After a long job market season, I’m thrilled to finally know that I’ll start a dream postdoc fellowship with @PennMindCORE this summer. In these unsettling times, I’m grateful to return to a community where I know I’ll thrive. A few thoughts on my job market experience...1/10

Knowing that it takes ~3 shots to land a TT job and figuring that I'd rather do a postdoc than more years in grad school if it didn't work out, I decided to start early and take my first shot this year (as a 4th year grad student). I applied to 24 TT jobs and got 4 fly-outs. 2/10

All of the campus visits went well *and* I didn’t get any offers. I learned that both of these things can be true, and that there is a huge disconnect between effort and outcome in this context. (But I did find it surprisingly validating to even get interviews!) 3/10

I also applied to 7 postdocs and a dissertation year fellowship to make sure I had a plan B, C, and D. The prep I did for the TT job market paid off here, and I'm excited to use my postdoc research time windfall to think deeply and take my work in some new directions. 4/10

Of course, it would have been fantastic (though perhaps too much to ask for in this abysmal job market) to get a TT job right out of the gate. It is sobering to think that had the job market worked out this round, I would be going up for tenure in 5-6 years...5/10

...but now, in the aftermath of COVID-19, it may well take 3-4 years (if ever) to even land a TT job. @tage_rai's advice in this article really struck a chord with me.
https://socialsciences.nature.com/users/320736-tage-rai/posts/54670-leaving-the-lottery 6/10

So, I’m going to keep entering the lottery—but not indefinitely—while continuing to live a full life outside of work that involves a lot of dancing, singing, climbing, energizing relationships, and snuggles with this fluffy baby. 7/10

Finally, I've been blown away by the generosity of my colleagues. So many people shared their materials, gave great advice & feedback, & cheered me on (& up). Huge shoutout especially to @siminevazire for putting up with the most neurotic version of me during this process!! 8/10

I want to pay it forward, so am happy to chat/Tweet more about any of these topics (with a disclaimer that YMMV): 1) considerations when deciding whether to go on the market, 2) my process/timeline for prepping my job talk and materials, 3) psych vs. b-school job talks...9/10

4) interviews in North America vs. the UK, 5) prepping for the job talk Q&A, 6) comparing offers, & 7) what I wish I had done differently earlier in grad school. Also happy to share application materials, talk slides, & lists of Qs I was asked (& that I asked). 10/10