It's autumn! A time for change...*

The leaves start to change

In the US and many other parts of the world, it is that time of year: the time when we postdocs start applying for professorships.  The CV is polished, the research and teaching statements sing with unabashed self-praise, and letters have been requested from the most prestigious people we know.  We scatter them about cyberspace, and they land in the hands of esteemed acquaintances or total strangers, and we hope for the best.  But we don't hope too hard, lest our ivory tower dreams come crashing down.

The same tree 2 weeks later

 So this fall, as the world outside started looking different, I thought it was time for a new perspective.  I've been reading "So What Are You Going to Do With That?", a book about exploring career possibilities outside of academia.   That's not to say I've decided to leave "the academy", but I'm starting to realize there are lots of possible directions that I haven't considered before.  Yes, any of these paths could lead me to a post-academic life, but they could also help shape new opportunities for more applied areas of research.

*Engaging in a soul-searching journey usually requires a little cliché, don't you think?