[game_edu] Where to post academic job offers?

[Ian Bogost]

On Mar 21, 2008, at 1:23 PM, Ian Schreiber wrote:


> Interesting point, and one that saddens me. Here's the problem with  

> a residency requirement, speaking as someone seeking growth in my  

> own academic career: the number of terminal degrees in game design  

> is shockingly small, and there's no guarantee that any of them exist  

> within a 500-mile radius of wherever you happen to live. More  

> traditional disciplines don't have this problem; if I want a Ph.D.  

> in Computer Science, the university down the street from me probably  

> has one.


Keep in mind that when a university looking for a game design prof  
looks for a terminal degree, they often care very little what field it  
is in. In fact, I'd wager it would almost be better if the degree were  
in a tangential field for breadth and to allow camaraderie with other  
programs.


> To begin with, it's difficult for experienced game developers to  

> take the plunge and leave full-time game development for full-time  

> teaching. Add the constraint that you need to first take a few years  

> getting a terminal degree (with requisite pay cut), and it becomes  

> darn near impossible for most working professionals. With the  

> additional constraint that you have to move across the country to  

> get the degree in the first place... see where I'm going with this?


Right, so, I'd probably look for a degree program in the area I want/ 
need to live in that I could make work for my interests and career  
goals.


> Rather than say "online-only degrees aren't taken seriously",  

> perhaps it should be rephrased as a question: how can we ensure that  

> online-only degrees ARE taken seriously? That is, if we're all  

> serious about getting more tenure-track positions open for people  

> with industry experience.


I doubt this will happen very quickly. Universities are conservative,  
even stodgy places.

Ian Bogost
Georgia Tech / Persuasive Games