system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
to adjunct or nor to adjunct?

I recently finished grad school and was offered a class at my alma mater and am having some trouble processing the transition and my career goals. 

I graduated with my MFA in studio art in May and am now teaching a foundations level art course in the evenings. It's not too much work (it's not a lecture-based discipline, nor does it require grading papers) which makes the job do-able on top of my other full-time job. However, teaching leaves me little to no time to work in the studio in the evenings after my day job. Of course, for an artist wanting a TT position, you have to make art the way other disciplines have to publish, so staying in the studio is a must. It is also a joy of mine and a place I want to be regardless of whether it will ever lead to a career in academe. 

Recently I have been wondering if I am killing myself over the pipe dream of getting a TT job in the humanities. How can I both set myself up for this but always have an exit plan? I want(ed) to stay connected to the university mostly for social/creative reasons (and resume ones too) but our school is very strange-- almost all professors are tenured and because of this, they leave campus as soon as they are done teaching class. The university is just not what I thought (and wished!) it was... When I get to school at 3PM, no one is there. It feels like a weird sort of brain drain, and is very depressing as someone who is looking for a community of creative colleagues. Even though I felt like I graduated with some recognition from faculty, I have been trying to remind myself they they are not my friends and they are not my colleagues. I feel like a lonely drifter who they wouldn't deign to take any sort of interest in, much less collaborate or socialize with. 

I am surprised and hurt by how lonely it is to adjunct. And I want to create a life for myself that doesn't feel so hopeless and life sucking. I always thought that the vibrant world of academia would provide a solution. 

If you have any stories or advice, I am all ears!

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gpt
Adjuncting is a good way to build your academic credentials and make money after graduation. Adjuncting is not a good long term career move though. Try to land a full-time position sometime in the next few years or plan a pivot into a new field or industry.