Today's topic: Jobs
So in Montreal I met with a professor about doing a post-doc, the next big step. There are several possibilities but they all boil down to coming up with a great idea, writing a grant, and getting it funded. This is basically what I have been trained to do since day 1 arriving at Davis, but a lot is riding on developing a good proposal. Alternatively, I can apply straight to jobs being a professor at a small school. There is a sweet job at Hobart & William Smith Colleges, but can the California boy survive in Seneca, NY? Sounds like a beautiful place and I will likely apply- but now I have to generate a statement of teaching philosophy, a statement of research interests, start thinking about a plan for the detailed nitty gritty of space I need, equipment I need, etc. Crazy stuff, but I love it. I basically start applying for professor jobs now, and start writing grants to submit for post-doctoral stuff by January (for those not in the know, a post-doc is a research position at a school where PhDs are to sharpen their expertise and widen their horizons, making them more attractive applicants at bigger universities). The madness continues...