I applied for the docentship in visual literacy at Tampere University in May 2022. I was thinking about this for at least a year before. And after a long process, the decision was made and signed on January 28, 2024. From now on, I am having a title of ‘dosentti’ – decent in visual literacy, which has some meaning in the Finnish academic context (I can, for example, serve as an examiner for doctoral thesis). In English, it translates as Adjunct Professor, but there was a lot of discussion about the exact translation, which will not be misleading to those not familiar with the Finnish academia.
My big thanks go to Prof. Asko Lehmuskallio, who helped me to initiate the process and revise the documents, and who introduced my application to the Faculty (as it is required that a professor in a relevant field proposes the docentship application to be considered). That followed with an external review of my academic work by two academic experts in the field, and by the teaching demonstration I gave at Tampere University, graded by the committee.
Theoretically, the title of docent is a kind of an official proof of my academic work being valuable, important and at the high level. At the same time, I am facing a prolonged unemployment, soon not being able to follow my academic colleagues who have funding and permanent employment. Hence, not much to celebrate.