This is my response to the person whose survey response is here. As I said in the intro to that post, I go back and forth sometimes about how vocal to be on this blog. I’m really interested in getting a variety of viewpoints, and in providing a forum for people to be honest. I don’t want to discourage people from sharing their perspectives by being disrespectful or discouraging to the respondents. That being said, I also have a viewpoint, and to be totally honest, this respondent made me mad. So I’m going to go ahead and comment on this one. If you are considering taking one of the surveys, please don’t let my scathing wit scare you away. I’m grateful really.
Dude.
I don’t know if you actually are a pompous jerk, or if you’re just coming across as one due to being a poor communicator. Let me address three of your responses.
1. In regards to your PhD:
Here are a few articles about PhDs on food stamps
NPR
HuffPo
Chronicle of Higher Education
Please note that during the recession the number of PhDs on food stamps more than tripled, while the number of Master’s on food stamps only nearly tripled. Are you really being picky, or are you just not facing the fact that your PhD may not provide you any particular advantage in the job market?
I applaud your hard work, and honestly I believe that education is always enriching, even if it doesn’t land you a job. I think more people should go for PhDs and that people who have them should be congratulated. But be real.
2. In regards to your declining to name your job ad sources:
Personally, I’m not looking for the same kind of work that you are, so I don’t need your sources. INALJ probably already has your sources. I asked Naomi how many she had and she said:
wow- it is in the hundreds I think- I assign 64 to senior editors, then roughly 5-15 for states editors (each) plus listservs… I will be tabulating it all for the Feb 4th launch of my new INALJ states pages. I also instruct the editors to Use The Source url (do not go hunting for a better job link, if you found it on ALAJobList or MPLA then give them credit by using their link) Something I feel strongly about
Isn’t she collegial and generous? Anyway, if you read this blog, please stop. If you want to take advantage of free resources that are founded on the idea of people being willing to share information and experiences, you gotta share too.
3. In regards to your comments about the survey:
Fair play. I’m not a researcher, and I don’t have a PhD. I do pilot my surveys by sending them to test subjects, but this is pretty informal so I don’t worry too much about how scientifically valid my data is. I do like to improve. If you want to make specific suggestions, that would be helpful. Telling me to consult a survey design expert is not. It’s just kind of snarky.
Ok, I’m done. Sorry. The survey is still open, by the way, so if you want to see if you can out snark this last person, and get me all fired up again, well, CHALL-ANGE!
Hiring Librarians 