As they walk in hooded robes to the strains of “Pomp and Circumstance,” many students getting their doctorates this spring dream of heading to another university to begin their careers as tenure-track professors.
But when Elena Stover finished her doctorate in September, she headed to the poker tables. Frustrated with the limited opportunities and grueling lifestyle of academia, Stover, 29, decided to eschew a career in cognitive neuroscience for one playing online poker. She got the idea from a UCLA career counselor, who was trying to help her find employment.
“The job market is abysmal, especially within the academic system,” said Stover, who spent six years getting her doctorate at UCLA.
If job prospects are terrible within academia in general, they are even worse, if possible, in the tiny world of seminary education. Especially outside the evangelical sector.
David Handy+, Ph.D. in NT, 1998
who gave up on the dream of seminary teaching long ago
Dr. Handy,
Why not get together with some other friends from seminary that were in your Ph.D. program and put together some DVDs for instructing laymen in theology? I recently have come across some very good DVDs that provide non-accredited courses on all sorts of interesting topics.
Check out this one called The Teaching Company:
http://www.teach12.com/teach12.aspx?ai=16281
There is no reason you couldn’t do something similar or better. One of the great joys of T19 is having my thinking impacted by some very brilliant minds, yours included. Though I may disagree with some opinions here, I have learned volumes about my own faith, Church history, history in general, science, etc.
Lot’s of folks would love to learn NT Theology but do not have the time, money, or inclination to go back to college to do so. Don’t give up your dreams…see how you can live them out in other ways.