In a tight job market, visiting professorships can be appealing way stations for new Ph.D.'s while they search for permanent posts. Unlike adjunct positions, which are often renewed semester by semester, visiting professorships are set by annual or even multiyear contracts, with most capped at three years. The visiting jobs often come with health benefits and offer better pay than a typical adjunct receives, with visiting professors often earning close to the same starting salary as an assistant professor. The role is attractive to universities, too, which are using the positions to hire Ph.D.'s for teaching jobs that limited budgets make it difficult or impossible to otherwise fill. A visiting professorship can also offer an institution more stability than an adjunct appointment, as the contract is longer and the professor is often more engaged in departmental affairs. But while some scholars view visiting professorships as a road toward tenure, with resume-building experience in teaching and research, others have found the route can become a dead end. One historian didn't realize until too late that he was doomed to be a perpetual visitor. Others, however, still see the role as a steppingstone.