In 1981, Eriko Amino received her Ph.D. from Columbia University in comparative literature, writing a dissertation on medieval French literature. When all goes well, a doctorate marks the beginning of an academic career, but for Amino it marked the end. “When I graduated,” she says, “many of us did not find anything other than adjunct positions.” While a friend secured a teaching position in South Dakota, Amino did not want to relocate to a place far from a metropolitan center. Unable to find a teaching position near a city, Amino took a job at a bank.
