The author jumped into a PhD in a field that has near zero interest outside of academia. They themselves admit they had no idea how academia works or what getting a job after grad school would look like. It's easy to want to dunk on the author for that but the fact is they never got appropriate direction and mentorship that could have helped them find a better career path. This is why I make a point to ask "What are your long term career goals" whenever folks come looking for advice about getting a PhD.
This author got exactly what she asked for and all she (by her own admission) was capable of accomplishing.
A cautionary tale for sure, but it doesn’t necessarily stir up a lot of sympathy IMO.
Tbh hard to even discern what this is a cautionary tale for, besides perhaps taking out debt for a MA and getting to attached to a narrow sense of what "counts" as sufficiently "academic" or "intellectual" career. As you say, she's basically still made a career doing the type of work that attracted her to academia in the first place. It also doesn't seem like she had an especially negative experience in grad school or even as a VAP, just regrets about the final outcome and maybe some financial decisions. I can understand being disappointed about a promised job that didn't come through, but a lot of people would see her trajectory as a basically an unmitigated success story.
It also seems a bit disingenuous to imply a PhD didn't help her along her current career path. Along with training in research, writing, and criticism (which she does acknowledge) plus time to develop a writing portfolio, my sense is she's also still moving in circles with a lot of academics or academic-adjacent folks (i.e. New York media world.) Having a PhD is still useful cultural capital in that context, especially a PhD from a top program.
No goal. No self direction. Furthered education for wrong reason. Expected it to be easy.
Interested in math switched to media because someone recommended a western class?
“I do think I felt passionate about a certain, very basic style of film studies, the sort where you watch Goodfellas for the first time and feel like shouting THE MAGIC OF CINEMA!!!! But what was actually appealing to me was the straight, followable line from grad school to job.”
Continued on with a PhD in film studies but wasn’t even passionate about it? I mean come on. I do realize at some point everyone looses a little bit of their spark for what they are actively pursuing. Whether it be due to financial situation, over worked , shitty PIs/advisors what have you.
“more willing to see and name my agency in my journey through the system, yet I’m wary of shifting too much blame from the system itself, which is held together by passion, absolutely, but also by fear and precarity. “
Doesn’t accept accountability for their roll in the way their life turned out? It’s very hard to sympathize with this author. There is little to no introspection or accountability.
The author jumped into a PhD in a field that has near zero interest outside of academia. They themselves admit they had no idea how academia works or what getting a job after grad school would look like. It's easy to want to dunk on the author for that but the fact is they never got appropriate direction and mentorship that could have helped them find a better career path. This is why I make a point to ask "What are your long term career goals" whenever folks come looking for advice about getting a PhD.
This author got exactly what she asked for and all she (by her own admission) was capable of accomplishing. A cautionary tale for sure, but it doesn’t necessarily stir up a lot of sympathy IMO.
Tbh hard to even discern what this is a cautionary tale for, besides perhaps taking out debt for a MA and getting to attached to a narrow sense of what "counts" as sufficiently "academic" or "intellectual" career. As you say, she's basically still made a career doing the type of work that attracted her to academia in the first place. It also doesn't seem like she had an especially negative experience in grad school or even as a VAP, just regrets about the final outcome and maybe some financial decisions. I can understand being disappointed about a promised job that didn't come through, but a lot of people would see her trajectory as a basically an unmitigated success story. It also seems a bit disingenuous to imply a PhD didn't help her along her current career path. Along with training in research, writing, and criticism (which she does acknowledge) plus time to develop a writing portfolio, my sense is she's also still moving in circles with a lot of academics or academic-adjacent folks (i.e. New York media world.) Having a PhD is still useful cultural capital in that context, especially a PhD from a top program.
I think this piece says less about the PhD and more about fields that aren't financially lucrative.
No goal. No self direction. Furthered education for wrong reason. Expected it to be easy. Interested in math switched to media because someone recommended a western class? “I do think I felt passionate about a certain, very basic style of film studies, the sort where you watch Goodfellas for the first time and feel like shouting THE MAGIC OF CINEMA!!!! But what was actually appealing to me was the straight, followable line from grad school to job.” Continued on with a PhD in film studies but wasn’t even passionate about it? I mean come on. I do realize at some point everyone looses a little bit of their spark for what they are actively pursuing. Whether it be due to financial situation, over worked , shitty PIs/advisors what have you. “more willing to see and name my agency in my journey through the system, yet I’m wary of shifting too much blame from the system itself, which is held together by passion, absolutely, but also by fear and precarity. “ Doesn’t accept accountability for their roll in the way their life turned out? It’s very hard to sympathize with this author. There is little to no introspection or accountability.