On Monday, I had lunch at a just-off-campus tavern with a doctoral advisee. The occasion was a pending job interview. -- for him, not me. A phone interview the previous week went very well and the work seems closely aligned with what he was looking for: smaller institution, high premium place on teaching, and a good place to raise a family. The downside is that the campus is in Texas rather than the mid-Atlantic area (Maryland to Georgia) that had been the dream. Next Monday he flies down for a day and a half of chats and school visits and a classroom presentation (no "research" talk). Lots of good signs and many reasons for optimism. To a certain extent, this is exactly what we've been working toward; it also seems to have snuck up on us.
He is fully prepared for the job. Despite being in a doctoral program with essentially one faculty member, he has done everything he should, in large part because that's his nature. His concerns about the phone interview dissipated as he listed all the things he's accomplished in the past few years. The break from Boston, the place of his upbringing, career and family roots, in order to come to Connecticut was quite a daring transition. But now I see courage in big bold letters because a crucial decision may need to be made.
Courage comes in many forms and one feature of courage is that it amazes those who witness it, especially in those who are in our care. For me, the prospect of going to San Antonio seems like it would be a calculated and reasonable risk. But then again, I wouldn't be moving two school-aged kids, and creating considerable distance between them and their grandparents (truth be told: the distance created by the previous move was a welcome relief to the adults). Nevertheless, the stakes are much higher than they would be for me.
There are other jobs posted that are within the geographic target. But only one of those called and it was clearly not a good match. In a nutshell, the prospective job seems to be a perfect match -- were it not for the location. Consequently, the visit for the interview becomes an important opportunity to look for flaws. If the work is perfect but the living is less so, then a tough decision will be made. What if there's an offer forthcoming but nothing else is very far along? Up until this point, I could base almost all of my advising on my own experiences. Suddenly, I feel inadequately suited to offer advice. The courage required will be something I will have to watch.
Courage comes in many forms and one feature of courage is that it amazes those who witness it, especially in those who are in our care. For me, the prospect of going to San Antonio seems like it would be a calculated and reasonable risk. But then again, I wouldn't be moving two school-aged kids, and creating considerable distance between them and their grandparents (truth be told: the distance created by the previous move was a welcome relief to the adults). Nevertheless, the stakes are much higher than they would be for me.
There are other jobs posted that are within the geographic target. But only one of those called and it was clearly not a good match. In a nutshell, the prospective job seems to be a perfect match -- were it not for the location. Consequently, the visit for the interview becomes an important opportunity to look for flaws. If the work is perfect but the living is less so, then a tough decision will be made. What if there's an offer forthcoming but nothing else is very far along? Up until this point, I could base almost all of my advising on my own experiences. Suddenly, I feel inadequately suited to offer advice. The courage required will be something I will have to watch.
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