We certainly should tell prospective graduate students that the chances of
landing a tenure-track job at a four-year college or university are bleak and
not likely to improve any time soon. The job shortage is a result of the in-
creasing reliance of schools on part-time instructors, and so any potential in-
crease in retirements in the field won't necessarily help the matter. At the
same time, I want to second Jenny Stine's point: these days there are very few
'sure bets' for talented, ambitious humanities majors, with flooded job markets
in law, business, etc. Those who do enter grad school in history should also be
aware of opportunities teaching at community colleges. Full-time jobs are not
plentiful at such places either, but they can be an important option,
especially for those who prefer teaching to research. The bottom line is that
we all need to keep in mind that starting out on any career path is risky.
Joe Ward
Wayne State University
jward@cms.cc.wayne.edu