vince pitelka on thu 8 jun 00
> Marcia,
> Thanks for the break down in MFA studio positions. Guess it boils down to
> the fact that one going for a college teaching job has about one chance in
> 100. Not great odds, but they have been worse.
> Joyce A
Joyce -
This is still deceptive. If you look at the figures, then yes, one in 100
that apply for a teaching job in a particular year get one. But that does
not at all translate to one in 100 odds of ever getting a teaching job if
you have an MFA. In my experience, almost every person with a MFA who is
really committed to getting a tenure track teaching job eventually gets one.
Sometimes it takes years of residencies, part-time teaching, and sabatical
replacement positions before the real thing comes along, but as I said, the
people who get the jobs are the ones who do good work, who consistently get
their work in shows, and who accumulate a good range of teaching and other
professional art experience on their resume (which demonstrates a strong
commitment to teaching). Those things are all within the grasp of ANYONE
who is really committed to the goal of full-time college teaching.
This commitment must start when you are still in grad school. If you really
want a teaching job, then be sure to find a grad program with a good record
of giving teaching assistantships, and preferably one where you get to teach
your own classes, rather than just assisting another faculty member. If
possible, find a three-year MFA program, which will allow you more teaching
experience while also providing the time to keep up with your own work.
Maybe I can shed a little light on this by telling of my own experience.
While I was in grad school I taught ceramics and 3-D design classes for my
teaching assistantship, I taught continuing education ceramics classes over
winter-session and every summer, and I taught evening recreational ceramics
classes for Amherst Township Leisure Services.
When I finished my MFA at UMass Amherst I went through three years of
applying for dozens of jobs every year (with full application packets with
slide portfolios for every one) and attending the CAA conferences and dozens
of on-campus interviews, before a full-time position panned out. But during
those three years I taught consistently. I applied for adjunct teaching in
all the local colleges, and my first semester out of grad school I taught
five adjunct classes at three separate colleges. Needless to say, I did not
get any of my own work done that semester. Fortunately, at the end of that
first semester I was hired as half-time technician for the ceramics program
at UMass, and I continued to teach art foundations half-time at Northeastern
University in Boston. I did those two jobs for another two and a half
years. It was great experience, and gave me open access to the ceramics
facilities at UMass.
Also, anyone who is committed to getting a teaching job has to be willing to
go where the job is, NO MATTER WHERE that is. You do not get to pick the
job. It picks you, if you are lucky. You apply for every single job for
which you are qualified, and hope for the best. At the end of the third
year after grad school I was offered one of those jobs some people might not
even apply for. I was hired into a tenure-track job at North Dakota State
University in Fargo, coordinating the Art Department and teaching ceramics,
drawing, art history, and art appreciation. Lots of hats to wear. I loved
it there. The people were great, there was an active art scene in the
Fargo-Moorhead area, and the students were very hungry for knowledge and
experience. I stayed there three years before I was hired here at TTU.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Home - vpitelka@dekalb.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
vince pitelka on sat 10 jun 00
> it in their own way. We all do and make a LOT of sacrifices along the
way.
> If I had to do it all over again, would I? Probably, with a couple
> modifications, but at least I would know what I was up against and be
better
> prepared. And that is all I ask for the MFA people.
Joyce -
I am not sure you intended for this to go to Clayart, but I am glad it did,
because it was so heartfelt and to the point. You are exactly right, of
course. You no doubt saw Lee Love's post today with the quote from Goethe.
The first step to success in any venture is to really believe in what you
are doing. So, the secret is to be completely aware of the reality of the
situation, of the odds against us in the real world, and then proceed with a
sure sense of direction. It does no good when art faculty misrepresent the
situation, and too many of them do. I try to be straightforward and honest
with people about their prospects for getting a higher-education teaching
job. But I am an optimist, and I firmly believe that one shoud set one's
sights high, and stick to one's goals.
And regarding teaching in a community college, some of the happiest, best
adjusted teachers I know are in community colleges. I think that there
tends to be less bureaucratic bullshit and artspeak than there is in
universities. Am I right in that assumption? It just seems that the stress
level is lower.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Home - vpitelka@dekalb.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
WHew536674@CS.COM on sat 10 jun 00
Vince,
Oh, I agree. I was just trying to keep it simple and looking at the odds at
one years time. I don't think many people in grad school are aware of the
process it takes to bring the odds down. Goodness knows, I wasn't. Last
night I was talking to a woman who just got her MFA and she was asking me
what she could do. She was not willing to apply for jobs out of the area
because she is married and has children. There are only 3 colleges in the
Valley and no openings. So if she is not available to go else where, what is
she to do. I honestly did not have a good answer for her. I did the same
thing you did for the most part. It was hard and frustrating. Never did get
on a tenure track, because I am at a community college. But that is O.K. I
am basically happy to be there. The thing that eats away at me is that I
don't think most grad students have an idea of what it takes to reach that
goal. Many give up. Read somewhere that 10 years after MFA graduation, only
1 in 10 are still pursuing their art, the other 9 are in unrelated jobs.
Maybe they gave up too soon, whatever. My daughter just graduated from
college with a B.S. in Fashion Design. She is going to numerous interviews,
got a job offer the day after she graduated, and her friends in the world of
engineering and business and picking and choosing their jobs and entering at
30 to 45 thousand right out of school with no working experience. I am happy
for them, but it pains me that someone who spends a minimum of 6 years in
college in art has to struggle so painfully, for so many years, to get their
goal met. Yes, that was their decision and they have to learn to deal with
it in their own way. We all do and make a LOT of sacrifices along the way.
If I had to do it all over again, would I? Probably, with a couple
modifications, but at least I would know what I was up against and be better
prepared. And that is all I ask for the MFA people.
Joyce A.
Mission, TX
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