The academic job hunt is over, concluding after 61 applications and near-exhaustion.
I did not locate a post at a college or university and do not intend to look again next year.
My Ph.D defense is May 11. That, and a handful of remaining conference appearances, will mark the end of my time in academia -- at least until a university invites me to teach based on my creative writing success. That is not sarcasm. I have faith in my writing.
Plan A was to complete the Ph.D and locate a tenure-track post, enabling us to have something of a normal life. I'd write and teach. Plan A is inoperative.
Plan B was to find work locally, allowing us to save money towards moving back to California. To date, this has proven to be an unsuccessful plan. I have "Monster.com" and Indeed alerts, but this is a lousy job market. Researching teaching K-12 again, I realized that teaching in a state that is closing dozens of schools isn't promising. So, onward…
Plan C, the current operational objective, is to pursue writing full-time and hope things work out for the best.
I happen to like Plan C, though I do wish we had some financial security. Such is life.
Writing is a full-time business. It means completing manuscripts and sending out dozens of queries. You can't merely hope for success, you have to make it happen. While my path has been changed by circumstances, I believe this is simply a new route to what I should be doing.
I'm sorry. It's a very tough market out there. You have a great attitude. I'll be praying for you when I see you post.
ReplyDeleteYou never know what's around the corner. Hang in there!