Not to Bail

There's another discussion going on over at the Smoker ("To Bail, or Not to Bail") over whether it's a good idea to leave graduate school if you're struggling and regarded by your faculty as a weak(er) student. Although each person must of course come to their own answers, I can't help but be distressed by how many individuals in the comments section have advocated getting out. For what it is worth, here is my experience: things tend to work out for those who keep at it, and things are not so pleasant for those who do not. I speak of this as someone who struggled quite a lot in graduate school, and who gave serious thought to getting out (both as a graduate student and early in my professorial career -- for details, see here and here). If you'd all bear with me, I'd like to say a few more things.

There's some talk over at the Smoker about leaving philosophy for law school. At one point, I thought about this.  But I can't say enough how glad I am that I didn't go that route. First things first: studies have repeatedly shown that lawyers are among the most unhappy people among us. Just read this article, "Why Lawyers Are Unhappy." You can make it in philosophy. It is, however, a supreme test of will. Yes, that's right, I said: you can make it, but you have to choose to. I know this sounds like self-help tripe, but I've seen it happen, and not just with a few people, and not with the "chosen ones" in grad school. I have seen, in my own grad school cohort, people who (by my estimations) were not highly regarded -- myself included -- both make it through grad school and the job market. In each case, the story was the same: those who made it simply refused to give up. I, for one, am simply going to stand up (proverbially, of course), and say to you, "You can do it." Don't give up. It is worth it in the end. Just do philosophy for its own sake, remember why you love it, and love teaching it. Yes, it is a leap of faith, but I will tell you this: I do not personally know a single person who kept at it and failed. Yes, that's right: not one. And no, I have not only known people from Leiterific departments. If my life -- and the lives of others I've known in this world -- have taught me anything, it is that success is mostly a matter of will. You can will yourself to get where you want to get. No, it will not always look that way. And yes, there will be many times you will want to give up. But don't. You only live once. Being a professor is the awesome. Being a lawyer isn't. Sorry, lawyers, don't shoot the messenger!

Comments

[Charlie]

Thanks a lot for sharing this post. I haven't been considering leaving philosophy. But, coming from a non-Leiterific dept and having troubles on the job market (as well as breaking into major journals), it's comforting to read that others have overcome similar difficulties and that the difficulties are able to be overcome. It's a salve for worries oft brought to fever-pitch.

[Mark Alfano]

I don't mean to be a wet blanket here, but I would like to suggest a friendly amendment to Marcus's post: if the only thing that will possibly make you happy is philosophy, then his advice seems pretty much spot on. However, if there's something else that would make you just about as happy as doing philosophy for the rest of your life, it makes sense to seriously consider that. Of course, if that other thing is being a rock star or head of state, or something that's equally as difficult to break into, you're in a tough spot. But if the other thing is not as insanely difficult to start a career in, and it would make you nearly as happy as doing philosophy, the choice seems to me to be a no-brainer.

What I said about this question on the smoker blog was that, if you're like me, you'll do better on the philosophy job market if you're very confident in and excited about your plan B. Most people experience performance anxiety. If the cost of a failed interview is joblessness, that ratchets up the anxiety. If the cost is that you end up going into some other line of work that you also enjoy (which was the case for me this year), the anxiety seems to vanish.

[Marcus Arvan]

Charlie: I'm glad to hear it! Keep fighting!

Mark: your points are well taken. I agree that *if* there's something else that would make one just as happy as philosophy, by all means, consider it. I just doubt that many readers satisfy the antecedent. I don't get the impression most of the people considering Plan B's *want* to pursue those alternative plans, or that they think they would be anywhere near as happy in those Plans as in a successful philosophy career. On the contrary, most of the people who consider alternative plans do so mostly out of fear of failure in philosophy, i.e. they want to succeed in philosophy really badly but thinking they should give up (here I am going on personal experience and the discussion over at the Smoker).