Bay Area part-time profs: why they work at Safeway, live out of cars

I have done the adjunct thing, to spiff up my resume. My wife did it first because a friend asked for help and then because she enjoyed it. It is a wonderful thing to pass along useful knowledge, but honestly I don't see how anyone can make a good living--not in the Bay Area, not in Iowa--as an adjunct. I have known at least one person who managed to break out of the four classes at three schools thing and get a tenure-track job. The odds aren't good, though.

If I were a career counselor for Mr. Nguyen, I would suggest a job teaching high school history for money, and the occasional adjunct class for love. Mr. Balukjian's case is harder, in that he has a Ph.D., which in principle could qualify him for a tenure-track job; possibly a high school job could look bad on his resume.

They have my sympathy.