The Tenure Track Quest

File photo My family holds firmly to the belief that my husband and I are keeping something from them, something imminent and important. My current appointment is nearly up, I need a new job, and thus we need to move. My parents have been persistent, and for months my response has been, "We don't know where we are moving. We just know we are going to move." They feel excluded, yet I do, too. I am not privy to something important that is happening in my life. And so continues my tenure-track quest. As I pursue my quest in the long skinny room known as Postdoc Alley, I share in the quests of my fellow postdocs. We are united by science and two common goals. The first is happiness. The second is a tenured job at a teaching and research institution. In our common quest we have developed a few useful resources, The Red Binder being the most vital. The Red Binder includes examples of curricula vitae, research statements, teaching statements, and cover letters from those who have successfully walked this path before us. It includes tips on how to dress, and the politics of alcohol consumption during interview dinners. But possibly most important, it contains lists of questions you should be prepared to answer, as well as questions you should ask of the dean, the faculty, and the students. I have recently made extensive use of The Red Binder, but despite its wisdoms, the application process sent me into a spin. I spent weeks preparing my application packages. I resolved on at least three occasions to be finished with the applications by the end of the day, and yet the process dragged on and on. It was an all- consuming agony! I drove myself mad, I drove my husband mad, and I drove my officemates mad. One week after submitting my application for a fellowship, I was invited to interview. The interview process would not be as intense as one for a faculty position, but it was an interview, nonetheless. The night before the interview, as I manically knitted to calm myself, I remember thinking: "Is all this nervous energy and preparation going to be worth it?" The interview went well, despite the litany of PowerPoint disasters that I had not even dreamed of. Within the week I was offered the fellowship. The weight has lifted from our lives (until next time) and I can now happily answer two questions: 1) Yes, the agonizing preparation was worth it, and 2) Mum and Dad, we're moving to Tucson, Arizona. For those who are on this path, I offer this advice. Take time to generate your own Red Binder, and do it in collaboration with your colleagues. Good luck on your quest! Alex Wilson (acwilson@email.arizona.edu) is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Arizona, Tucson. function sendData() { document.frm.pathName.value = location.pathname; result = false if (document.frm.score[0].checked) result = true; if (document.frm.score[1].checked) result = true; if (document.frm.score[2].checked) result = true; if (document.frm.score[3].checked) result = true; if (document.frm.score[4].checked) result = true; if (!result) alert("Please select") return result; } .myradio{background-color : #94bee5} Please indicate on a 1 - 5 scale how strongly you would recommend this article to your colleagues? Not recommended 1 2 3 4 5 Highly recommended Please register your vote

The Tenure Track Quest

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