welcome! jeremy freese is a professor in sociology at northwestern university. he finds blogging to be a good diversion from insomnia and a far better use of time than television.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
jeremy, is life better once you get tenure?
As a matter of fact, it is. I wasn't really thinking that it would make that much of a difference. Turns out, it does.
I agree completely with you. I didn't appreciate how important job security was to me until I was tenured. Tenure makes it possible for me to sleep soundly at night.
Anon: I don't want to get into certain specifics, but I will say this--the average moment-to-moment equanimity of my thoughts has definitely and sharply improved.
Are you sure the significant factor is tenure? You can have reduced levels of anxiety as a result of positive experiences in your life regardless of tenure, at the same time that I have known tenured profs who wont even pretend that they are capable of equanimity. In my opinion, what's missing for them is the joy of being surrounded by an ever-expanding number of people who delight in making their life and yours too, a good one. Maybe the question should be reformulated to "jeremy, is life better now in this period that happens to coincide with you having tenure?"
Yeah, aura. And if people smile at you on Mass. Ave., remember this and smile back. Or better, smile first. Who knows which ones are your Cambridge Anons, thinking 'Could that really be Jeremy?'
7 comments:
I agree completely with you. I didn't appreciate how important job security was to me until I was tenured. Tenure makes it possible for me to sleep soundly at night.
JF: Do you want to maybe expand on this and tell us why it makes a difference?
Tonya: Great blog profile photo.
Anon: I don't want to get into certain specifics, but I will say this--the average moment-to-moment equanimity of my thoughts has definitely and sharply improved.
Are you sure the significant factor is tenure? You can have reduced levels of anxiety as a result of positive experiences in your life regardless of tenure, at the same time that I have known tenured profs who wont even pretend that they are capable of equanimity. In my opinion, what's missing for them is the joy of being surrounded by an ever-expanding number of people who delight in making their life and yours too, a good one. Maybe the question should be reformulated to "jeremy, is life better now in this period that happens to coincide with you having tenure?"
... and soon to bestow his special aura on us in Cambridge — that's a blessing, say I.
Special aura? Oh please.
Yeah, aura. And if people smile at you on Mass. Ave., remember this and smile back. Or better, smile first. Who knows which ones are your Cambridge Anons, thinking 'Could that really be Jeremy?'
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