Blog CCXX (220): An Open Letter

In 2011 Larry Cebula of Eastern Washington University became something of an internet sensation when he wrote a hilarious post on his blog: "Northwest History."  The original essay turned into a three part series:

• "Open Letter to My Students: No, You Cannot be a Professor" 
• "No, You Cannot be a Professor--the Reactions" 
• "No, You Cannot be a Professor Part III: Survivor Stories"

The original post basically makes the same points I have been making on this blog, but in a much more entertaining way.  The second essay is exactly what the title suggests it is, but it failed to capture all the reactions to the essay.  Holger Syme, an associate professor of English at the University of Toronto responded with his own posting: "Yes, You Can Be a Professor."   Leslie Rogne Schumacher wrote another essay, "The Problem with Plan B: Thoughts on the Jobs Crisis in History" to which Cebula responded (see the comment section at the end).  Edward J. Woell in a blog posting, discusses] how he has assigned the essay to his grad students and finds that most of them refuse to accept the facts of the job market.  Doug Rocks-Macqueen, a British archeologist, has also disputed Cebula's position.  Roger Whitson, an assistant professor of English at Washington State University posted an essay on his blog in which he stated: "I’m making a plea for Professor Cebula and the rest of his colleagues to stop writing posts like this."

The third essay on Cebula's blog is from one of his students about how he defied the odds. 

These posts are well worth reading, because Cebula is right.