Is a tenure a good thing?

Gabriel Garza

One of the most important things about higher education is obviously the education itself. Teachers, and the way of teaching reflects the fruits of the learning of the students. Like it says in reference.com, "a tenure in education is a guarantee of the permanence of a college or university teacher's position, awarded upon successful completion of a probationary period, usually seven years". For most people, getting a tenure might be a good thing, however there are also negative effects on teachers that receive this position such as low-quality-of-life effects. 

It is a great achievement to receive a tenure, and normally, college teachers seek this with all their potential. Positive things about a tenure is that it is designed to make a teaching career more attractive by providing job security, protecting the teacher's position, and having academic freedom. These are all great things that would make it sound like if a tenure is the way to go, but sometimes it's not. 

In an article from The Chronicle of Higher Education, Cady Wells a former psychology professor, states her bad experience while earning her tenure. She states: "Careful consideration led me to believe that the overall quality of my life was pitifully low, and tenure didn't seem to improve things much. I was getting older, my health was declining because of stress, and I couldn't find the time to replenish my sagging spirit. Enough was enough, so I quit. It's just the amount of work together with the institutional and local climate that left me overworked and unhappy." With Wells testimony, the conclusion is that sometimes receiving a tenure is not a good thing, that is why you have to analyze if it fits you or not.