So, first: The bad news. I didn't get the job that I applied for last month. News like that is difficult to hear. When you apply for a job, it's usually not a shot in the dark. (I mean, I'm not going to go to the Toronto Raptors training camp. My slam dunk needs serious work. Also: I need to gain a few feet in height. And: Some athletic skills.) You apply because you think that you have a chance, even though the new job may be outside of your usual skill set. You look to challenge yourself, grow, develop, and change. Or maybe you're just tired of the same old, same old. If you believe this of yourself, why wouldn't others, too?
But then...maybe the hiring committee was right. Maybe I'm not the kind of person they need in this position. If you're looking for someone who's going to be an arm-twister, trying to get professors to buy into new ways of teaching, I'm not your guy. Courteously, I was told of the committee's decision in person--not in an email or, worse, only hearing about it when you learn that another candidate got the job. And I was given some reasons, which were along the lines of you're-good-but-you're-not-the-right-fit-for-this explanations. Although the higher pay and tenure would have been nice, if I end up being stressed and hating the nature of my job, it's not worth it.
So: On to the good news. I'm still a Faculty Lecturer. I've got a 2-year rolling contract, which gives me more job security than many other Contract Academic Staff: Teaching (even if there is a clause in my contract that says they can dump me with 2 weeks notice!). And the hiring committee made a case to the Vice Dean of Science that my contract as a Faculty Lecturer should be a 5-year renewable, like all Faculty Lecturers in Arts. There even have been rumours of an interest shown by central admin in creating a category of tenured teaching-only positions--maybe just a glimmer at the end of the tunnel, but it's better than nothing.
The best news: I'll still be teaching--8 classes a year. It would have been really hard to give that up. It energizes me to see so many students keenly interested in learning, and sharing the passion (ugh, that word) that I have for psychology.
Why aren't you studying?
