Sunday, February 25, 2007

Advice to New Faculty

Greg Mankiw's Blog is a must read for aspiring economists. He just posted some spot-on "Advice for Junior Faculty" the best pieces IMO are:
  • Focus on getting papers published - everything else is secondary. And don't be a perfectionist. Get the thing out the door and onto a referee's desk.
  • It pays to be a good teacher and a good citizen in your department, but it won't get you tenure
  • Attend conferences and give seminars at schools to publicize your work and yourself.
  • Give each of your papers a shot or two at the top journals, such as the AER, JPE, or QJE.
  • Do not get discouraged by rejection.
I'd add:
  • Schedule time for writing every day (preferably first thing). It doesn't have to be a lot - just commit to 30 minutes every day. Other things will creep in and steal your time So do it first.
  • Read Boice's Advice For New Faculty Members. It's short, cheap, and well worth the read. And it'll get you started on your careers with good habits.
Mankiw also has another piece he wrote for the American Economist with further advice.

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