Jumping on the blogging bandwagon, I share with Dr. Crazy and Not of General Interest a strong reaction to Perlmutter’s The Joyless Quest for Tenure essay in the Chronicle. Like most, I think the Chronicle’s First Person series is characterized by an absolute disconnect from the realities of academia as I have experienced them — and think just about any academic blogger offers a more honest and accurate account than the FP writers. (Seriously, does the Chronicle solicit perky and oblivious writers?)

So, I approached Perlmutter’s take on tenure with skepticism, which proved appropriate. I completely agree with his assessment of the state-of-mind of most tenure-seeking faculty, that there is a “a common culture of the joyless quest for promotion and tenure.” Where I disagree is with Perlmutter’s argument that it shouldn’t be joyless, which really translates to: it isn’t joyless, it’s full of joy and happiness and kittens and little bunnies hopping in fields of green clover.

Give me a big fucking break.

Being on the tenure track is misery incarnate. It means being in a constant state of being judged, usually by people who were not held to the same standards or who derive joy from being the arbiters of “quality” or “potential” in others. It means being severely underpaid and overworked. It means being rejected, ignored, marginalized, made to feel inadequate and worthless.

And the worst part? During the years that you are clawing your way to some semblance of academic legitimacy, you have the sneaking suspicion that the thing you are fighting so hard for — the golden mantle of tenure — is really not all that worthwhile. Maybe it’s not everything that it’s made out to be. Maybe there’s a vast conspiracy at the heart of the academy to keep telling ourselves that “tenure is the best!” despite all evidence to the contrary. See: increased administrative work, laughable salary increase, years wasted.

There are so many things in Perlmutter’s article to take issue with but here’s one thing that really got my goat: He actually argues that one of the aspects of being a professor that should keep the untenured in a state of unbridled joy is the respect and admiration they will receive from others.

Quoth Perlmutter: “Furthermore, beyond the obvious benefits, like autonomy and intellectual freedom, is one very important spirit-lifting attribute of our job: public respect. In my first days as an assistant professor, I recall being at a party at my apartment building. As I met my neighbors, I saw them react with visible nods of appreciation when I told them I was teaching at the local university. Many of them either were graduates or had relatives there. It did not matter to them that I was an ‘assistant.’”

I’m sorry but did this apartment party take place in 1957? I don’t think academics get much “public respect” these days. Maybe if you’re teaching at an Ivy but here at MidState U. it is almost impossible to get students to give their professors any respect, let alone the general public. When I tell people I teach at MidState U., they think, “gee, she must not be very smart or she’d be working at Big Ivy.” So much for the idea that my public caché is going to keep me warm at night.

You can count me one of the joyless.