I had a day of panic on Friday. Mr. FS and I have been cruising through the recession, secure in our tenured--albeit low-paying--positions. Then I woke out of my stupor. My state is facing a continued budget shortfall, and since the only areas not protected are (you guessed it) education and health, well.....
So, of course, I jumped to the worst case scenario: what if they close our school? Our students are the lowest "completers." What if--at age 56 and 58--we are cast to the wind, with our still-decimated retirement accounts.
Well, Mr. FS said, "It's too much trouble to shut down a school. This is a short-term problem. BlahBlahBlah."
My mind started racing nonetheless. Can't be an on-line bookseller, because there are at least 20 in my area. The other day, I saw a guy with one of those phone pricers that TALKED. He must have had it set to a floor price, because the gadget said, "No." No. No."
So we decided that we could rent out our house and stay in the little back house behind my father-in-law's house in beautiful Northern California. We could-probably for a low rent-help in his care. OR we could go to Costa Rica or Mexico for a while, as per my previous fantasy.
As Funny About Money--who has been living a real-life version of this scenario--has shown in her blog, planning ahead of the dire event helps reduce stress. DOESN'T IT????"
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7 comments:
Worst case if they close your school (not sure which one, but from previous post hints, I am guessing SE LA?), the students have to go somewhere. That may open up positions wherever that is - UNO, ULL?
Hopefully, even if it came down to cuts in education, faculty positions would be some of the last things to go.
You and Mr FS, of all people in your boat, would be temperamentally well-equipped to live simply in Northern California, should it come to that. But what are the odds... not in a panic mode, but realistically?
@cubicle--You are a savvy detective! No one would hire us--we have too much seniority.
BUT
@Duchesse--Probably a very unlikely outcome. But I have a panic response and it helps to have a plan.
@cubicle--You are a savvy detective! No one would hire us--we have too much seniority.
BUT
@Duchesse--Probably a very unlikely outcome. But I have a panic response and it helps to have a plan.
LOL! The more you plan, the more stressed you get.
It's unlikely they'll close an entire campus. We have a lot of that kind of talk here, too. But even Arizona's bird-brained legislators don't want to deal with riots in the streets.
The community colleges are downright exploding. The one where I'm teaching p/t had a 23% increase in FTE in ONE SEMESTER! And they're starting to hire, even as they look at more threatened budget cuts. In addition to the job I just applied for, Yavapai College in Prescott is advertising an English position. Salary's nowhere near as good as Maricopa County's, but Prescott is a charming place to live.
Interestingly, in your 50s you're probably not too old. With a good 10 years on you two, I made it to the interview stage for the position I'm after at Glendale CC. Because of the way the application process is set up, the hiring committee can't miss either the age or the Ph.D.
Is either one of you full? I don't expect many universities are hiring full bulls just now, but if you're associate you're probably more or less employable.
@Funny--Two fulls in my household. Mr. FS is the third most senior in dept and I am tied 7,8,9 w/ 2 others. So the seniority that protects you can hurt you too...
eeeeeeehhhh... Well, you'll both enjoy waiting tables! It can be lucrative: our associate editor earns more in five hours at Applebee's than the Great Desert University pays her in a week.
Is a female full bull a full bullette?
But let's get a grip here: They are NOT going to can anyone who's full. not not not not!!!!
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