Kern Carter's Blog, page 184
August 17, 2016
Guest BloG-Career Moves: Can You Ever Really Go Home Again?
Guest Contributor: Meghan K Riley
Two years ago, I moved away from the only place I had ever lived, Michigan, to pursue a PhD program in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Before that, my plan had been to stay in or near Flint. I had gone to school there for the last ten years, and I wanted to stay and teach. The economy and having a young family had indefinitely postponed that dream.
It was time to try something different.
A survey by Challenger, Gray, and Christmas noted that in 2013, 35% more people were moving for a new position than in 2012.[1]
Millennials, in particular, are on the move. J. Maureen Henderson cites a Mayflower survey showing that 59% of people aged 18-35 live somewhere other than where they grew up. Of those, the largest percentage (51) moved for a job[2].
Clearly, I’m not alone. Though there are many reasons why millennials have not moved for a job, accounted for in first-person style in an entertaining but sobering The Atlantic article by Derek Thompson[3], many millennials have had to move to find or keep employment.
Moving isn’t easy, though. As Henderson notes, while some people might be willing to move to leave an area with low employment rates, “willingness to be mobile doesn’t pay for a moving van.” Besides the high cost of a move, ideally, you have secured a position first. Then there’s all the risk. When I moved, I left family, friends, and a house – albeit, a house I couldn’t afford.
And what happens if a career relocation doesn’t work out?
Despite the risks, I committed to making a move. Over the course of three years, I completed my Master of Arts, and applied to graduate schools. At one point, I worked four part-time jobs. I applied for, and received, a scholarship from the Center for the Education of Women at the University of Michigan, as well as other scholarships. My persistence, and the generosity of donors, allowed me to finish my degree. Finally, early in 2014, I received notice of various acceptances to PhD programs. Two of them were fully funded. I had to make a choice.
In September 2014, my family and I moved to Waterloo. Initially, I felt disappointed – both in circumstances and in myself – that I hadn’t managed to sustain a successful career near home. Soon, though, I became excited. I was eager to work with my advisor. I had also found a great townhouse within walking distance of a school, park, and library.
My first visit back to Flint, for a science fiction and neuroethics conference hosted by the Center for Cognition and Neuroethics in March 2015, had me asking one question.
Can you ever really go home again? I arrived in Flint late at night, and I was only in town for a day and a half, so it was a little surreal. Still, I recall feeling like it wasn’t home. Places that were familiar to me since I was very young didn’t feel familiar. Everything that has changed over the past couple of years is a little bit of a shock to me – the oldies station playing music from when I was a teenager, the renovations to the University of Michigan-Flint. These changes are old news to everyone else, and I know that if I had stayed, I probably wouldn’t have really noticed.
This past month, I have visited with my family. For me, it was somewhat comforting being back. In addition to seeing my family and friends, I ran into one of my teachers from high school. He asked about my plans for my PhD, and I told him about my work at the University of Waterloo’s Centre for Teaching Excellence and Centre for Career Action.
Then I chatted with my former colleagues from two different departments at the University of Michigan-Flint (including the first department I worked for, way back in 2004), which reminded me of how much I enjoyed my both the work, and the people with whom I worked. Nevertheless, Michigan is no longer quite home. Recently my five and a half year old son told me, “I want to go back to our new home.” He was not even yet four when we moved. To him, Waterloo is home.
While people and groups of people have of course moved throughout recent history to pursue opportunities, a study shows that frequent moves during a person’s childhood may be connected to poorer life quality in adulthood.[4]
I have a dilemma, then. More so than people in other fields, job seekers in academia face the reality that they must move where jobs are available. Arguably, a new PhD will have trouble finding a position regardless. Phil Ray Jack points out that at least 70 percent of college courses are taught by part-time employees[5] (and that was in 2008!). According to Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus, the U.S. saw 100,000 new doctoral degrees from 2005-2009, but only 16,000 new professorial positions[6].
Those that secure tenure track positions will most likely have to move. More and more, I’m considering positions elsewhere in academia, known as alt-ac positions. For that reason, I’ve deliberately sought out positions in facilitation, event planning, and advising during my PhD. What I’ve discovered is a renewed vigor for teaching and advising – I love working with students; that is the reason I pursued a teaching degree in the first place. Knowing that a tenure track position is unlikely has opened my mind to new possibilities, and because of that, I’ve been able to take advantage of some amazing professional development opportunities at the University of Waterloo.
When I graduate, I would be delighted to stay and work in Waterloo, if there are suitable employment opportunities. I would be equally as delighted to return to Flint. Still, I have to be prepared for the possibility that there will not be jobs available when I look. To some extent, I’ll still be at the mercy of hiring trends, timing, and other factors beyond my control.
I’m optimistic, though. I know that starting my PhD in Waterloo when I did was the best move, both in my career and in my life, for me and for my family. Next time I pursue a career opportunity, I’ll be ready.
What about you? Have you had to move for a job or for school? Have you had to move a family? What were the factors in your decision, and what were the results?
[1] Challenger, Gray, and Christmas, Inc. “Q2 2013 Relocation Report: More Job Seekers Relocating for Work.” Survey. Challenger, Gray, and Christmas, Inc. 2013. Web. 30 Jul 2016. .
[2] Henderon, Maureen J. “Why Do Millennials Move? The Answers May Surprise You.” Forbes. 5 Apr 2016. Web. 31 Jul 2016. .
[3] Thompson, Derek. “The Go-Nowhere Generation Speaks: ‘I’d Love to Move, but I Can’t.’” The Atlantic. 15 Mar 2012. Web. 01 Aug 2016. .
[4] Oishi, Shigehiro and Ulrich Shimmack. “Residential Mobility, Well-being, and Mortality.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology98.6 (2010): 980-994.
[5] Jack, Phil Ray. “Waiting 20 Years for the Tenure Track.” Inside Higher Ed. 17 Jun 2008. Web. 02 Aug 2016. .
[6] Hacker, Andrew and Claudia Dreifus. Higher Education?: How Colleges are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids---and What We Can Do About It. New York: Times Books, 2010.
About The Author
Meghan K Riley is an ambitious, student-centred higher education professional, tutor and editor. She helps people with educational and career success, offering personalized tutoring, resume/cover letter review and university application coaching. Additionally, Meghan does research through the English Language and Literature PhD program at the University of Waterloo.
Meghan can be reached via Linkedin or via her website www.megankriley.com.
Career Moves: Can You Ever Really Go Home Again?
Two years ago, I moved away from the only place I had ever lived, Michigan, to pursue a PhD program in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Before that, my plan had been to stay in or near Flint. I had gone to school there for the last ten years, and I wanted to stay and teach. The economy and having a young family had indefinitely postponed that dream.
It was time to try something different.
A survey by Challenger, Gray, and Christmas noted that in 2013, 35% more people were moving for a new position than in 2012.[1]
Millennials, in particular, are on the move. J. Maureen Henderson cites a Mayflower survey showing that 59% of people aged 18-35 live somewhere other than where they grew up. Of those, the largest percentage (51) moved for a job[2].
Clearly, I’m not alone. Though there are many reasons why millennials have not moved for a job, accounted for in first-person style in an entertaining but sobering The Atlantic article by Derek Thompson[3], many millennials have had to move to find or keep employment.
Moving isn’t easy, though. As Henderson notes, while some people might be willing to move to leave an area with low employment rates, “willingness to be mobile doesn’t pay for a moving van.” Besides the high cost of a move, ideally, you have secured a position first. Then there’s all the risk. When I moved, I left family, friends, and a house – albeit, a house I couldn’t afford.
And what happens if a career relocation doesn’t work out?
Despite the risks, I committed to making a move. Over the course of three years, I completed my Master of Arts, and applied to graduate schools. At one point, I worked four part-time jobs. I applied for, and received, a scholarship from the Center for the Education of Women at the University of Michigan, as well as other scholarships. My persistence, and the generosity of donors, allowed me to finish my degree. Finally, early in 2014, I received notice of various acceptances to PhD programs. Two of them were fully funded. I had to make a choice.
In September 2014, my family and I moved to Waterloo. Initially, I felt disappointed – both in circumstances and in myself – that I hadn’t managed to sustain a successful career near home. Soon, though, I became excited. I was eager to work with my advisor. I had also found a great townhouse within walking distance of a school, park, and library.
My first visit back to Flint, for a science fiction and neuroethics conference hosted by the Center for Cognition and Neuroethics in March 2015, had me asking one question.
Can you ever really go home again? I arrived in Flint late at night, and I was only in town for a day and a half, so it was a little surreal. Still, I recall feeling like it wasn’t home. Places that were familiar to me since I was very young didn’t feel familiar. Everything that has changed over the past couple of years is a little bit of a shock to me – the oldies station playing music from when I was a teenager, the renovations to the University of Michigan-Flint. These changes are old news to everyone else, and I know that if I had stayed, I probably wouldn’t have really noticed.
This past month, I have visited with my family. For me, it was somewhat comforting being back. In addition to seeing my family and friends, I ran into one of my teachers from high school. He asked about my plans for my PhD, and I told him about my work at the University of Waterloo’s Centre for Teaching Excellence and Centre for Career Action.
Then I chatted with my former colleagues from two different departments at the University of Michigan-Flint (including the first department I worked for, way back in 2004), which reminded me of how much I enjoyed my both the work, and the people with whom I worked. Nevertheless, Michigan is no longer quite home. Recently my five and a half year old son told me, “I want to go back to our new home.” He was not even yet four when we moved. To him, Waterloo is home.
While people and groups of people have of course moved throughout recent history to pursue opportunities, a study shows that frequent moves during a person’s childhood may be connected to poorer life quality in adulthood.[4]
I have a dilemma, then. More so than people in other fields, job seekers in academia face the reality that they must move where jobs are available. Arguably, a new PhD will have trouble finding a position regardless. Phil Ray Jack points out that at least 70 percent of college courses are taught by part-time employees[5] (and that was in 2008!). According to Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus, the U.S. saw 100,000 new doctoral degrees from 2005-2009, but only 16,000 new professorial positions[6].
Those that secure tenure track positions will most likely have to move. More and more, I’m considering positions elsewhere in academia, known as alt-ac positions. For that reason, I’ve deliberately sought out positions in facilitation, event planning, and advising during my PhD. What I’ve discovered is a renewed vigor for teaching and advising – I love working with students; that is the reason I pursued a teaching degree in the first place. Knowing that a tenure track position is unlikely has opened my mind to new possibilities, and because of that, I’ve been able to take advantage of some amazing professional development opportunities at the University of Waterloo.
When I graduate, I would be delighted to stay and work in Waterloo, if there are suitable employment opportunities. I would be equally as delighted to return to Flint. Still, I have to be prepared for the possibility that there will not be jobs available when I look. To some extent, I’ll still be at the mercy of hiring trends, timing, and other factors beyond my control.
I’m optimistic, though. I know that starting my PhD in Waterloo when I did was the best move, both in my career and in my life, for me and for my family. Next time I pursue a career opportunity, I’ll be ready.
What about you? Have you had to move for a job or for school? Have you had to move a family? What were the factors in your decision, and what were the results?
[1] Challenger, Gray, and Christmas, Inc. “Q2 2013 Relocation Report: More Job Seekers Relocating for Work.” Survey. Challenger, Gray, and Christmas, Inc. 2013. Web. 30 Jul 2016. .
[2] Henderon, Maureen J. “Why Do Millennials Move? The Answers May Surprise You.” Forbes. 5 Apr 2016. Web. 31 Jul 2016. .
[3] Thompson, Derek. “The Go-Nowhere Generation Speaks: ‘I’d Love to Move, but I Can’t.’” The Atlantic. 15 Mar 2012. Web. 01 Aug 2016. .
[4] Oishi, Shigehiro and Ulrich Shimmack. “Residential Mobility, Well-being, and Mortality.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology98.6 (2010): 980-994.
[5] Jack, Phil Ray. “Waiting 20 Years for the Tenure Track.” Inside Higher Ed. 17 Jun 2008. Web. 02 Aug 2016. .
[6] Hacker, Andrew and Claudia Dreifus. Higher Education?: How Colleges are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids---and What We Can Do About It. New York: Times Books, 2010.
About The Author
Meghan K Riley is an ambitious, student-centred higher education professional, tutor and editor. She helps people with educational and career success, offering personalized tutoring, resume/cover letter review and university application coaching. Additionally, Meghan does research through the English Language and Literature PhD program at the University of Waterloo.
Meghan can be reached via Linkedin or via her website www.megankriley.com.
July 10, 2016
We Need A Thought Revolution
Everyone needs to take a deep breath. This week has been insane to say the least, and I know everyone is exhausted from the slew of depressing and disturbing content streaming on social media.
Let me get straight to the point here. All of these things that are happening now have always been happening. Both in America and all over the world. And we can devise all the strategies we want, the only way anything is going to change for good is if we change the way we think.
We need a thought revolution.
I mean everyone. Every single person reading this, everyone on this earth including myself needs to change the way we think. I mean radical change, the Enlightenment but brighter. The industrial era but more humane.
We need to realize that any prefix is divisive. That any label is exclusive. We are humans. All of us. There should not be space in our thoughts for wanting to harm another human being. There should not be space in our thoughts for wanting to disrespect another human being.
We need to look at a woman and see a person. We need to look at someone who is gay and see a person. We need to look at someone whose skin is black and see a person. We need to look at a Muslim and see a person.
Any other adjective before person should be meant to uplift not degrade. We must be able to criticize without demeaning. We must be able to accept criticism without being sensitive. And I don’t care how corny this sounds, but we must put LOVE first. To the point where it’s nearly impossible to do wrong.
Is any of this possible. I say HELL YES. Maybe this sounds a bit too iRobot for some people (the book not the movie), but why isn’t it possible to change our thinking to the point where we choose to love each other before hating each other. Where we see a human being before we add any labels - man, woman, gay, black, white, ugly, fat, skinny, muslim, christian, police officer - whatever.
We need a thought revolution. An awakening. A revival of humanity. The alternative is what we’re living now.
June 27, 2016
Jogging On The Backstreets
I never jog on the main road. Strictly the back streets. If it’s not scorching hot I’ll have my hoodie on both drawstrings pulled tight, or at least a cap pulled down as far as possible. Not sure what it is, but I don’t want anyone to know it’s me.
Sounds odd, I’m sure. Especially since 99.9% of the front and backyards I jog past have no idea who I am. At least I don’t think they do. But that doesn’t stop me from pretending they aren’t still judging. Wondering what this tall black guy is doing jogging on the sidewalk.
I hate that feeling. That feeling of people watching me. I watched Fantastic Four last night and envy that girl who can make herself invisible on command. That would for sure be my superpower, just so that I can jog free from peering eyeballs.
But the backstreets make it bearable. It cuts down on the number of cars I have turning their heads as they drive by. It takes away the people walking for a coffee, or for lunch, or to get to the subway or streetcar.
I’m more comfortable in the backstreets. The occasional “hi” to a passerby doesn’t bother me as much. I can think. I can be me. I can go as fast or slow as I want. There’s no one there expecting any more or less, expecting me to run faster, or longer, or telling me to pick my feet up when I stride.
That main road is scary. Too much of everything but not enough of what I want. When I’m coming down to the end of my jog, though, I like to walk. Maybe the last five minutes or so. It’s only then that I’ll step onto the main roads. Sweating, panting, my hoodie halfway off my head or my hat lifted up enough to tell who I am.
I’m more comfortable now. The work is complete. The eyes don’t bother me as much. I don’t even notice the cars anymore and I half smile at every other walker. By the time I get back home, everything’s good again. I love jogging.
June 25, 2016
Creating A Moment To Remember
What a night! For the past two months I’ve been preparing for the celebration of me completing my second manuscript for my novel titled BEAUTY SCARS. No it wasn’t a book launch. Beauty Scars isn’t even published yet. I literally just brought people together around the idea that just finishing a manuscript is an amazing accomplishment.
And it is. But I knew I wanted to make this night special. Special meaning that I wanted to create moments that people can take with them even after the night was over. And to do that, I knew it would take some work.
My thinking was simple, though. The theme of the night was expression. Yes this was celebrating my writing, but writing is just another form of creative expression and so I wanted to put as many forms of creative expression on display as possible.
The first thing I did was decide to hold the event inside of an art gallery. That would instantly set the mood and give people the first impression I wanted to create. I also had a bunch of pieces from the BEAUTY SCARS Book Cover Contest that I ran back in December. I went back to those same high school students for the originals and displayed them throughout the gallery.
And I didn’t just put them up any old way. I actually had a professional installation artist named Robert Young to come and do it for me. I have an amazing network of friends, so when I told Robert of my idea, he actually volunteered to do it.
Then I did something that most writers would probably consider sacrilege. I shared excerpts from BEAUTY SCARS with whoever was in attendance, and I didn’t just want to do a standard book reading. I decided to have an actor read the excerpts for me. Writing a book is one thing, but truly bringing a story to life through voice is an entirely different gift.
So I tapped into my network and reached out to someone from my writing group. His name is Shomee and he is a trained actor and playwright that I knew he would do an amazing job at bringing my book to life. And that is he exactly what he did.
Shomee didn’t read those excerpts as much as he performed them. And having him perform in theatre like style captivated everyone and turned a typical, banal book reading into a mesmerizing experience that was the most memorable of the evening.
And isn’t that what it’s really about? As writers, we always need to keep people engaged. We need them to connect with us on a whole different level because we aren’t selling a product that people necessarily need.
Especially when you’re a novelist, books are a luxury for your audience. Something they read in their spare time. So we must be able to offer more, and I believe that’s what I did on this night.
The reactions on people’s faces allowed me to see that I’d done something special. The enormous amount of praise I received for creating this scene let me know I’d done something special. And although the night is over, I’ve forever etched something in the memory of everyone who came to celebrate BEAUTY SCARS.
