As has been abundantly documented in the popular and academic press, the humanities are facing challenging times marked by national debate regarding the importance of the humanities in higher education, program and budget cuts, and an ever-decreasing number of tenure-track jobs. In addition, the humanities face quite literally a quantification of their value as the Academy adopts a more corporate mindset. This volume provides advice to professionals in the humanities on how to forge a useful, compelling, and productive career. The books 13 chapters address professional approaches to developing and maintaining an active research agenda, fomenting the ideals of the teacher-scholar model, managing the service demands within and outside the college or university, and navigating institutional politics. The collection offers practical and theoretical approaches to higher education, personal anecdotes, intelligent advice, and interviews with colleagues in the humanities. Specific themes addressed include the transition from graduate student to humanities professional, diverging from prescribed paths, the humanities professor as creative writer, moving from secondary to post-secondary education, humanities in an international, market-based context, and participation in governance structures.Cover photograph Silent Flutes by Adilia D. Ortega

Foreword: Forging a Rewarding Career in the Humanities; Acknowledgements; Introduction; PART I: Building a Well-Rounded Career; A New Walk; Step Out of the Box; Ten Tapas for a Career in the Humanities; The Generalist: Or, Why; Breadth Matters, Even in the Academy; Humans and the Humanities in the Market Era: Lessons from Neoliberal Chile; Marketing the Unmarketable: From Medievalist to International; Business School Thesis Coordinator; Top Tips from Humanities Professionals for Humanities; Professionals Survey Results; PART II: Overcoming Obstacles; The Sanity Project: How to Live in the Real Academia; Transitioning from Secondary to Higher Ed: Look (Both Ways); Before You Leap; Valuing Governance; Halfway Up or Halfway Down: Thoughts from the Middle of the Staircase; Finding Fulfillment through Self, Purpose and Community; Interview with Legal Counsel Mark E. GiaQuinta; About the Contributors; Index.