A reader writes with bittersweet thanks:

I spent most of the last few years dreaming of being a Professor (capital P) of English. What a wonderful way to spend the second half of my professional life, I thought; how wonderful it would be to educate coming generations about the joys of reading and writing, about the necessity of doing both well.

During my first three semesters of college I've excelled, winning awards, and being told by my professors that I've got what it takes to teach, and etc. Grad school loomed a couple of years ahead of me, and I was looking forward to it, even knowing that I would have had to spend the time keeping my politics (Republican) and my beliefs about Literary Theory (bullshit) hidden from view. I was willing to play the game if meant getting that piece paper that said I could teach.

A couple of weeks ago (or sooner? Time has flown!)ÝI visited your blogÝand readÝyour original post about grad school, then followed links as far through the Web as I could, and read everything I could find about whatÝcan be expected byÝthe prospective humanities major.

Between sites like yours (and Invisible Adjunct, etc.) and a chain of sites linked by Joanne Jacobs, not to mention books by Victor Hanson Davis and a few others, the picture is utterly bleak. I use the word "utterly" with some qualification: there are some hopeful voices, but they are raised by the people who have done the most to make our educational system, from kindergarten through grad school, the broken-beyond-any-chance-of-repair piece of shit it is. The voices of hope see that it can only go more their way.

Which is why I now look forward to getting my IT certifications.

Frankly, I much prefer to spend the second half of my professional life not just working,Ýbut alsoÝmaking enough money enough to support my family and enjoy an actual retirement. Shakespeare's great, but discussing why Stoppard's play was an abuse of Hamlet ain't gonna pay the bills, know what I mean?

Far from being bitter, I am profoundly thankful to have discovered all of this before I crossed some horrible point of no return (I'm 38 and gettin' a bit old for switching careers).

So, thanks. I'm glad you made that post.