For someone considering becoming a Professor, is there a lot of drama at the workplace?

[karrie_o]

In departments, do professors sleep with each other/is there constant animosity over who gets tenure and who doesn't/or any other types of drama? Just curious if what I "heard" is actually true in terms of what kind of environment it is.
~Karrie

Comments

[curieuse]

Often.

[poldyb]

as a rule, sometimes.

[sbeth76]

The degree of the drama depends on the department, but every work place has some drama, right? I chose a job in a department that felt pretty drama free and it's been good so far (I'm 1.5 years in). I went on interviews in some departments that couldn't quit bickering long enough to let me do my job talk. As for sex, I haven't seen much of that. The only department sex I'm aware of has been between married couples who are both employed in the same department. In grad school I heard some gossip about sex between younger faculty and senior graduate students but none of the married straight male faculty seemed to want to sleep with one another.

[daisyrainwater]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAH! Sorry. *sniff*

Yes.

[alierakieron]

excuse me, i'll be over here laughing hysterically.

[poldyb]

they are not all like that

[alierakieron]

Nah, I just got back to back unlucky.

But in all honesty: Academia is a field filled with highly intelligent, highly strung people with a high need for external validation. Drama comes with the territory.

[poldyb]

Academia is also filled with highly intelligent, friendly, easy-going people. I'm just not one of them, since I live for the drama.