Thursday, May 17, 2012

PhD Candidate

Wow!!  You were awesome this morning Katey!!!  Way to go!  And everyone seemed really engaged. I love your committee members. All are very very smart!!  Your work is super interesting and has SO much potential to contribute innovative ideas to help dementia caregivers. Go celebrate and sleep. And Katey don't be surprised if you "crash." It takes awhile to recover from candidacy exams. Great job. You should feel so proud of yourself.

ginny

Monday, March 12, 2012

Decisions, Decisions...

I had my first job interview, ever, last Thursday.
I flew into the Chippewa County Airport on Wednesday night. My interview lasted from 7:15 AM to 7:30 pm.  It was an amazing day but so absolutely exhausting.  I can't remember the last time I slept that well.  My teaching demo was amazing.  I didn't get through it all because the students were participating and discussing what I was asking.  I can't remember the last time I got done teaching and felt that great about what just happened.  It was so encouraging and exciting for me!  Then, I gave my research talk to about 3 people, another showed up more than halfway through and then another showed up as I was taking questions and comments.  There weren't many questions, but mostly just comments saying how awesome my ideas are and how important they are not only for society but also in terms of theoretical contributions.
Dinner went well with the whole committee. I bonded with the two professors I didn't know and the student representative on the search committee.
I felt so good about the whole day and I made it known that regardless of what happened, I had such a good experience and was so thankful for it.
My old professor told me that I really knocked it out of the park.  He wasn't there for my teaching talk but the report from the other two that were there was to the extent of "wow".  And he said my research talk was amazing.  He likened me to Rocky Marciano in the historic fight - Marciano v. Jersey Joe Walcott both in my interview and during my phone interview as well.  I was the underdog and things weren't very strong at the beginning, but I came through and and knocked 'em out eventually.
I had quite a few conversations with my old professor - mostly just shooting the shit, but he made it very clear to me before I left that I put in a good performance and it seemed that 4/5 committee members he had already talked to were impressed with me.  I knew the committee was meeting on Monday to discuss their decision.
Fast-forward through the weekend...
Today is Monday.  I hadn't told anyone at school about how the interview had gone.  I had through an e-mail told a professor I was working with that the interview had gone well and within the hour my advisor contacted me to tell me she heard it went well.  How quickly news travels in our department... or so I thought.
She requested that we meet before our normal Wednesday meeting, and in fact, that we meet in 45 minutes.  I raced into school and found out that LSSU had contacted her about the position.  I have no idea what they talked to her about, but she told me that I was basically going to be offered the job.  I was surprised that they contacted her so quickly... I knew they were meeting on Monday, but I figured it would be at least another day or two before any contact was made.  I got home from school, from TA-ing the final exam, and within 45 minutes I received a call from the provost at Lake State.  He extended me the offer for Assistant Professor of Communication.  Only had a few details but I'm apparently receiving a whole bunch of paperwork in the mail detailing the offer.  I have until next Wednesday to give them my answer.

This is insane.  So happy and blessed to have this offer, but this is terrifying and is probably the biggest life decision I've ever had to make.  At the age of 26, I am being offered a tenure track, Assistant Professor of Communication, faculty position.  Put that in your pipe and smoke on it.

So, to take it back to da yoop, or keep bleeding scarlet and grey for one more year?

Decisions, decisions...

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

SISU

I find myself facing a situation that I've already been in before.  Fortunately, this time I am recognizing that I am being set up before it is too late.  With an authority backing me, I am hopefully taking care of this situation tomorrow.  Every mountain I climb, I descend to find another.  I am resilient. I am courageous.  I am determined. I have the strength and I WILL persevere. 

SISU
is a Finnish term loosely translated into English as strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity. However, the word is widely considered to lack a proper translation into any language. Sisu has been described as being integral to understanding Finnish culture. The literal meaning is equivalent in English to "having guts", and the word derives from sisus, which means something inner or interior. However sisuis defined by a long-term element in it; it is not momentary courage, but the ability to sustain an action against the odds. Deciding on a course of action and then sticking to that decision against repeated failures is sisu. It is similar to equanimity, except the forbearance of sisu has a grimmer quality of stress management than the latter. The noun sisu is related to the adjective sisukas, one having the quality of sisu.

[Wikipedia]