The Complete Guide to Becoming An Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teacher, Postsecondary

You're drawn to teaching about race, ethnicity, culture, and region. You love the material, you might even love the idea of shaping young minds. But do you actually know what a postsecondary Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies teacher does on a random Thursday in October? Or what they earn in their first year versus their fifteenth? Or that the tenure track now takes an average of 8-10 years past a bachelor's degree, with no guarantee of a permanent job at the end?

This guide answers those questions with real numbers and real stories. We break down the day-to-day: the 60-hour weeks during the semester, the grant-writing that eats your summer, the 15% of the job that is actually standing at a lectern. We lay out the full financial picture - from a lecturer's $45,000 to a tenured full professor's $120,000-plus. And we give you a self-assessment to decide if this career's unique mix of solitary research, public speaking, and institutional politics is a fit for your temperament.

Backed by Bureau of Labor Statistics data, MLA job placement reports, and the experience of people who've been through it, this is the book I wish someone had handed me before I started my PhD. It won't tell you to follow your passion. It will tell you exactly what your passion costs - and whether you should pay it.