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Memoirs of a SLACer

sociological views on life and the liberal arts

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« I look at nametags
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Striking out on my own

August 18, 2009 by John

Based on my publication record I think it is safe to say that nobody who doesn’t already know me would recognize my name from my work.  This has never posed a problem at conferences when people tag check me because, until now, every time I’ve attended an academic conference my nametag has carried the name of a school with a top-25 sociology program.  This year at ASA, however, instead of a nametag that said, “John Smith, Top-25 Program,” I had one that said “John Smith, SLAC You’ve Never Heard Of.”

I don’t mean to diminish the novelty of being affiliated with an institution of higher learning that is going to pay me with actual money.  I am happy to be affiliated with SLAC You’ve Never Heard Of, as the multitudes of people I showed my faculty ID can affirm.  Rather, what this experience made clear to me is that my reputation is now in my own hands.  People will no longer smile approvingly when they see Top-25 Program on my nametag.  If they smile approvingly it is going to be because they know me, they’re drunk, or they’ve read my work and it didn’t suck.  If the pressure of making a name for myself wasn’t enough, I also realized that because they have no prior knowledge, people will likely be judging SLAC You’ve Never Heard Of based on my work.  So much for a taking a break after finishing my dissertation.

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Posted in Conference Attendance, R1, SLAC, The Ivory Tower | Tagged SLAC, Sociology, Tag Check, Top-25 Program | 5 Comments

5 Responses

  1. on August 20, 2009 at 11:32 pm Important things « Memoirs of a SLACer

    […] 20, 2009 by John At the recent ASA conference in San Francisco, I was reminded that, as audience members, professors are typically no better, and […]


  2. on August 12, 2010 at 9:41 pm I’ve never heard of that « Memoirs of a SLACer

    […] at my nametag at ASA.  Of course, I may be a little more aware of tag checking than I was when my institutional affiliation was slightly more impressive, but if you are going to create a social situation in which people are […]


  3. on August 26, 2010 at 9:23 pm ASA successes « Memoirs of a SLACer

    […] up for 8:30 sessions despite late nights with said friends, but I also started to do a bit more to make a name for myself apart from my graduate institution.  Some of my overall satisfaction following this year’s […]


  4. on April 5, 2012 at 9:01 pm Conferencing with students « Memoirs of a SLACer

    […] itself. I’ve been going to conferences for years but I’ve always been trying to make a name for myself rather than focusing on helping somebody else start to form professional connections. […]


  5. on January 28, 2016 at 9:03 pm Seven years of SLACing (and new Barbies!) | Memoirs of a SLACer

    […] job market success. Over the years, some things have changed (I finished my dissertation, started my first job, then started my second; I started a corresponding Facebook page) and some things have not (I still […]



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