that’s what the head of the search firm called my candidacy. sure, i’m less experienced than the folks with 20+ years behind them, but sometimes what committees want, or even need, is someone younger, with a fresher perspective, more energy, etc.

or not. i made the a-list, but not the list of semi-finalists.

after academama posted about the possibilities of working with her husband overseas, i found myself envious. it wasn’t just the overseas part, although i’ll confess to finding that really intriguing. it was the combination of having a rewarding job and doing something new. the more i thought about it, the more i realized just how much i don’t want to be where i am — so many of the places i am. the region of the country. the actual city. the job. it’s just not me. and i can keep fighting it, or i can acquiesce, or i can try to make it better.

i always like trying to make things better. so i hit the job market.

in the past two-ish weeks i’ve submitted 9 applications. i work on my materials at night after the kidlets go to bed (and dishes are done and the house is tidied up), which means the earliest i can start is about 9 pm. gone are the days, i am loathe to say, when i could sleep from 2 until 6 am and feel rested. i am one tired scribblette.

and it may be the exhaustion, or my own tendency to undersell myself, or a good measure of reality, but it’s hard to tell whether i have a shot in hell at any of the jobs i’ve applied for.  some are truly long shots. others are whims. but all of them are in geographic regions where mac and i are eager to live and raise kids. all of them are at institutions that, at first blush at least, i believe i will like. all of them, in other words, hold out the promise of something better, more energizing, more rewarding.

i’ve got about a dozen more jobs saved in my job folder, all of them worth considering.  most of them have july 1 start dates. so either we’ll be moving this summer, or i’ll start a long commute this summer, or…more likely…this will be my year to learn about this type of market and to better prepare myself for it…next year. when i plan to kick some job-searching butt.