I could really use your guidance.

Hello,

I just completed an MBA in Finance and have been trying to find a teaching position. I have contacted 300 + dept chairs / hiring deans and emailed my resume to them. I got one offer but it the class was cancelled and he never bothered to return my call or email.

My first question is this; have any of you accepted the fact you may not break into academia anytime soon and how much effort did you put into your search.

I have 100k + in student loans. My strategy was to get the MBA and then teach part time to service the debt. All my grad school professors said getting an adjunct position was fairly easy. The advice I was given is to contact local community colleges as they are always looking for eager talent. This was right before the recession hit hard. Clearly, the labor market has changed.

I dont think my credentials are that far off from others who teach with a masters. Yes, I have asked myself the question "am I not qualified"? My answer is there are candidates with much better qualifications competing with me i.e PHD's , decades of experience, etc.

My second question is this; Can you suggest a good DBA program with reasonable tuition fees? I looked into Walden. I am considering this option as I need the in school deferment on my loans. I know it sounds crazy to borrow more when I cannot pay what I already owe.

I could really use your advice !

Thanks in advance

 

I hope you'll forgive my jaded response. Of course your instructors encouraged you. Would you really expect them to say, "No, you've got no chance. You should probably drop out." Also, while I don't know your professional background it would seem unrealistic to me that you'd get hired to teach while the ink on your diploma was still wet. Some people from select schools might get hired as adjuncts straight out of school but most have to apply and re-apply and re-apply. I would not want you to give up or suggest that your goal is ultimately unobtainable but there are almost 200 DL MBA programs in the US alone (who knows how many if you add in all the B&M MBA programs) and so your degree is not exactly a rare commodity. Keep trying, don't give up but also understand that you're trying to break into a very competitive market and those three letters, by themselves, may not be enough.

 

It actually is crazy.

It would be one thing if you had gotten into Harvard Law and could reasonably expect a huge bump in earnings potential when you got out with even more debt, but I really doubt a DBA from Walden makes that big of a difference. I am pretty sure you would be better off financially not taking on more debt and focusing the time and energy you would spend on the DBA on earning more money to pay down your existing debt. You have an MBA in Finance so you should be able to run the numbers on that.

Where did you get your MBA that all of the professors said it would be easy to get an adjunct position?

 

Look into this program:

IBRinfo :: Help is here!

Income-based repayment might help you in the meantime.

 

There was a list of schools (actually a link to someones shared spreadsheet) which was over 600 school and links. Perhaps your CV could be dressed up a little to to highlight your finance experience beyond school. Regarding a DBA, I would recommend a second masters at this point or some Accounting credits to teach (if your background supports it). It would be cheaper and faster. Here is a list of schools to start with:
American Public University System
Argosy
Ashford
AUI
Axia
Baker
Capella
CityU of Sea.
deVry
Eastern Iowa Community
Everest
Kaplan
Keiser
Liberty
Strayer
South University
Univ. Maryland - University College