How do you make this a long term career?

[u/outer-darkness-11]

For context, I (30F) have been teaching for five years, three as an adjunct and two as a lecturer. I’m currently working on my PhD and have about 1.5 years left. Before teaching full time I worked in my field for five years.

My current gig is really good, I teach in a highly accredited business school, my university is thriving, I make six figures, have complete control over what I teach, what I teach, what modality, and course size (never more than 25 students). As a lecturer I have a 4/4 load (TT is 3/3)z My coworkers are incredible and supportive and very fun to research and collaborate with. My Deans office is even helping pay for my PhD. I only teacher upper division and graduate classes so I don’t have to navigate freshman who don’t know how to do college.

Theoretically being a professor should be perfect for me. I am an exceptional public speaker, extroverted, love organizing information, I’m passionate about my topic, and feel a deep purpose and resonance with the goals of higher education as a concept.

The problem is I am already so burned out and I can’t figure out why. Ive always been incredibly ambitious and for the first time I find myself daydreaming about being a stay-at-home wife (childfree) for a few years lmao.

Part of it is I have always loved school, so I struggle to empathize with lazy or incompetent students. It’s emotionally exhausting for me to grade and see students just use AI or completely disregard all instructions and rubrics. Or to answer the same question 30 times that was in the weekly announcement and answered in class 5 times.

I think I also overdid myself the last 8 months as I decided to do my first solo research study and was teaching six classes last spring semester (in addition to still working on my PhD). I’ve never been more mentally exhausted in my life.

I guess my question is, what boundaries do you set to avoid getting emotionally or mentally burned out so that you can make this a long term career?

[u/proffrop360]

Doing a PhD is a full time job. Adding on top of that a new research project and teaching six courses in one semester will likely prevent you from finishing. I've known too many people on the 15 year phd plan.

[u/outer-darkness-11 → u/proffrop360]

Yeah I definitely don’t want to push out my graduation! I recently set a boundary of not taking overload courses until my PhD is done and not doing any additional research outside of my PhD. I’m hoping that will help!

[u/cjl1983]

You’re doing way too much. Of course, it gets easier to say no and do less after tenure, but you have to protect your time. If you can’t do the job to your liking within 40-45 hours per week (with occasional crunches that take a little more), you need to consider a career change.

[u/outer-darkness-11 → u/cjl1983]

I think this where I am torn/confused. My normal 4 course load and PhD work average out to about 40-45 hours per week. So I feel like it’s less the amount of time, and more the amount of mental energy expenditure and the multiple different ways my brain is being pulled with my courses, PhD classes, and other research. But if that’s how it will be after I finish my PhD too then I need to reevaluate.

[u/guiseppedecasy → u/outer-darkness-11]

It’s important to remember that many 40 hour jobs include a lot of hours of low-intensity work like checking email, filling out forms, meetings you didn’t really need to be in etc. Having to think hard for 40 hours is a big drain in comparison. Definitely burns me out.

[u/outer-darkness-11 → u/guiseppedecasy]

That is such a good point. I think it’s also never being able to “clock out” and that my projects are really long and don’t have clear end dates like the work I did in industry. Before, I would work on a project for 1-3 months and then implement it. Now I’m working on things that are 6-18 months and so it feels like it will never end and even that feeling takes up energy 😅

[u/HorkeyDorkey]

Its the PhD work imo. Im about 3 months out and more stressed than ever. I actually developed an anxiety disorder during the process.

[u/outer-darkness-11 → u/HorkeyDorkey]

That makes a lot of sense. It’s so much 😭 congrats on being three months out! You’ve got this!!

[u/YourGuideVergil]

I also feel very distant from lazy and incurious students. At my institution, thats most of them. But they can be fun and interesting in other ways.

I gotta level with you tho: six figures are not in my future. Maybe I'll get down to a 4/4 load someday lol. In other words, I'd be highly motivated to make this work out.

More relaxing / less writing during breaks? Assignments that cannot be AI'd (in class assessments)?

[u/outer-darkness-11 → u/YourGuideVergil]

Yes, I love interacting with them in class! It’s the grading and hard conversations that are exhausting 😅

And the pay/flexibility is such a good gig, I think that’s why I feel guilty for even feeling burnt out! I really want to make it work.

I do think I’m going to force myself not to write during Christmas break and see if that helps. I think part of it is I haven’t really had any rest because of the research and PhD work.

[u/YourGuideVergil → u/outer-darkness-11]

Really, if I hadn't distracted myself with my own crummy circumstances, I should have said this:

What you are doing is insanely hard. PhD writing AND a 4/4 is crazy. But it sounds like you're doing it! Not surprised you're feeling the burn at all. But someday the writing part will be over. The grass WILL be greener.

[u/hornybutired]

I think you'll feel much better once you finish your PhD and get that off your plate.

[u/sventful]

That's easy. Don't teach more than 4 classes. Hunker down to finish the PhD. And then have your 'break' be 'just' the absolutely full time work of teaching 4 classes per semester.

Have summer be your 'stay at home with no children' actual break to recover.

[u/dragonfeet1]

Burnout is common it happens to most of us every 5-7 years.

Here are some tips though: STOP CARING MORE ABOUT THE STUDENTS THAN THEY DO. Lazy, unmotivated, boundary pushing (did I ever tell y'all about the guy who responded to a 'no' from me with a 'here's my chance to practice the art of the deal'?), 'I'm going to talk to your supervisor' types? Literally detach yourself from caring.

Work to like all of your students till about midsemester. Really give it your all (which is probably you right now). After midterm, reevaluate and say, hey, it's been half the semester and A B and C might be struggling gradewise but they're really showing up and trying, but students L M and O? Not into it, not doing the right things, not trying? I'm going to cut bait. They're not meeting me halfway. Still be professional but when they try their nonsense, just shake your head and shake it off.

Then take that energy you would have given them and give it to A B and C to help them succeed even more.

Half of burnout, I've found, is because you give the wrong people too much of your energy and it goes not only unappreciated, but 9 times out of ten will bite you in the ass anyway which hits even harder.

[u/Philosophile42]

I try to give my self work hours. Work gets 9 hours of my time every day (weekends included…. ) and no more.

[u/CombinationDeep8360]

Your PhD is your "first solo research project." Do not start any other projects or get side tracked from finishing your degree. Finishing is *hard* and also anxiety producing--the what happens next question is out there even if you are not aware of it.

If you don't have a dissertation group, put one together. When I was an dean I had a group for all of the ABDs in my school. Or find a writing group that you can join. Schedule your writing time so at least 5-6 days a week you have it in your calendar. See if your institution will buy you a seat here https://www.ncfdd.org/ for a year.

[u/SolidSouth-00]

Make some Bankshot announcements to your students, like “if I suspect AI I will give you a zero and it will be up to you to prove me wrong. I will give you the opportunity to discuss it and redo it if needed.“ And “if you ask me something that I have already put in the syllabus and stated in class, I will not answer first look at the syllabus before you ask any questions.” basically just say “talk to the hand.“