Jenkins analyzes two-year university careers
This past Friday in the Shapiro Campus Center, Rob Jenkins, a published author and tenured associate professor of English at Georgia Perimeter College, spoke of the benefits of and options in choosing a career teaching at a two-year university.
Though Jenkins displayed a PowerPoint presentation, he spoke predominantly on a question-and-answer basis, shaping his speech around the questions and opinions of the participants.
Jenkins began his presentation by saying that most applicants were either unaware or unprepared to teach in a two-year institution.
Jenkins stressed the advantages of choosing a career path in the two-year college system for a number of reasons, including generally easy-to-acquire tenure, no "publish or perish" rule whereby one must publish works in order to achieve tenure and the relative ease in branching out within the two-year college system.
He also emphasized the unimportance of having a terminal degree in one's field of study, the possibilities for enhanced community involvement over those a full research-university professor would have, as well as relatively competitive salary and benefits.
Among other topics mentioned in the discussion were the negative aspects of working in a two-year institution over a four-year institution.
Most two-year schools do not take into consideration an applicant's research history or plans for academic research. That is why jobs in two-year schools are generally advertised as teaching jobs where the majority of work duties are teaching and grading, and not researching, explained Jenkins.
Jenkins related this to the lack of a need for a terminal degree, especially a Ph.D., due to the unimportance in having a doctoral dissertation and the irrelevance of having research hours.
However, said Jenkins, one could look at the insignificance in having a terminal degree and research as time and money-saving steps toward securing a job in an unsteady economy.
Unfortunately, it is usually harder to find and secure a full-time two-year college position than a full-time four-year college position. It often becomes a necessity to choose a part-time position in order to secure some form of employment at the school in which an applicant is interested.
One of the most important topics in choosing a career that arose in the discussion was that of salary and benefits.
Two-year colleges pay less than four-year colleges, for the most part, for both part-time and full-time professors. "The average professor earns [a beginning salary] in the low- to mid-40 thousand dollar range," with an upper range of about "75 to 80 thousand dollars."
A full-time professor can earn an extra 15 to 20 thousand dollars if they forgo their summer break and work a 12-month school year.
Jenkins concluded his presentation with advice on applying for a teaching position in a two-year university.
"Do a demonstration, not a presentation. Prove your worth," he said.
Above all, he emphasized the importance in perfecting interviewing techniques, networking and being open to different career possibilities within the school system.
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