Staying Sane on the Tenure Track Shane Henderson Cornell University Ph.D. Colloquium, 2008 WSC

Initial Thoughts Why listen to me? Perhaps you shouldn’t! Impostor Syndrome –“You’re no good, and they’re going to find out…” Richard Felder: Useful workshop! To come: research, service, teaching, tenure, time management, personal life

Research Reality is a great source of problems, just be careful Attend an NSF (or other) review panel Don’t paint a topic as something it isn’t Publish in the right place Don’t get defensive when presenting Don’t submit abstracts before you’ve done the work Or at least be vague in the abstract …

Service Focus on external service here Volunteering really is fun, but avoid the biggies until later Refereeing: –Do reports “immediately” or not at all –Be constructive –Worthwhile? New? True? –Pointing out all typos is not refereeing When you get tenure your service load will double

Teaching Part I Read panel papers from recent WSCs If all else fails, be organized Say no to week-long workshops Assign a TA to handle all hw queries Allow regrading, but regrade the lot –Discourages “one-point wonders” Be careful in wording hw and exams

Teaching Part II Exam makeups will be a major pain Prevent post-exam editing Use a grading scheme that allows for improvement over the semester Don’t take it personally Make classroom safe for questions Avoid

Tenure Yes, it’s a good deal! Don’t make it your over-riding goal Don’t be in a hurry to get there A postdoc or visiting position helps Keep the stress under control –You can be valued elsewhere –Tenure is an unexpected bonus

Tenure II Be who you want to be Keep the flywheel turning Be visible (some external service) Maximize marketability

Time Management OHIO Learn to say No That sounds important, but I cannot devote sufficient time to do the job well right now I’m sorry, but my portfolio of commitments is full at this time Get lost!

Time Management II Keep a calendar and a to-do list Don’t use your inbox as a to-do list Accept that sometimes progress will be limited, especially in the first year Find the work mode that fits you best Don’t discount in time

Personal Life Get a hobby where you cannot think of work Don’t work 14 hours a day, assuming life gets calmer after tenure Find a sympathetic soul Take pity on your spouse and friends Keep your ego under control

Special Thanks to…