Pondering the point of publishing as an "alt-ac"

Ancient Greek theater masks on wall
Image by Greg Montani from Pixabay

Okay...okay!  I know, it's only been a couple of months since I defended my dissertation, and it's only been one month since it was totally official and on my transcript, but in thinking about further research I am simultaneously filled with both excitement and dread.  There are some things I want to pull out of my dissertation and polish up for an article, there are also threads on MOOCs and lurking that I want to return to, but I am feeling this sense of "oof😫" when I think about actually jumping in again.   It is quite possible that I need a much longer break, and maybe an actual vacation, but this reflection on research and publishing has gotten me to ponder the point of publishing as an alt-ac.

Now that I am done with the doc program, many people ask if I'm going to pursue a tenure position somewhere. It's an interesting thought (neither appealing nor unappealing), but then the question does make me reflect on what I do now, of my employment as an alt-ac.  I enjoy what I do for work, and I enjoy teaching (as a side gig). Yes, I also enjoy research, but I think that tenuredom is broken and exploitative, so...that's an aspect that is not appealing to me. I've heard way too many stories of toxic departments (both from staff and faculty, and across institutions) over the last 20 years in academia that I really don't want to risk finding my way into potential a snakepit.  It seems like fellow colleagues in tenured positions are entrenching around tenure but aren't thinking critically about what tenure means.  Tenure is just a word. What do get for it, and why don't others have it? Why are there so many faculty precariously employed as lecturers or adjuncts? And, why are the tenured folks so snooty at times toward those other colleagues? Is this the system that we should be supporting? Anyway - I think I got a bit off course there.  Let's put this plane back on the landing runway.

So, with that said,  I've been pondering the value of academic research publishing for staff members. While I enjoy the process of going at it alone, at times anyway, the most enjoyable research times for me have been when I've worked with others to explore ideas. Even if/when I reconnect with my thought-provocateurs from the various rhizos, and if/when we work on research projects together, I've been wondering:  What value does an alt-ac get from having stuff published, beyond that sense of fiero that you get from knowing that you've done the thing?  If you're on a tenure-track job, it's a requirement for the job, and you get to keep your job if your peers deem your research worthy enough to reward with tenure.  If you're a staff member and don't necessarily have sights on a tenure, what is the value of publishing in peer-reviewed publications? Is it really a glorious hobby?  Or do people get tangible career (or other) benefits from it, sort of like a halo effect?

As an aside, there are two pieces that I still get tagged on Twitter for: my critique of "Digital Natives" and our work on Lurking (done collaboratively with friends online). It makes my day when people find our work useful, but do employers value this value-add? 🤔 When face with limited hours outside of work to do this sort of thing, where do other alt-acs draw the line?

Your thoughts?

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