I am super excited to report that I have FINALLY been offered a fulltime, continuing, paying position that is close to home.
Yay, yay and yay.
No relocating. No doing work for free. No contract. No juggling multiple part-time or casual positions while doing the rest of my work (ie writing and research) from my kitchen table.
A proper, honest-to-goodness, actual job that involved searching for opportunities, writing a cover letter explaining how I meet the selection criteria (note: no ten-page statement of claims about how brilliant I am required), an open discussion at interview about the role (not hula hooping through abstract, obscure, technical and pointless questions designed solely to prove that a committee has done it's job) and a concrete offer made within a reasonable time frame (I won't tell you about the consipracy of the phone companies that meant a lovely voicemail went unheard for several days while I continued to mope/write further applications). Who would have thought it?
My goodness. If this is what it's like working in the real world, then sign me up baby. Why didn't I do this years ago?
Now I am debating whether to have an awkward coversation about wanting more money or just take what they're offereing and get on with it. Such a grown-up dilemma.
And BTW - let me tell you about a little work-life balance perk of the kind of organisation I now work for: if you use your lunch break to exercise, you get to take an extra half an hour! far out. Who are these people? Super fit freaks is who, that much I noticed in the interview.
I can NOT believe that this has finally happened. I think I am going to spend my probation period (only 3 months, not 3 years or the 6 or 7 for Tenure Track) walking around wondering when I am going to awake from a dream to find out that this was in fact too good to be true.
I will confess to slightly freaking out every so often about whether this means I will be permantly leaving academia and what working an actual 38 hour week in 'smart casual business atire' and not my pyjamas and ugg boots or sports gear will feel like. How do I break the news to my academic colleagues? Does that mean I am out for good, or will I continue to look for another position (I still have about a year or so of competitiveness built into my CV due to publication timings and other things)? What the hell is smart casual business attire anyway? Will I miss teaching and research? Is this going to be a career killer or a career builder? What if I don't like it afterall? Etc etc...
But on the whole, I am just fucking relieved that I will have some money coming in. My questions will be answered in due course.
Wonderful! Congrats! Bask in this accomplishment for a while and sort the other stuff as it comes/if it comes.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, congratulations! How nice to hear that this os possible. I am keen to hear more details about the job, but respect the need for anonymity and privacy around that. I can see how difficult the decision will be in terms of telling academic colleagues. Also, the funny feeling that even with the job offer, that this may not be the real end to academic work, is something that must be connected with still feeling obligated to finishing off bits of work and projects. When the final moment of closure comes you will feel wonderful indeed! But keep us posted please.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!!! Great news!!!
ReplyDeleteYou don't give much detail, but as for the question of "does that mean I am out of academia for good," I'd say that I think you'll find that having the security of a nonacademic job will help you clear your head and figure out if you want to keep writing and applying for jobs and whatnot. It's amazing what simply knowing that you don't NEED academia can do for you.
Congrats again!
BTW - Thank you! It's a massive relief to finally have signed a contract. It's amazing too to think that it's not just wishful thinking, but that someone was convinved I could do something that they will pay me for. Woohoo!
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