"Career Path"

[paisley1974]

That's not a phrase I've ever really thought I would apply to myself, but strangely enough, here I am.  I got to school at 9 this morning for the department's "professionalization" seminar which they hold every two years, which covers things that are helpful to people who want to go on the job market to be an English professor.  I was a little

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part two-my previous message exceeded the max word count!

[paisley1974]

Though it made me nervous to ask Bill to be my advisor, I actually am glad that we aren't all assigned to the program director--he's a really entertaining speaker, and is the guru of critical theory, but he kind of lacks skills of being personable (to say it in a nice way). During my meeting with him the beginning of the semester, I definitely go the feeling that a big part of his purpose was to try to scare and intimidate me; I don't have a lot of patience for such things. However, his attitude is quite unusual in this department--so many of my other professors have been quite generous with their time and support. In addition to my taking care of myself, seeking out other people has been the other key to my sanity. When I got my BA and started grad school, Uncle Rick sent me a card that said, "Welcome to the fellowship," and it really does seem to be like that--the profs I've talked to have all been really interested in finding out how I'm doing, and assuring me that the freaking out and stuff is a normal experience that everyone goes through.

And, there are two Southernists in the department, both of whom are movers and shakers, which is good for me. Although, I'm being quite pulled my modernism at the moment--though modernism and Southern lit are a nice combo. Faulkner is just a bloody genius. When I was talking to Dr. Schoenbach, my modernism teacher, she gave me some books to use for my Faulkner paper on memory--one of which is Derrida, so we'll see how I do with Derrida. My modernism presentation is actually going to be on Proust, and an article by somebody Benjamin who wrote about motifs in Baudelaire which can be compared to Swann's Way. I do love Proust, except that he writes so beautifully about sleep that I actually fell asleep reading it this afternoon (although, being at school by nine this morning probably contributed to that!).

I do think it's funny now that I'm totally committed to a "career path." I think it's wonderful that, in exchange for my jumping through some hoops, it's quite plausible that people will be willing to pay me a salary to teach, read, research, write, and go to conferences. I think that we are both setting ourselves nicely up to collaborate on something at some point in the future. What fun!!