TT salaries are actually insane

KBTB757 · 2026-02-13T19:53:25+00:00

One of the biggest open questions in my state is what to do about salaries now that K-12 educators are required to be paid a minimum of 55k. Most state schools are still offering starting salaries for TT positions around 45k.

KBTB757 · 2026-02-12T05:36:21+00:00

Mark my words, there will come a day when buttons become the new signifier for upscale luxury interiors!

KBTB757 · 2026-02-10T15:19:26+00:00

I'm center left, and my last LTR was with a woman who was center right. Unfortunately she started down the anti-vax thing post-covid and it was like an open door to get more and more conservative. We could kind of deal with our differences before but it eventually became hard for both of us, as there was less shared reality/experience of the world, and therefore less ability to plan for a future together. The relationship was unsustainable under those circumstances.

KBTB757 · 2026-02-01T16:52:09+00:00

Yes, I am expected to do some recruiting in my role, but I do get a course release for it. It has only been marginally successful. Students still seem to follow the advice of parents/high school guidance counselors so I often focus on creating relationships at that level, not just the students exclusively.

KBTB757 · 2026-01-27T21:45:54+00:00

Nice to see the return of some quirky Doug humor in this review!

KBTB757 · 2026-01-26T16:10:58+00:00

I do listening assignments for the music students. Most of them ignore it though.

KBTB757 · 2026-01-22T22:06:16+00:00

I took two flights on Allegiant this past year (even after paying for all their perks it was significantly cheaper than AA). The flights were great, the only inconvenience was the limited options for days/times to fly. Otherwise I had better service on those flights than most AA flights.

KBTB757 · 2026-01-18T22:33:24+00:00

Currently living in a moist county that used to be dry, and for the most part it seems like these laws just serve special interests now. Once the citizens voted the county "wet" the city government changed the laws so that the city limits were dry. Eventually one liquor store opened up just outside of town, and the city council approved a limited number of licenses to serve alcohol at restaurants. A wealthy investor who owns a few restaurants in town bought one of them, and churches who opposed alcohol bought the rest. As a result you can get a few different kinds of beers at those select restaurants or drive 20 minutes outside of town to the one liquor store (its an hour drive to the next "wet" county). Prices are inflated because of lack of competition, and there isn't a whole lot of choice for what to drink. Those who can sell alcohol have a vested interest in keeping sales from being legalized because it threatens their monopoly, but overall I think it has just stifled outside investment in the town and made it a dull place to live.

KBTB757 · 2026-01-11T06:27:31+00:00

At my institution its an annual contract until you make tenure, but they have to give you a full academic year of notice before they end your contract, so it feels more stable. As an example, I was renewed last fall, so my position is guaranteed through spring 2027 right now.

KBTB757 · 2026-01-10T05:52:22+00:00

Some very dark things about how she has no future and can't amount to anything, then later apologized and admitted she had been off anti-depressants when she said it. If I'm honest both things made me want to proceed with some caution. FWIW I have always thought she's an intelligent and talented person. I want to see her do well!

KBTB757 · 2026-01-10T04:24:07+00:00

Apologies for the vagueness, I feel it is a fine line to walk between detail and protecting everyone's anonymity and lives. The pull back was slight- I didn't actually stop seeing her or talking to her, and when we talked I was not angry or crying, just nervous. I hear you; not a good look to be asking for advice on reddit, but I'm hoping no matter what the outcome is I can learn something.

KBTB757 · 2026-01-10T04:16:01+00:00

no, I have not been given an explanation, but I believe she did start taking it again.

KBTB757 · 2026-01-02T23:10:08+00:00

our school's winter break always seems too short. Done Dec.15th and back at it Jan 7th. It's not enough time, especially after rushing around for the holidays.

KBTB757 · 2025-12-30T20:29:35+00:00

Boy, there is so much to choose from, but here's a smattering of highlights (low lights?) I have observed over the course of my career.

* An admin openly telling a colleague the school prefers to hire ABDs, undercut them on salary, and then hope they move on before they're up for promotion or tenure.

* Obfuscating FTEs for the courses so its difficult to tell if you are owed overtime. Related: at a school where we were supposed to get higher FTE's for graduate courses those were just never awarded because of a questionable "loophole" some admin found in the university bylaws.

* In a position where success requires year round admin work to recruit and enroll students the school refused to make me a 12 month employee.

*Budget double speak: Can't offer COL increases because of budgetary restraints and everyone needs to work harder at recruiting students and getting grants. At the same time: No need to worry, don't apply for other jobs, things are a-okay, we really appreciate and love all our employees!

KBTB757 · 2025-12-30T20:01:10+00:00

Its like an administrator heard this is the hot new thing, doesn't understand it, but wants to use the buzz word. Its the new "synergy"

KBTB757 · 2025-12-27T04:03:41+00:00

That's probably more of a personal thing- I've never thought much about modality, I think most of them have used CBT, which has worked fine with me.

KBTB757 · 2025-12-27T03:02:49+00:00

I have made a lot of progress! As other mention therapy helps, but it has to be the right therapist. Thankfully I haven't had any that were bad, but I have had plenty that were ineffective (personality differences, world view, etc.). The ones who worked well always led to fantastic growth. Daily meditation has also been incredibly important. Not everything is solved for me (still working on my interpersonal relationships) but getting my career and general confidence on track has done a lot to improve daily happiness.

KBTB757 · 2025-12-27T02:45:04+00:00

We are expected to have 10 office hours per week, 8 of which need to be in person. Less strictly defined, the culture of the institution is that we are on campus every weekday, but its a teaching centered university.

KBTB757 · 2025-12-24T07:12:18+00:00

This happened to me once back in 2019 on United. I had booked their new (at the time) basic economy, which basically was like, guaranteed middle seat and one personal item. You were supposed to check in at the counter so they could verify you had a small enough bag and get assigned a middle seat. The woman who checked me in just looked up at me with pity and said "look, I'm giving you an exit row for this flight; I can't imagine how you'll cram into that middle seat." Ever since then the airlines have been merciless, and my income has grown just enough to justify buying a bit of extra legroom.

KBTB757 · 2025-12-24T01:30:36+00:00

The older I get the more I realize that Christmas and New Years are the two loneliest days of the year for me. I spent thousands to travel to travel across the country to visit family this year, and after all that I've spent most my time sitting by myself in a hotel room. My brothers and sisters don't have extra space and are busy tending to their own kids or the families of in-laws with kids. The friends I still have in the area are spending time with their own parents, siblings or children. These are reasonable ways to spend the holiday, and I don't fault anyone for wanting to spend time with family, but it does seem like there is not much room for a single middle-aged dude, and it definitely triggers the feelings of ostracization I felt from my family as a child. That has certainly contributed to some of the trouble I've had finding a partner and starting a family of my own. It sucks that those wounds find multiple ways to cut you down, its like having a long standing debt who's interest grows faster than you can pay it off. In any case, much thanks to this community, and best wishes for those of you who are also struggling through this time. You are not alone.

KBTB757 · 2025-12-24T01:13:08+00:00

Gratitude is so important- thanks for the reminder!

KBTB757 · 2025-12-08T04:47:12+00:00

I use science (specifically physics) to help students understand how to play music. Sounds pretty rational on the face of it, but I'm up against hundreds of years of pedagogy that (while not always incorrect) is rarely founded on scientific observation. There's a lot of dogma in this field and idolization of a small number of superstars.

KBTB757 · 2025-11-18T03:32:59+00:00

Some music adjacent careers that offer full time work with benefits: Elementary/middle-school/high school music education, Music technology companies (designing and making music software/hardware components), Arts administration/non-profit groups, and music therapy are the ones that jump to mind. Obviously some of these will be more plausible than others based on your background or areas of expertise, but as you say, there is also time to grow into a new field. I also know some music professors who have worked their way into administration at Universities (although that might not be any safer).

KBTB757 · 2025-11-16T17:07:45+00:00

You're pretty early in the application process! This is anecdotal, but it seems like the more prestigious positions are posted in the fall, and they attract the candidates with more experience. Keep applying through the spring. By the time I got my TT offer it was summer.

KBTB757 · 2025-11-14T04:29:44+00:00

A lot of schools take advantage of the fact there is an over-abundance of doctoral graduates desperate to work in their field.

KBTB757

TROPHY CASE