Guest guest Posted November 4, 2001 Report Share Posted November 4, 2001 Hi Doug, congratulations on doing a(n objectively) good job interview !!!! :-) that is no small feat !! > I'm more than a little depressed about this -- mostly that this month will > SUCK, having to wait for news from these people on something so important > as my future. All I feel like doing is sleeping, and last night I went to > bed at 10 PM -- I NEVER go to bed that early, even if I do have to get up > early the next morning. I hate waiting, I hate uncertainty, I don't know > what to do now. I'm sorry to hear that you are feeling depressed about this.. I don't know that you are asking for advice or anything ... and I myself do not often like unsolicited advice (well, esp from NTs!) so I will stop here. If you are interested in hearing some ideas as to how I've coped w/ some bad times, then please post again and I will come up with my list for you! If not, I completely understand .. I just wanted to express that I really acknowledge you for taking on the interview at all, and that you did well. Marria on 11/3/01 4:33 PM, Doug O'Neal at doneal@... wrote: > I'm kind of needing to express something to somebody. I had a job > interview yesterday. I'm a physics/astronomy professor, and this interview > was for a faculty position at a college just down the road from the one at > which I work now. It would be a better job, and I wouldn't have to move > out of the Pittsburgh area. > > Objectively, the interview went well. But since it ended I've been > obsessing about a few things. I'm my own worst critic about my lectures, > and there are some things I could have said or done differently in my > teaching demonstrations. The students with whom I had lunch said it was a > good lecture -- but then most NT's won't say " your talk sucked " to your > face, even if it's true. Then I had good conversations with two of their > current faculty members. But still, I worry. I'm lousy at reading " vibes " > (big surprise there, given my presence on this list!), so I don't really > know what to think of their perception of me. > > The worst part is that they told me they won't make a decision about > whether to hire me until early December. So I have an entire month to > obsess about this. This is one of those (comparatively rare) times when I > wish my profession were more like others, where they tell you whether > you're hired within a day or two, a week at most. I especially wish I > didn't have to SIT AT HOME ALONE this whole damn weekend. > > I'm more than a little depressed about this -- mostly that this month will > SUCK, having to wait for news from these people on something so important > as my future. All I feel like doing is sleeping, and last night I went to > bed at 10 PM -- I NEVER go to bed that early, even if I do have to get up > early the next morning. I hate waiting, I hate uncertainty, I don't know > what to do now. > > Doug > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 4, 2001 Report Share Posted November 4, 2001 Doug typed: > I'm kind of needing to express something to somebody. I had a job > interview yesterday. I'm a physics/astronomy professor, and this interview > was for a faculty position at a college just down the road from the one at > which I work now. It would be a better job, and I wouldn't have to move > out of the Pittsburgh area. To some extent I envy you, both because you have a fascinating academic career and already have a rewarding job. At one stage the solar system and cosmology were my special interests. Now only a few philosophical issues concern me such as why is the big bang orthodoxy so rigidly enforced within the scientific community when it has so many blatant flaws. I would call it latter-day creationism. > Objectively, the interview went well. But since it ended I've been > obsessing about a few things. I'm my own worst critic about my lectures, > and there are some things I could have said or done differently in my > teaching demonstrations. The students with whom I had lunch said it was a > good lecture -- but then most NT's won't say " your talk sucked " to your > face, even if it's true. Then I had good conversations with two of their > current faculty members. But still, I worry. I'm lousy at reading " vibes " > (big surprise there, given my presence on this list!), so I don't really > know what to think of their perception of me. I'm relatively good at interviews because they take place in a formal structured environment and taught English at private language schools with highly motivated students, but I can see now how students would often make fun of me or reacted badly to my honest assessments of their performance. Language schools wanted to reassure students of their progress, they didn't want someone who would analyse mistakes and mistranslations they had picked up in previous courses. It just wasn't for me, but had I had the staying power to graduate in physics, I think I might just be able to handle lectures, but would run into trouble if I digressed from the curriculum. > The worst part is that they told me they won't make a decision about > whether to hire me until early December. So I have an entire month to > obsess about this. This is one of those (comparatively rare) times when I > wish my profession were more like others, where they tell you whether > you're hired within a day or two, a week at most. I especially wish I > didn't have to SIT AT HOME ALONE this whole damn weekend. > > I'm more than a little depressed about this -- mostly that this month will > SUCK, having to wait for news from these people on something so important > as my future. All I feel like doing is sleeping, and last night I went to > bed at 10 PM -- I NEVER go to bed that early, even if I do have to get up > early the next morning. I hate waiting, I hate uncertainty, I don't know > what to do now. > > Doug Don't worry. Life ain't that bad if you have a job and a steady income, but I think I know where you're coming from. You feel your student's judgment of your performance as lecturer is crucial to your self-esteem. But what about your integrity? Is not better to nurture a reputation for a talented, studious and insightful physicist rather than just an entertaining lecturer. If they want the latter, they could hire an actor and ask someone like yourself to write the script. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 4, 2001 Report Share Posted November 4, 2001 > To some extent I envy you, both because you have a fascinating academic > career and already have a rewarding job. Well, how rewarding my current job is, is questionable. The college where I currently teach has no physics major program, and the main result is that I have very little interaction with other faculty or advanced students in my discipline. It's a very lonely job. On the plus side, it's an easy job and gives me plenty of time to do other things with my life. But I'd trade some of that for a little more professional stimulation and interaction. > Now only a few philosophical issues > concern me such as why is the big bang orthodoxy so rigidly enforced within > the scientific community when it has so many blatant flaws. It's pretty clear that (a) the universe is expanding and ( it was originally in a hot, dense state. I seriously doubt that the entire framework will be overturned any time soon. That doesn't mean there aren't details of the model that don't necessarily correspond with observations. It also doesn't mean that I don't think cosmologists are nuts and come up with a different wacky, far-out idea every week. > Don't worry. Life ain't that bad if you have a job and a steady income, but > I think I know where you're coming from. I'd be able to survive with my current job, of course. But I've gotten a glimpse of something better, I've been tempted; and now I'll be sorely disappointed if it doesn't pan out. Not for the money -- the salary of the new job would be almost exactly what I'm getting now. > You feel your student's judgment of > your performance as lecturer is crucial to your self-esteem. Perhaps I do, perhaps not; but that's not the issue in this case. The issue is that I gave a sample class lecture, as a part of the interview, to three professors at this college and several students. It will probably be a major factor in their decision whether or not to hire me. I'm concerned about how I did, and thinking there are a couple of things I could have done better. >But what about > your integrity? Is not better to nurture a reputation for a talented, > studious and insightful physicist rather than just an entertaining lecturer. I'm definitely not an entertainer when I teach; that's what prime time television is for. But I do like to interest and inspire the students, make the material seem relevant, etc., and I do throw in some subtle humor. As for a reputation -- sure, I keep in contact with outside colleagues and research collaborators at other institutions. But at my current job there's no one to nurture this reputation for! Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 5, 2001 Report Share Posted November 5, 2001 >> To some extent I envy you, both because you have a fascinating academic >> career and already have a rewarding job. > >Well, how rewarding my current job is, is questionable. The college where >I currently teach has no physics major program, and the main result is that >I have very little interaction with other faculty or advanced students in >my discipline. It's a very lonely job. On the plus side, it's an easy job >and gives me plenty of time to do other things with my life. But I'd trade >some of that for a little more professional stimulation and interaction. I can certainly identify with that. I'm an engineer, and I worked for Westinghouse for several years and then got laid off when the company was disintegrating. I spent over a year working as an orthodontic assistant while we were working on starting a family. I missed interacting with my fellow engineering nerds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.