years, never knowing from one year to the next what I would be teaching or even if I would be hired for the following academic year. There are two issues which really struck me during that time. The first is how hard adjunct profs have to work and the incredible hours required for teaching courses for the first time, and we were assigned to new courses every year (new to us, that is). The second is how bitter and demoralized so many adjunct profs have become because of the issues you mentioned: low job security, no benefits, high level of uncertainty, all the stress with none of the advantages. I found that I loved teaching environmental science and I miss the intellectual challenges that go with university teaching but sadly, being an adjunct prof really is a lousy way to make a living.
I'm a cs student that have always wanted to read philosophy but find it to complex and also was hard to read a whole book of idk 200 pages. this year i wanted to start reading again like when i was a kid and read in a week 3 harry potter books. in this time i found your channel, learning how to read and enjoy it more, getting more out of the books and starting a small background in philosophy, just as a hobby. knowing you left academia shocked me a little but at the same time i understood, because i want to be a professor in my area too. it's awfuly paid where i am from (greetings from Chile!) but is more of a calling than a choice for me, it comes from my heart. still teaching, sort of, in your youtube channel is a wonderful news. kkeping up with that fulfilling feeling. it inspired me a lot and made me think of my future choices: trying to make a living and somehow still teach, give back to my peers an fellow coleagues. an equilibrium is hard but hard work (smart work, actually) makes it possible. your video gave me the hope to feel its possible. thank you, for your content and for sharing this :)