Finding Nonacademic Work Overseas

She asked how I was adjusting to the “difficult” corporate world after coming from the “less stressful” academic world. It was all I could do to keep from bursting out laughing.

Let’s see: I’m only working five days a week. At night, I am not furiously preparing a lecture for the next day. And I actually enjoy weekends without the nagging feeling that I should be working on more revisions and resubmissions. Yeah, I think I’ve adjusted just fine, thanks. —Robin Moriarty
—Finding Nonacademic Work Overseas (Chronicle)

I’m actually quite happy as a college professor, but there were brief moments during the dot-com craze when I wondered why I didn’t feel compelled to head for Silicon Valley and see what happens. Actually, the fact that my wife doesn’t want to live anywhere near the San Andreas Fault pretty much solved that career crisis, but it was still interesting to daydream, and it’s somehow comforting to remind myself that I’m not the only academic who brings home bookbacks bulging with homework. For me tonight, it’s about a four-inch stack of papers to grade, a teaching demonstration, and about 20 e-mails connected to a research project that just hit a major setback. Such is the life of an eternal student.

I can’t wait until Spring Break — when I can really get caught up on my work.