Professor Neo reports for duty

There was a point as I was writing my dissertation when I thought that I might not actually finish. But now here I am, Visiting Assistant Professor at College X in a modest, midwestern town. It's a small, liberal arts school - jsut under 2,000 students, and the type of college I initially came from.

First, credit where credit is due. As a frequent visitor to ProfessorAnonymous.com, I was inspired to write a blog documenting my first year as a college professor. My choice of anonymity should be self-explanatory.

I'm in somewhat of a unique position. I just finished my PhD in June and was offered this one semester visiting appointment in the depart of biology. Not the most prestigious of assignments, but I'm not one to be picky. Some of my fellow graduates have yet to secure a job. This is a highly competitive school, and my colleagues admitted to me that they would probably not even considered a tenure-track candidate who did not have post-doc experience. And I was also honored that they contacted ME with the job offer - there was never eve an application. Sometimes having connections pays off.

The down side? It's an hour drive each way (not worth relocating for such a short time), and the pay is only $1044 net each month. Not even enough to pay the bills, and about have of what I was paid as a graduate student TA. Something's wrong here...but again, beggars can't be choosers. Though I sometimes have second thoughts, I remind myself of how good this school will look on my CV and just keep reminding myself to hang on.