To post doc or not to post doc
I had a hell of a week. My teaching load is heavy and this week was very tiring. I am exhausted!
I started well on Monday, I was super charged on Tuesday and Wednesday the first class (that I didn't prepare that well, I admit it) went very well. I was very very focused for the second one. I arrived into a class of zombies. No feedback, no nothing, they were not talking, they were just sitting there, staring. I was almost ready to jump at them and kill them. Please, this is the twice a week class. I don't want to have a class like this one twice a week. Please.......
Then Thursday and Friday I was busy preparing classes, taking care of the office (they will move out the stuff of my old colleague that left, YAY!!! I will have again an office all by myself) and errands. Today we had a friend over for breakfast but this meant: walk the dog before, prepare everything, go out after, anyway, I am terribly tired. And I have LOTS of things that HAVE to BE DONE ASAP. I am totally falling behind everything. I feel like I am spinning out of control here.
And tomorrow I have a meeting at the gym (!!!!!!) where I teach spinning (come on!) and in the afternoon my parents arrive. YAY! Yes, but will I be able to find the time to spend some with them? Right now I could go to sleep for a month just to recharge!
And then the question: should I write a post-doc proposal or not? I really don't know what to do. I would love to say no, because I have plenty of stuff to do: one article to write and propose a second one. Plus reading for the defense. Plus preparing classes.
But maybe I should say yes, because it could be good for me to take a year off and focus on research only. But if I do so, I will earn less than now and I don't know if I am comfortable with that.
In any case I am planning to take the summer off teaching so I can concentrate on conferences and articles. Publish or perish, you know what I mean. If I could get a post-doc, it would be wonderful for my publications, but I will have to give up my position (and the salary). And then plunge into the unknown. I really don't know if I am ready to do this. I have doubts.
I have a friend of mine who could be my supervisor as we have a common research project together, but I will also have a very good professor as an external member of the committee that teaches in Canadian capital where my Husband is living now and maybe I should wait for next year and do it with him. At that point I could move in with my husband, leave this city and start new somewhere else. Does it make sense?
Any suggestions? Should I postdoc or not?
I started well on Monday, I was super charged on Tuesday and Wednesday the first class (that I didn't prepare that well, I admit it) went very well. I was very very focused for the second one. I arrived into a class of zombies. No feedback, no nothing, they were not talking, they were just sitting there, staring. I was almost ready to jump at them and kill them. Please, this is the twice a week class. I don't want to have a class like this one twice a week. Please.......
Then Thursday and Friday I was busy preparing classes, taking care of the office (they will move out the stuff of my old colleague that left, YAY!!! I will have again an office all by myself) and errands. Today we had a friend over for breakfast but this meant: walk the dog before, prepare everything, go out after, anyway, I am terribly tired. And I have LOTS of things that HAVE to BE DONE ASAP. I am totally falling behind everything. I feel like I am spinning out of control here.
And tomorrow I have a meeting at the gym (!!!!!!) where I teach spinning (come on!) and in the afternoon my parents arrive. YAY! Yes, but will I be able to find the time to spend some with them? Right now I could go to sleep for a month just to recharge!
And then the question: should I write a post-doc proposal or not? I really don't know what to do. I would love to say no, because I have plenty of stuff to do: one article to write and propose a second one. Plus reading for the defense. Plus preparing classes.
But maybe I should say yes, because it could be good for me to take a year off and focus on research only. But if I do so, I will earn less than now and I don't know if I am comfortable with that.
In any case I am planning to take the summer off teaching so I can concentrate on conferences and articles. Publish or perish, you know what I mean. If I could get a post-doc, it would be wonderful for my publications, but I will have to give up my position (and the salary). And then plunge into the unknown. I really don't know if I am ready to do this. I have doubts.
I have a friend of mine who could be my supervisor as we have a common research project together, but I will also have a very good professor as an external member of the committee that teaches in Canadian capital where my Husband is living now and maybe I should wait for next year and do it with him. At that point I could move in with my husband, leave this city and start new somewhere else. Does it make sense?
Any suggestions? Should I postdoc or not?
Posted by 
PhDLadybug
1 comments:
The decision to do a postdoc seems like a really personal decision based on goals and timing. If you want to go into academia and your area generally requires a postdoc, then it might be good to get it started. Teaching a full load may just prolong things. But, if a postdoc isn't required, you may want to just apply for full time position. I guess it also depends on the current strength of your CV.
Post a Comment