The Pleasures and Perils of Working in a Large Department

I've written before about how much a simple change in environment can affect one's work and overall quality of life. As it turns out, I am happier, and seem to work far more effectively, writing papers, preparing lecture, and grading papers outside at the dog park rather than at the office or anywhere else I've tried. There's just something about being outside at a table in the shade that seems to improve my mood, open my mind, and produce better work more efficiently. Strange, but true.

Anyway, this got me thinking today about another difference in environment I've experienced, which I thought might be worth sharing. Since receiving my degree from Arizona in 2008, I've had two jobs: one in a large department (at the University of British Columbia) for a year, and one in a tiny three-person department for the last four years (at the University of Tampa). Most grad students, I presume, have at least some thoughts about which kind of job they'd like to have once they graduate. Of course, I assume that the kind of job people tend to most want is a TT job almost anywhere, or failing that, any decently paying job in academia. My experience, though, is that people also have ideas about what kind of place they'd like to be: either at an R1 job in a big department or in a small department at an SLAC -- this despite the fact that, never having had a full-time job in either type of department, the typical grad student might not know much about what an actual job in either type of department is actually like. Accordingly, I thought sharing my experience in both jobs might be worthwhile. I don't pretend that everyone will have similar experiences, but still, I hope they might provide readers with at least some insight into what different jobs are like.

I've decided to focus today's post on my first job: a two-year VAP position in a very large department at UBC. I'll begin by saying that, aside from the stresses of being a first-time prof, I had a very good experience at UBC. Everyone there was super supportive, and I have to express my sincerest thanks to everyone there whenever I mention them.

The Pleasures

Anyway, in my experience the very best thing about being a member of a large department is the social/intellectual life. It's just awesome to be around so many other good philosophers while not being a grad student anymore. Walking down the hall to talk to one of my fellow VAPS (there were four of us) when I was struggling with a problem certainly took a load off -- and it was always fascinating to hear what they were up to. I also found it incredibly helpful to have senior faculty members who were willing to read, comment on, and discuss paper drafts. The first year you're out in the professional world, you're incredibly stressed about publishing. You realize you have to start publishing, and publishing up a storm, if you're going to be successful, and so it certainly helps to have people around you who know how to do it, and who are willing to help you. Weekly colloquia -- and beers after with the rest of the department -- were also awesome. After a week of stress, a good talk and beer with friends is a pretty good way to wrap things up.

The Perils

One of the more difficult experiences I had while working in a large department concerns intellectual insecurity and measuring oneself against others. I've discussed before how I suffered some confidence problems while in graduate school. I expect many grad students have these troubles. When you're surrounded by so many smart people, it's easy to get down on oneself, especially if you find yourself floundering at the disseration stage (as all too many grad students do). Anyway, if you're the insecure type (or, I expect, even if you're not), it can be pretty easy to become insecure as a young member of a large department. It's hard not to measure yourself against others, especially if some of your peers have published more than you have. It's also easy to get insecure about your ideas when you have more accomplished figures read your work. In some ways, this part of the job still felt a bit like grad school. I felt like I needed to "impress" people in the department with the quality of my work, and I couldn't help but take every momentary frown or doubt about my work to be an implication of my abilities. Maybe not everyone is as insecure as I, but I suspect it's pretty hard not to be pretty insecure early on in such a position. Moreover, my experience is that such insecurity -- but also, just being around so many other people -- can really affect the kind of work you do. As I will discuss more in my next post, I think being in a small department has made me a much more adventurous philosopher. My experience was that when I was in a large department at UBC (as well as in grad school at Arizona), I was much more likely to try to "do what other people do": i.e. see how they write papers, and try to write papers like that. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, of course -- who knows, perhaps I would have a better publishing record today if I stayed in such a situation -- but, for my part, I've become happier and feel more at home in my skin as a philosopher the more I've tried to "find my own voice", as compared to trying to do what others do. 

Anyway, the other real "peril" I think jobs in large departments come with -- which I didn't have to face, given that I was only at UBC for a year, but which I think is important for job-seekers to bear in mind -- is that in large departments, you tend to teach the same courses over and over again. My job at UBC was essentially to teach Ethics and Political Philosophy every term, and some of the jobs in large departments I've interviewed for have made it pretty clear that I would be essentially teaching the same courses every term were I hired. Accordingly, if you like variety in teaching, a job in a large department might be disappointing.

Finally, of course -- and fortunately, I didn't have to deal with this, but I have heard of many who have -- large departments can come with difficult department dynamics: people who don't like each other, or, worse, don't like you. I've heard some real nightmare stories about these kinds of situations, so, if you're on the job market, I suggest to be on the look-out.

Anyway, I guess that's all I have for today. Tomorrow I'll be back with the pleasures and perils of working in a small department. Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

Comments

[Eugene]

Hi, Marcus. Thanks for yet another useful post on what the future might have in store for us grad students.

I don't have anything to say that bears on this post in particular, but in the spirit of what "the typical grad student might not know much about what an actual job in [any] type of department is actually like", I have another kind of question that I'm hoping you might consider opening up for discussion in a separate post:

What is the typical philosopher's salary like?

I ask that you start a post on this topic because I've heard a number of conflicting things about what to expect with respect to the salary of philosophers in different kinds of departments and at different stages of their careers.

But I know that what people earn can be a sensitive topic, so I understand if you'd rather not open up a post for such discussion! Although I do think such a discussion would be in line with the mission of the blog, for whatever that's worth.

[Marcus Arvan]

Hi Eugene: thanks for your kind comment, and for suggesting a post on salaries. I think it is a great question, and certainly one worth discussing here, given that the aim of the blog is to be a helpful place. As you note, the issue can be a bit of a touchy one. Still, I am optimistic that we can discuss it here in an appropriately safe and supportive way. I will write a post on it tomorrow, along with some suggested conversational guidelines for ensuring good tone of discussion. Thanks again for suggesting the topic. My experience is that you are: that it is a topic that the average grad student seems to know little about.