Who decides...

I was having an interesting conversation with my friend Tracy last night. We were sharing a few of our favourite beer - Dominion Ale, the Old Hearty with the smooth flavour! We are both in the process of winding up our respective masters and were sharing the experience of having discovered that we feel quite at home both in St. John's and in academia.

Now being at home in St. John's is one thing but academia is an entirely different cantel of fish.* Being at home in academia has implications. For example it assumes that you have some interest in a particular discipline - English, history, sociology or philosophy. More to the point it also assumes that you have something unique to say about some aspect of your chosen discipline. And most important of all, it implies that you can turn a critical eye towards the larger world, viewing it through the lens of your discipline. Of course what is also implied here is that somehow you understand that all of these assumptions are perfectly valid and can withstand any critical examination.

For anyone outside of academia these may seem like pretty sketchy ideas, only intended to allow the academic to avoid getting a real job. And they might be right. Take me for example. I am a graduate student who mainly lives on the proceeds of scholarships and fellowships. I get up at the crack of noon and spend most of my day thinking about things that really matter to me. I even get to make a movie and get funding to pay someone else to edit it for me. And I feel not one iota of discomfit about this. I often jump up, click my heels and let out a little Yippee! I did write to a friend and thank her for working two regular jobs and paying her taxes. It was the least I could do for all those nice folks who keep our economy going at such a nice bustling pace.

So the big question really is who decides whether an individual gets a regular, rat race job or becomes and academic. I'm not sure about this but I bet I can get a grant to study the topic.











*Yes cantel not kettle as so many people say, though the actual word is most likely quintile a measurement.