For What It's Worth

Probably everyone knows this song. It's by Buffalo Springfield, a protest song from the sixties, but I guess most people think it's called "There's Something Happening Here", which is repeated in the song. I don't think the words of the title are anywhere in the song.

Anyway . . . I was going to use "Take This Job and Shove It" as my post title today, because I'm writing about something related to my work. The fact is, I love my work -- all of my weird little combined jobs that give me a sense of purpose and fulfillment (not always enough) and money (also not always enough). Even when I taught full-time, I had side jobs. Teaching at any level doesn't pay much, and no matter how simple one's lifestyle may be, there are practical matter that need to be dealt with -- specifically living expenses. I make enough money now with my various kinds of work. Teaching is my favorite, and getting on full-time would certainly take some pressure off, mainly because I would get benefits that I'm now paying for on my own.

A few months ago, I wrote about a position finally becoming available at the campus closest to my house with the college where I already teach. I rewrote and reformatted my resume and wrote a killer cover letter, and since then have just been checking the HR site from time to time to see if the position has been filled. Today I received a letter in the mail thanking me for my interest . . . [blah, blah, blah] . . . wishing me the best . . . In other words, I won't be interviewed for the position. As if that weren't enough to piss me off, the letter comes on the Saturday of a long weekend -- just in case I had intended to ask anyone what was going on. Let me remind you that this position is for exactly what I do now, and am, in fact, doing on the same campus in the fall. I'll be teaching a full course-load, the same number of classes as the person who actually does get this job.

I'm not even so upset that I won't get the job; I'm annoyed that I didn't get an interview. Am I wrong, or is this an absolute slap in the face? And I'm sure I'm not the only one in this situation. My choices are to say nothing, or make a big stink about it and risk any future classes I might get. I have no doubt that administration counts on Choice A, but maybe I can find something in between (as I did when a full-time position was filled at another campus, and I learned that it had been a transfer situation). Either way, it seems like a crappy practice, not to consider people for a full-time position who are already doing that job on a "part-time" basis. Of course, all adjuncts everywhere could stand up and protest by refusing to teach part-time, but I don't see that happening. There will always be someone willing to step in to fill the spots, whether that person does the job well or not. I can't complain too much because I voluntarily gave up my previous full-time position, but it really does stink.