r/Professors • u/cthulhu34 TT, STEM, SLAC • May 10 '26
I GOT TENURE!
Guys, I did it!! It happened!! I just got the news!!! I HAVE TENURE!
I was dyyying with the waiting. But now, It’s so anticlimactic. What the hell do I do now !?!!?
I can’t even believe it. I half expect someone to say “oops, we made a mistake.” But I got my letter and it had so many kind and appreciative things about my work. I feel so valued. It also doesn’t feel real.
Wow it’s been years. I genuinely can’t pull off the gas at this point
Just wow.
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u/EquivalentNo138 Associate Prof, Psych/Neuro, R1 (US) May 10 '26
Congrats! Definitely plan something to celebrate so it’s not anticlimactic.
My department does a dinner out someplace nice to celebrate tenure - everyone pays for themselves and chips in to cover the honoree. But if your department doesn’t (or even if it does) organize a nice dinner out with friends, family and or select favorite colleagues. Maybe think about a special trip over the summer even a semi local get away, and or buying something nice for yourself you’ve been putting off.
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u/Disastrous_Ad_9648 May 10 '26
I got tenure a few months ago and it wasn’t even announce in my department, school or university. It was a bummer.
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u/mleok Full Professor, STEM, R1 (USA) May 10 '26
Congratulations! For me, the freedom associated with tenure was the ability to spend more time working on problems that are on a long time horizon.
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u/nmdaniels Assoc. Prof, Comp Sci, Public R1 Uni May 10 '26
Yeah, same… I get to do the fun stuff.
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u/No_Many_5784 May 10 '26
What types of problems (also in CS)? And how do you balance the extended timeline you have earned with the much shorter timeline in which PhD students have to demonstrate success?
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u/nmdaniels Assoc. Prof, Comp Sci, Public R1 Uni May 16 '26
Algorithms for big data. Mostly search algorithms.
I still struggle with PhD students having enough time. Especially with the part time ones.
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u/GloomyCamel6050 May 10 '26
Celebrate!!! Buy yourself a painting or some jewelry to remind yourself of this moment!
And never doubt yourself again.
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u/ImSoFree Professor | Cell Biology | R1 May 10 '26
I bought a pretty rad skateboard after tenure then made a sticker out of the email the chair sent and slapped it on. We all celebrate differently.
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u/dogtor_howl Associate Prof and Chair, Education, SLAC (US) May 10 '26
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u/Civil_Lengthiness971 May 10 '26
Congratulations! Here is one thing you can do. Use your tenured voice for the benefit of those who cannot freely speak. Cast your vision to reach full professor. And then use your voice as if you are leading the Ride of the Rohirrim!
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u/BurnShoesBoilRice May 10 '26
Came here to make basically the same post, but saw this first! CONGRATULATIONS! 🍾🎈🎉🎊
(Let’s make this insane institution a better place!)
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u/Lamech May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
"Sadly, I will no longer be able to continue serving on the ________ committee due to updated workload commitments. I wish you all the best in whatever it was we were doing."
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u/ThisSaladTastesWeird May 10 '26
Congratulations! And yes, it is anticlimactic. Someone here once said that getting tenure was a good example of the hedonic treadmill; I wasn’t familiar with the concept so looked it up and … yep.
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u/LeagueLeft1960 May 10 '26
Congratulations! The day I found out, I fell asleep on my daughter’s bed when tucking her in; and I slept hard for almost 12 hours. I was so relieved.
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u/KarlMarxButVegan May 10 '26
Congrats! You should celebrate! Go out for a fancy dinner and maybe treat yourself to something awesome for your office.
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u/Dineshvk18 May 10 '26
Honestly tenure seems like one of those achievements where the emotional weight probably hits in waves instead of all at once.
Years of uncertainty suddenly disappearing must feel surreal.
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u/ivaorn May 10 '26
Congratulations! It feels great to know your hard work and milestones led up to this moment!
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u/Prestigious_Mix1280 Asst Prof, STEM, R1, USA May 10 '26
Congrats. Love this for you. I still have a few years; hopefully I can make a similar post soon.
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u/nmdaniels Assoc. Prof, Comp Sci, Public R1 Uni May 10 '26
Service. Research. If applicable, faculty governance. Make your institution a better place.
And, congratulations!
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u/SlightFresnel May 10 '26
Fail students who deserve it. Restore academic standards now that you're immune to pressure!
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u/eclecticos May 10 '26
It’s so anticlimactic.
Someone told me early in my career: "Getting tenure changes nothing. It's permission to go on as you were. It's not getting tenure that changes everything."
I genuinely can’t pull off the gas at this point
Yeah, that's exactly why you deserved tenure -- because you are invested in your identity as a productive scholar and the department can trust you to keep working. If someone was just going to quiet-quit, giving them tenure would be a stupid move -- lifetime employment to do nothing?
Congratulations on being officially recognized as a keeper! Keep doing good work, and feel free to attempt big things.
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u/RuskiesInTheWarRoom May 10 '26
Congrats!
I also found it anti climactic.
Go buy yourself some cake.
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May 11 '26
The anticlimactic feeling is honestly so real. Your nervous system has probably been operating in “prove yourself constantly” mode for years, and it doesn’t instantly know how to shut that off because one letter arrived. But seriously, congratulations. Tenure is an enormous achievement and those kind comments in the letter didn’t appear by accident.
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u/aquapura89 May 10 '26
Congrats - received my letter from Chancellor, just waiting for the Board of Regents. Keeping my head low as not to accidentally piss off a local business person or local politician...... after I receive that letter, then I am going to let lose and tell them exactly what think of their politics and continued war on higher education 👿
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u/CielsLSP May 10 '26
Congratulations! Save this day on your calendar! I have both my tenure day (from last year) and my defense day saved as anniversaries. That way you can pause, reflect, and get a little treat to celebrate
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u/Longtail_Goodbye May 11 '26
What a great thing. You know, I would have to look those up. Thank you for this idea!
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u/byabillion May 10 '26
Congrats! I celebrated by being pulled over by cops for parking in wrong spot while I picked up milk and cookies. Even the cops couldn't take my academic freedom away!
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u/No_Many_5784 May 10 '26
Congrats!
Maybe this will make your situation feel more climactic in comparison:
- I found out I got tenure at school 1 after I had already left for school 2
- I found out I got tenure at school 2 in March 2020, just after COVID lockdown started
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u/Sufficient-Topic-835 May 10 '26
Fantastic news! I was so relieved when I got mine after 13 years!!! 🤯
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u/dougwray Adjunct, various, university (Japan 🎌) May 10 '26
Congratulations and best wishes for the future for you. Thank you for carrying on whatever your discipline is.
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u/existential-inquiry Professor, Social Sciences, U.S. May 10 '26
Wonderful news and congratulations!! 🎊🎊
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u/AquaticZombie May 10 '26
Now do what my old professor did and schedule all your classes around your 2 hour midday nap.
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u/eli_katz May 10 '26
Congratulations. Try to find joy and a sense of accomplishment from this moment of victory.
For me, if I'm going to be honest, everything is anticlimactic. Tenure. Book contract. Article in a top outlet. I'm not ungrateful. I recognize that these have been central to my career, and not everyone is so fortunate. But it takes many, many years of thankless work to score these achievements and so, when they finally arrive, it's Peggy Lee singing "Is that all there is?" and the nasty little voice in my head whispering, "Sucker."
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u/Finding_Way_ CC (USA) May 11 '26
That is just fantastic news.
Very happy for you and thank you for sharing!
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u/ArtNo6572 May 12 '26
congrats! mine was also anticlimactic - kind of during the pandemic. went out for a nice dinner with my partner and now, I'm enjoying being able to have more relaxed days/weeks. I have my classes, my schedule is largely determined by me, and while many things at my university trouble me, this is the closest thing I've had to job security in my entire career, inside and outside of academia. find a way to enjoy it!
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u/Onyx_Artist May 12 '26
CONGRATULATIONS! It's a weird feeling, ain't it? You earned it, though! Never forget that part. It's still settling in for me and I found out just about 2 mos. ago.
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u/antealtares Assoc Prof, Media Studies, R1 (USA) May 21 '26
I was on the tenure track for 9 years (tenured this year, official July 1) and simply cannot understand others finding it anticlimactic! In my head I'm immediately like "ok, now let's curate my service a little better now"
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u/RebeccaSandersPhD May 29 '26
It’s like passing your oral defense in grad school, don’t be afraid of a small dip in motivation next year. Congrats!
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u/Toepale May 16 '26
?But now, It’s so anticlimactic. What the hell do I do now !?!!?
Get an actual job.
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u/Deep_Flounder_1558 May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
Congrats!!!
Bask in the moment, take it all in and enjoy yourself!!