I started an adjunct teaching role at a local college today. I had accepted my offer and was hired this past May. I had been in communication with the dean of my to-be division prior with a plan to teach as an adjunct and then fill a full-time lecturer role after the current professor retired this coming Spring.
I showed up today for my first day excited to be starting this new chapter in my life. The job hunt has been absolutely brutal as we all know and I finally felt like maybe things were looking up. I was all set up with HR and made my way to my department office to get some clarity on my teaching assignment for the semester.
I walked in and was greeted with "I had no idea we hired a new adjunct?? Since when were we hiring new adjuncts?? Who have you been talking too?? Nobody told us anything about a new hire!?" My stomach dropped. It turns out the dean left suddenly to take another position and gave a TWO DAY WARNING to the college. Worst, he told no one that he had hired me and they somehow had no idea I was in the adjunct pool.
I waited for an hour before the division chair showed up and awkwardly explained that all the courses have already been assigned and that I would have no work this semester. The entire time she was defensive and ready to jump at me if I even showed that I was a bit upset with a "NO ONE TOLD ME ANYTHING OKAY!?" So after hearing that line a few times I said "so what I'm hearing is that there's no work for me this semester. Then I will let you get on with your day. Thank you for your time."
I'm devastated. I was genuinely excited to get started and be working again. I feel completely useless and like I have no value. I spent years earning a PhD and working to be talented and respected in my field and now it feels like I'm rotting on the vine. I had a glimmer of hope and it was pulled out from under me like some cruel prank. I had to explain to all my friends and family that it was NOT actually my first day of work ultimately after many best wishes on my first day at work this morning. Now I don't even know if I'll get that full-time role next Spring since the plan was to have a semester of teaching and relationship building under my belt prior to applying.