Reasons why you shouldn't take advice from me

Or, how work experiences in the academy vary widely

Photo by Stephen Kraakmo on Unsplash

I often make generalizations about the academy—especially its challenges. Some of these large issues are indeed broadly applicable. For instance, the influence of neoliberalism is evident in the prioritization of profit-driven research and the increasing corporatization of universities. I talk about that in this recent post, for example:

Critiquing the culture of unpaid and underpaid work in academia

Additionally, racism persists in academic spaces through systemic biases in hiring, promotion, and curriculum development. The pressure to perform without adequate resources or support further exacerbates inequalities.

That said, context matters, and people’s experiences with these issues vary from institution to institution, department to department, and individual to individual. As a result, I would urge each of us to be careful not to compare our experiences with someone who is in a very different situation. I would also suggest that we be measured when taking advice from people in very different situations from ourselves—and that includes advice from me.

Today’s post is about understanding how context varies greatly from one work environment to another.

Some questions to ponder

John W. McCormack recently tweeted about the issue of taking advice from professors in different contexts, which is what inspired my post today. With a few short questions, John lays bare the vast discrepancies in work experiences we have across the academy. He writes,