Friday, August 10, 2007

Did I ask for your opinion?

At a non-university meeting last night, a man who I have spoken to a total of once ever, and don't really remember, came over to talk to me and we had this intensely irritating conversation.

"Hi, I think we met somewhere. You're studying, aren't you? How's that going?"

"Good, thanks. I've finished my thesis, except for some revisions."

"So have you got a job yet?"

"I'm lecturing at the moment."

"But have you got a position?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is the lecturing just temporary, or is it a long-term position?"

"Oh! No, just temporary, unfortunately. I'll probably be in temporary jobs for a while."

"You need to get a post-doc."

"Well, that would be nice. But there's not much around, and I want to stay in [this city] for the next few years because my husband has a job here in the physics department."

"You will find you have to make sacrifices, if you want to work in academia. You can't just float around and hope to land a job."

"Well, obviously. But I'm hardly floating. Anyway, I haven't even graduated yet. I refuse to worry about things like this until after that."

"It doesn't sound to me like you are very serious about academic work, then. I think you should look for a job outside the ivory tower."

5 comments:

  1. Wow, he was terribly rude!

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  2. I hope you said: "Can you please step back? You're projecting all over me."

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  3. Uh, who asked for your opinion? That was quite rude.

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  4. Anonymous11:57 AM

    What. an. ASS.

    (I know Julep already said this, but really, it's all I got.)

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