It can become a yearly event in a postdoctoral lifecycle with a specific phenology occurring in the fall - job applications. It is a depressing, reflective, hopeful, and stressful time. How many hundreds of applicants will each job get this year? Will I even make the initial cut? Get an interview? The sad truth is, like many other professions, there is a gluttony of applicants and a scarcity of positions. I think most of us knew that the money wasn't good, but the creativity, intellectual challenge and freedom made up for that. But what happens when we fall out of the pipeline because we can't secure a job? I know that's not very inspiring to those thinking about pursuing this career... and I had a hard time reconciling my (and friends') struggles along this career path with an educational workshop in which I participated where one of the goals was to increase interest in scientific career paths. But I guess that's the nature of these types of careers - artists, performers... and now scientists. We persevere for the love, defeats, and triumphs associated with exploring the unknown.
So I will continue my attempts to disperse to a new location with the hope of undergoing microevolution into an Assistant Professor. I am at the mercy of the currents as to where I settle again - across country, down the street, or back to my birthplace... or stay put for now?
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