I am currently trapped in a nice hotel room on the 21st floor overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Kuhio Beach Park in Waikiki. It is 12:30 in the afternoon on a Saturday, and from my balcony I can see people surfing. What am i doing, you ask? I'm analyzing survey data.
It's tragic, I know. But I'm already late getting it done, and Monday is the new deadline. With great responsibility comes great sacrifice. Indeed. And after this, I have probably another five hours worth of work to do. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to actually go to the beach.
Latest news from the job-search saga: the consulting firm in Cambridge is flying me out for an interview two days after I get back from Hawaii. And they want me to give a 30 - 45 minute presentation as part of the interview process. How I will get that prepared is beyond me, but I've decided not to sweat it too much right now (after one sleepless night spent thinking about it) until I have more time to concentrate on it. I will just have to rely on my professional instincts and try not to become engulfed by self-doubt.
Aloha!
Saturday
April 5, 2008
The plot thickens. I have a phone call set up for Monday morning with a woman I know at a social science consulting firm in Cambridge, MA, to talk about a job opportunity. She left me a message yesterday asking me to not accept any other offers until she has a chance to talk to me - I found that extremely flattering, I must say. So I'll know a lot more about my options after that. This would indeed involve moving away from the utopia of Austin, but it would be more of a smart long-term career move. I wish I could transplant these jobs to Austin somehow. Meanwhile, I'm supposed to call the local job back on Tuesday to tell them what's up. And then I go to Hawaii for 8 days (by myself). I'm feeling a little under the weather right now, so I hope I feel better before I travel.
M. and I cruised on our Townies down S. Congress to see all the hotrods at the Lonestar Roundup (actually we went to get some shampoo, tortilla chips, and prosecco and ended up getting cupcakes at Hey Cupcake and looking at cars). We might walk back out there later after dark when it gets really revved up (I can hear the revving from my living room right now!).
M. and I cruised on our Townies down S. Congress to see all the hotrods at the Lonestar Roundup (actually we went to get some shampoo, tortilla chips, and prosecco and ended up getting cupcakes at Hey Cupcake and looking at cars). We might walk back out there later after dark when it gets really revved up (I can hear the revving from my living room right now!).
Thursday
April 3, 2008
OK. So I heard from one of the out-of-state firms I applied to, and I'm no longer being considered for either job I put in for. Sad, but also simplifies things. In the meantime, I talked to the local job person and asked for a sample of their work so I could get a better idea of what they do. She sent me an evaluation plan (research design) for a statewide women's health program (aka family planning) - they are analyzing data on birth rates, birth weight, prematurity, spacing between births, etc. of the women enrolled in this program vs. women who aren't. Sounds kinda cool! So, this job is looking better to me. Like I said, the pay is dismal and I am depressed about my utter lack of earning potential after getting my Ph.D. But, I never entered into the social sciences to get rich, right? But geez, at this salary I could maybe afford a house out in Manor or something - ugh! I also didn't envision working in a tiny sad gray cubicle. I am in the process of seriously adjusting my expectations.
Tuesday
April 1, 2008
I feel like I am being pulled in so many different directions right now, with an underlying sense of (job) insecurity and flux just enough to keep me off-kilter and unable to make reasoned decisions. The basic situation, as most (all three of you, heh heh) know, is that I currently have a job that lasts through June 30. The job is good, great even (good pay, autonomy, great but far away colleagues, work from home), but probably not sustainable in my remote location from HQ plus it is a type of work that I have done before I got my PhD. And in my mind, apparently that is a con. I am ready for something different. I just started applying to jobs to test the waters - one locally, 3 out of state - and the local one just offered me the job. They are even willing to wait until July when I am done with my current obligation. It's a state job, which typically pay about 15% less than the private sector - major con. Other potential con is that I'm not sure how interesting the work would be -- seems to involve evaluating welfare programs, as in TANF and foodstamps and medicaid and such. Big pro is that I could stay here!
The same day I get this offer, I get asked by some former colleagues (where I was a doctoral fellow last year) if I'm interested in some short-term work helping them evaluate a super-cool project designed to get more local citizens to donate to non-profits. This would be from April to September.
And then, these out-of-state jobs are out there, which I may never hear from - they're with big entities with recruiters and stuff -- but the jobs themselves are really interesting and focused on subject matter that I actually have studied and could see myself working on for years to come. Those type of jobs could take 3-4 months to pan out, if at all.
I am not a risk-taker, so you see the dilemma. I know I am lucky to be getting offers of any kind; it's just never as straightforward as I'd like it to be. I will have to decide on the local job pretty soon, before I have anything else lined up.
The same day I get this offer, I get asked by some former colleagues (where I was a doctoral fellow last year) if I'm interested in some short-term work helping them evaluate a super-cool project designed to get more local citizens to donate to non-profits. This would be from April to September.
And then, these out-of-state jobs are out there, which I may never hear from - they're with big entities with recruiters and stuff -- but the jobs themselves are really interesting and focused on subject matter that I actually have studied and could see myself working on for years to come. Those type of jobs could take 3-4 months to pan out, if at all.
I am not a risk-taker, so you see the dilemma. I know I am lucky to be getting offers of any kind; it's just never as straightforward as I'd like it to be. I will have to decide on the local job pretty soon, before I have anything else lined up.
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