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Tips for thriving in an isolated job?

In our newest "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

I am a few years into my TT gig, and I have real mixed feelings. It is a comfortable gig, with a lowish teaching load, and in a culturally vibrant place, and the pay is healthy. But I am isolated, and campus life is a lot of tacit antipathy to philosophy. I think I'll get tenure, but it will be begrudging. How do I reframe things to be happy here? Who are some people who have thrived despite being basically alone on their campus?

Excellent questions. I work in a really small department myself, and while my university and city are both good places and thriving, I too have often felt pretty isolated during the course of my career (I work more or less on my lonesome). I don't know how isolated the OP's campus is, but one suggestion would be to see if there are philosophers at nearby universities that one can connect with. Another suggestion, I guess, might be to lean into the cultural aspects of the surrounding area–to try to enjoy life more, rather than focus so much on work (as I think many of us are wont to do).

But these are just a few off-the-cuff thoughts. Do any readers who have grappled with similar things have any helpful tips?

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3 responses to “Tips for thriving in an isolated job?”

  1. just one guy’s thought

    I might do a little research or ask around to see if there might be like-minded people in adjacent or other departments at the university. Are there psychologists or historians or English professors or anthropologists or mathematicians with whom you might ‘vibe’, maybe someone at a similar career stage as you? Shoot them an email or invite them to lunch!

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  2. Bill Vanderburgh

    OP could try getting involved in college or university level committees, faculty senate, or similar. It will help them find people in other departments to connect with, and it might cause a decrease in antipathy toward philosophy by showing folks OP is a valuable member of the campus. (Not to put the fate of the whole field on the OP!) That might also lead to connections with folks from other departments on more than work–hobbies or activities, etc. Taking the lead on a student club can also be a way to find some meaning.

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  3. small department guy

    As others note, connect with people in other departments. I really enjoyed the company of the various people I interacted with OUTSIDE my department at my first TT job. I shared research interests with a psychologist and a zoologist. I gave a lecture in a course of an anthropologist (and she in my class). I had very good relations with a few historians. I served on the WS committee. I attended events in the arts on campus and was well liked by musicians, artists, and theatre people for supporting their events and students. And I even had one philosophy colleague who I enjoyed a lot. But these relations outside the department made my stay there (and it could have been my whole career) quite rewarding. I was a bit mismatched with my philosophy colleagues, as two were what used to be called “dead wood” and one was what is still called “a huge assh+le”. I was more committed to research than anyone else in the department, and I was more engaged with effective teaching, and developing my teaching. Further, I was committed to working with the administration effectively.

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