Things went well today. I met with two women involved in the project that I would be overseeing. They were wonderful, very nice and really trying hard to determine whether this was a good fit for both of us. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be offered the job, they asked for my references and salary requirements and by the time I had returned home they had sent me the benefits summary.
I feel really conflicted right now. I may have to make a decision about this job before I know whether the grant that Post Doc Mentor and I wrote will be funded. We're close, but won't know for sure for about 3 weeks!!
I am just now starting to feel like part of the family in my lab. I love the research I'm doing and everyone I'm working with. A year is just not enough time in any one place, and my experiences here are moving me in the exact direction I wanted to go in terms of finding a kick ass tenure track position. However, there are no guarantees that I'd be able to find a job in a location close to home state, never mind home state itself. I would have to go through all the hoopla of an academic job search (which gives me dry heaves just thinking about it), I would have to work my ass off on the tenure track and being leery of feeling settled down. DH would have to change jobs yet again (this is the third state we've lived in since marrying all due to my academic persuits, and we're finally home).
However, non-academic job is really amazing. It's applied research so I'd utilize my 10 years worth of research experience while learning a whole new way of doing things. New analysis, new language (writing for policy makers and stakeholders rather than academics), new research area. However, I will not have the freedom to chose what I study, I would be pretty far removed from the data collection process, and would probably never do another experimental study at least as long as I stay with them. Salary is almost double what I make as a post-doc, and it would guarantee that DH and I would be able to stay in home state. We both long to be close to family and feel settled.
I know, I know right now I don't have either option and I should put off the worry until I have even one offer but we all know that just isn't going to happen. Ugh I hate stress.
I am off to the beach for the weekend with my sister and her kids so there will probably be not blogging for me.
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3 comments:
That's great news that things are looking so positive but I feel for you - it's a huge decision. We're made to feel like all of our hard work is to go towards getting a tenure track job so how do we know if it really is the best thing or whether we'll be miserable? Hopefully they'll take their time making up their minds and you'll have heard about the funding before they get back to you. Ugh! My thoughts are with you.
Hi Psych Post Doc! I have been reading you for a couple of months but have never commented. I’m a psych PhD student and am looking into non-academic careers, and I’m interested in hearing more about the job you just interviewed for. What area of psych are you in, if you don’t mind saying? How closely related is this place’s research to what you have done? I am considering going the non-university research organization route myself, but the research I do now isn’t very policy-related. I wonder how close of a research match you have to be with these jobs, or if you’d be okay with having the skills they need but not necessarily experience in the specific area they research. I can give you my email address if you don’t want to post possibly identifying information as a blog comment.
Good luck hearing back and with making a decision!
Thanks for the comments!
Jess- email me and I'll answer some of your questions (the one's that won't out me). :)
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