[pt17]

For myself, the possibility of tenure is the only thing that keeps me in academia

I rest my case. The thing(s) that should keep you in academia should be the rewards of teaching, both monetary and psychological, the motivation to learn, grow, excel and the status and stature of the profession. In many educational systems today, both secondary and collegiate, it is difficult to get any of these.

As far as potentially having to move if you get laid off, that's the real world and it is a fact of life that only the insecure should fear.

[AmishDude]

The thing(s) that should keep you in academia should be the rewards of teaching, both monetary and psychological, . . .

Tenure is a benefit which has an "opportunity cost". For me, it has a specific value. It is calculated as part of salary in determining whether a job is beneficial.

Also, being in academia has little to do with teaching. The game is scholarly research. Maybe not at this small Texas college, but at most medium to large Universities, it is THE determining factor.

If job performace were tied only to teaching, I wouldn't concern myself at all with it. Teaching is easy.

As far as potentially having to move if you get laid off,

There aren't "lay offs" in academia as such. The department, for example, could decide that they will go into an entirely different field of research because it's "hot" now. They could fire virtually the whole faculty (if no tenure) and start anew.

This would have nothing whatsoever to do with job performance or self-induced insecurities. Now, if a University wanted to have such a possibility exist, that's fine, but they're going to have to pay me a lot more to get myself into such a situation.