Today I got another rejection letter. This surprised me somewhat, seeing as I applied for it back in October, but I was not bothered by it because
1. The search was cancelled so State School wasn't rejecting ME they were rejecting everyone (at least that's what I told myself).
2. I already have a job.
In case you didn't get the news release, I'll be taking a visiting assistant professor position at a small, liberal arts college.
I realize that probably about half of you just collectively nodded your heads knowingly, thinking "oh no, there she goes down the sabbatical rabbithole."
If you had told me in October 2007 (when I started my applications) that I would ultimately end up in a temporary teaching position, I would have laughed in your face. So why my change of heart?
I applied to a dozen or places, a mix of tenure-track, visiting, and instructor positions. Half contacted me for an interview, three sent rejections, and three cancelled their searches. This visiting position is at a really good school (that I had never heard of naturally), in the middle of nowhere, in a location of the country that I have never lived before. I don't know anyone in a 300 mile radius. I will be 2 hours from a Target.
Why the hell would I subject myself to such a remote location for just a one-year position?
It was the perfect fit. The faculty are amazing. Half are female and six out of eight are under 35. I will be mentored within the department, my teaching assignments rock, and my colleagues are committed to helping me move on to my next (tenure-track) position. The students are amazing. The facilities are insane.
In terms of my personal life, N.A. had accepted his faculty position (a tenure-track position at a top-notch school more than 900 miles away) just before we started dating (a mere four months ago, although it feels much longer...is that a good thing?). This year will give me a chance to sort out what exactly I want to do, as well as hopefully get closer (geographically) to N.A.
Am I damning myself to a string of visiting positions? Will I survive a long-distance relationship and overcome a two-body problem without compromising my career? We'll just have to see how things work out!
