Your Career: What if you can’t leave a 'dead-end job'?

How to manage your way out of a stagnant career ADVERTISEMENT [Your Career Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. How to manage your way out of a stagnant career When you hit a wall, careerwise, your immediate instinct is to blame the position — or the institution that created it — as the source of the problem. And sometimes that’s the case. Certainly higher education can be a daunting place to work, especially for people who are untenured, who work in staff roles, or who come from underrepresented or less-privileged backgrounds. But for any number of reasons — financial, family, field — you might be unable to quit your job or leave academe. Discussions of the structural underpinnings of workplace dissatisfaction are important and necessary. But they offer thin gruel for anyone hungry for immediate, practical career guidance. So which aspects of your predicament can you control? What changes could you make to improve your own situation? While quitting your faculty or staff job, or acquiring more credentials, might be the appropriate next step, those aren’t your only options. The more complex and constrained that you perceive your outward circumstances to be, the more you stand to benefit from refocusing on things you can actually influence: your own mind-set and actions. For six tips on that front, continue reading: “[But What if You Can’t Quit Your Dead-End Job?]( by Maria LaMonaca Wisdom Share your suggestions for the newsletter with Denise Magner, an editor at The Chronicle, at denise.magner@chronicle.com. If you’d like to opt out, you can log in to our website and [manage your newsletter preferences here](. ADVERTISEMENT UPCOMING PROGRAM [The Chronicle's Bootcamp for Future Faculty Leaders] [Join us in September]( for a professional development program tailored to the needs of midcareer faculty. Experienced academic leaders and faculty members will provide insights on the diverse professional paths that might be taken by faculty members in this one-day virtual program. [Register today!]( NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. To read this newsletter as soon as it sends, [sign up]( to receive it in your email inbox. LATEST CAREER ADVICE, OPINION, AND NEWS ADVICE [Ask the Chair: Brokering a Generational Stalemate]( By Kevin Dettmar How to deal with one of the top sources of departmental conflict. COLLATERAL DAMAGE [When Your Professor Disappears and No One Will Tell You Why]( By Katherine Mangan For three UCLA doctoral students, the punishment imposed on their mentor set them back, too. 'SHOVED ASIDE' [A 50-Year-Old Partnership Is Dissolving, Posing a Novel Risk to Tenure]( By Lee Gardner As Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis breaks into two institutions, some professors face an uncertain future. ADVICE [What Do You Need in Your Next President?]( By Suzanne Teer Too many leadership searches cut short the planning phase, which can be a missed opportunity and a time-consuming mistake. THE REVIEW | OPINION [A Shady, Secret Presidential Perk]( By James H. Finkelstein and Judith A. Wilde College leaders are already well paid. Why should they get ultra-low-interest loans too? THE REVIEW | ESSAY [AI Means Professors Need to Raise Their Grading Standards]( By Michael W. Clune ChatGPT has transformed grade inflation from a minor corruption to an enterprise-destroying blight. FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [The Accessible Campus - The Chronicle Store]( [The Accessible Campus]( Despite years of legislation meant to open up higher education to people with disabilities, colleges are still a long way from achieving equity. [Order your copy]( to examine how colleges are working to be more accessible and the challenges that remain. What we’re reading Here’s more on career issues and trends from around the web. See something we should include? [Let me know](mailto:denise.magner@chronicle.com?subject=Your Career feedback). - In the Harvard Business Review, a [new survey]( of senior executives suggests that “remote work isn’t going away” and employers “know it.” - An [essay]( in The Atlantic argues that “stress drinking has a gender divide.” - More book recommendations, this time from The New York Times, which offers its dual lists of [34 fiction]( and [33 nonfiction]( books coming out this fall. MORE CAREER RESOURCES [How Technology Is Changing Admissions Work]( UPCOMING: September 19, 2023 | 2 p.m. ET: A panel of experts discusses opportunities created by new advances in technology. With Support From ServiceNow. [Register here.]( [The State of Virtual and Hybrid Learning]( UPCOMING: September 20, 2023 | 2 p.m. ET: The future of the classroom remains in flux. Join us for a candid forum on the state of virtual and hybrid learning with experts across academe. With Support From HP. [Register here.]( DATA [What Is the Share of Minority Instructors at Colleges With the Most Full-Time Faculty Members?]( A look at changes in average annual percentages of full-time instructors who were members of specific racial and ethnic groups in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, by degree-granting college. DATA [How Diverse Are College Staff Members?]( By Nick Perez Statistical snapshots of minority employees, from 2018 to 2021. JOB OPPORTUNITIES [Vice President Positions]( Saginaw Valley State University [WHO?S INVESTING IN GLOBAL STUDIES?]( Indiana University Bloomington [Architectural Engineering Department Head]( California Polytechnic State University [Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science]( University of Minnesota [Rutgers Business School Assistant/Associate/Full Professor Position in Management]( Rutgers University [Careers are Built at Kean]( Kean University [USC Viterbi School of Engineering Faculty Positions in Various Disciplines]( University of Southern California [Colorado College Tenure Track Faculty Openings 2024-25]( Colorado College [Stephen M. Ross School of Business Faculty Openings]( University of Michigan Ann Arbor Stephen Ross School of Business [Director of Marketing, Experience and Engagement]( American Physical Society [Search other jobs.]( CAREER RESOURCES [September Article Collection about job search success] [Read this month's collection]( for advice on conducting a successful job search, including tips to navigate multiple searches, improve application materials, and more! NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2023 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037