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Tenure: The COVID Edition
Congrats to all of you out there getting tenure. I hope your stressed out shoulders have moved away from your ears a bit.
This post, however, is for the folks that didn& #39;t get tenure.
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👋🏽" title="Waving hand (medium skin tone)" aria-label="Emoji: Waving hand (medium skin tone)">Hi! It happened to me once. I wanted you to know that I see you https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💙" title="Blue heart" aria-label="Emoji: Blue heart">
Congrats to all of you out there getting tenure. I hope your stressed out shoulders have moved away from your ears a bit.
This post, however, is for the folks that didn& #39;t get tenure.
I don& #39;t know your story but I know it can feel miserable.
I felt like a train going full speed and then like I slammed into a wall.
A few folks in the same position have shared publicly their advice, their reality and their insight in the tenure process.
I felt like a train going full speed and then like I slammed into a wall.
A few folks in the same position have shared publicly their advice, their reality and their insight in the tenure process.
I haven& #39;t done those things because I really don& #39;t have enough perspective at this points (lots of balls in the air currently but my lab closed/job ended in July 2019).
As a first step, I guess at the time I wish I had set up a filter to my social media better.
As a first step, I guess at the time I wish I had set up a filter to my social media better.
I was, and still am, happy when folks I know or & #39;Twitter-know& #39; get tenure.
But there& #39;s a real pain as I read their posts of what I have lost. They needed my cheers far less than I needed my sanity, so I probably would have muted & #39;tenure& #39; that during March-June.
How to do that:
But there& #39;s a real pain as I read their posts of what I have lost. They needed my cheers far less than I needed my sanity, so I probably would have muted & #39;tenure& #39; that during March-June.
How to do that:
A lot will change. One thing that doesn& #39;t change when you don& #39;t get tenure is you don& #39;t lose chances to participate in meaningful ways to the community.
I started a non profit @metoostem I still review papers and grants, submit papers & helping folks with their science careers
I started a non profit @metoostem I still review papers and grants, submit papers & helping folks with their science careers
In my experience, I found thinking about & #39;what do I want my trainees to see& #39; as a way to navigate the process helpful. I tried to keep that boundary with care and honesty.
I wanted them to know it hurt. That I was shocked and that it says nothing about their work.
I wanted them to know it hurt. That I was shocked and that it says nothing about their work.
I wanted to let my external colleagues know that there is a lot that goes into tenure that they can& #39;t look up by your H-index. To judge you or offer unsolicited advice on improving my CV is ignorant and hurtful.
I became deeply appreciative of people who didn& #39;t want to force their idea of help on me. Those that weren& #39;t going to pass my CV along or talk to a colleague. I figure there& #39;s time for that.
Having folks check in on me and ask what it was that I wanted really helped.
Having folks check in on me and ask what it was that I wanted really helped.
Sometimes I wanted someone to send me Reese Peanut Butter Cups because if someone is asking to help, and you don& #39;t know what you need, you should always ask for Peanut Butter Cups. That& #39;s just the law. I didn& #39;t make it*.
*I might have made it.
*I might have made it.
I appreciated my friends who still came to me wanting to work together even just to get my ideas and insight. It& #39;s too easy to feel like losing a job puts a big & #39;canceled& #39; on your forehead. Talking science validated why I loved my career.
I& #39;d offer that two sort of untraditional things helped me and maybe they will help you.
1) Keeping a daily gratitude journal. I write down every win every day. Some days a win is making awesome iced tea. Others it is turning in a review or revision.
1) Keeping a daily gratitude journal. I write down every win every day. Some days a win is making awesome iced tea. Others it is turning in a review or revision.
2) Quickly writing updated letters of recommendation for my trainees. It was one of the few things that felt good in early days. I didn& #39;t want my lab to close then be scrambling to put update LinkedIn recommendations or letters for post docs and continued education.
Writing updated letters of recommendation gave me a chance to show kindness to people I cared deeply about who were impacted by my being denied tenure.
It gave me a chance to reflect in a merciful and appreciative way on the work we accomplished together. It built my confidence
It gave me a chance to reflect in a merciful and appreciative way on the work we accomplished together. It built my confidence
There& #39;s great content out there than you think about tenure denial. I& #39;m not a fan of the & #39;failure& #39; verbiage that accompanies some of it.
I now realize how much the tenure process can be about really bad fits between people & environments to think it is one person& #39;s failure.
I now realize how much the tenure process can be about really bad fits between people & environments to think it is one person& #39;s failure.
Check out @hormiga https://smallpondscience.com/2013/12/16/coming-out-of-the-closet-tenure-denial-edition/">https://smallpondscience.com/2013/12/1... to get you started? I love the long look at tenure denial and multiple takes on what& #39;s next.
I& #39;d also recommend therapy and career coaching. It& #39;s really hard to invest in these things when you feel broken.
I& #39;d also recommend therapy and career coaching. It& #39;s really hard to invest in these things when you feel broken.
But I looked at it like my car got a flat and I could either push the car along, try to fix it myself or hire someone who knew what they were doing. I was in no mood or mindset to change my own tire, as it were.
Anywho. You aren& #39;t alone is an important message. I& #39;m sorry. It sucks.
My DM are almost always open but poke me and I always will follow anyone who wants to talk.
I& #39;ve got some time.
And some Reese Peanut Butter Cups.https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="đź’™" title="Blue heart" aria-label="Emoji: Blue heart">
My DM are almost always open but poke me and I always will follow anyone who wants to talk.
I& #39;ve got some time.
And some Reese Peanut Butter Cups.
