Nadine Gabbadon spent much of the spring and early summer fretting about completing her Ph.D dissertation at the University of Pennsylvania and finding a communications-related faculty job. There were times when it seemed like accomplishing both was a long shot at best.
“As an academic, it’s already slim pickings as it is,” she said. “When I actually started looking, I started to panic.”
Gabbadon’s fortunes changed when she learned about an opening at Lincoln (Pa.) University. By late July, she accepted an offer from the school and resumed work on her dissertation, which she expected to complete by the end of this month.
“It’s funny because I stopped looking (at the time of the offer),” she says. “I still haven’t processed it. It is a relief because I would end up adjuncting.”
Thanks to the faculty position, Gabbadon says she can continue her research without worrying about job security.
Over 1,200 miles away, Terry Porter, a doctoral candidate in organizational leadership at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., has been disappointed by the lack of opportunities in his field as he prepares for his job search.
“The thing I’m seeing is that there aren’t a lot of positions available,” says Porter, who will be applying for full-time faculty posts next years. “I’m seeing a lot more part-time lecturers and adjunct positions than I am tenure-track. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of opportunities.”
