because corva asked

In a comment to a recent post I was asked: "What will you ever do when you are finished? Start something new? Do some travelling? Tell us the stories of whatever it is, please."

So I thought I'd answer here, on the off chance that she's not the one one who'd like to know what I'm hoping to do "next".

I would very much like to do some travelling between finishing my degree here in Tassie and moving on to wherever we go next. There are ever so many old friends I'd like to visit, new friends I'd like to meet, and places of wonderful natural beauty on this planet I've not seen yet. Should the timing work out that way, I wouldn't mind taking a good six months off to just travel, but if only a week or two are available, that would be fun too (I'd just focus on the "seeing old friends" part rather than the "explore new places" part of the dream).

But at this point it is all very much in the "dream" category. I don't really want to start a serious search for a post-doc or teaching position until I've got a good, solid first draft of my thesis, because I want to have a good idea of when I can reasonably expect to be finished (and therefore available). This works out well in timing, the positions I've seen advertised over the past four months or so are for teaching positions are still mostly in the "start August 2008" category, which I am certain is too soon for my schedule. Hopefully this will mean that a bunch more will come available that start in August of 2009--that would give me the opportunity for travel between degrees!

Of course, that is assuming that I go for a teaching position--all of the web pages suggest that folk are more likely to be hired for teaching at Uni after they've held a post-doc research position, and those positions are less likely to be advertised, and are more likely to have random start times, based upon when funding is approved.

Where do I want to go? Ideally I want to live somewhere which has an active SCA community, with plenty of camping events and lots of good bardic circles to fill my evenings with song. I require topography, preferably actual mountains, though rugged hills can be acceptable for a short-term home. I do not wish to live in a major city, but do require a university or small US-style "teaching college". Not too hot would be nice, real winter would be a bonus. Ideally my home would be outside of town, on a largish property with no nearby neighbours, with plenty of trees and good views of those mountains, yet still be quick and easy to get to my Uni. Even better if my home were on the sunset side of the mountain, so that the sun was at my back when I went in in the mornings, and at my back when I went home in the evenings.

What do I want to do? I'm torn--on one hand, teaching at a small, "teaching college" (US, not Australian style--I don't wish to teach teenagers!) sounds very appealing--a position wherin I do some research, but the primary focus is teaching classes. On the other hand, a strictly research position as a post-doc sounds like fun--the chance to just learn new stuff, work on projects, etc. I don't think I'd be interested (yet?) in teaching at a major university wherin I am expected to do huge amounts of research, publish my results in high-impact journals *and* teach undergraduate students as well. At least in the sort term I think I'd be happier focusing upon one or the other aspect.

And of course, all of this will be influenced by what clovis_t decides he wants to do. He's doing his honour's year for his Bachelor's in History at the moment, and hasn't yet decided if he wants to be done with Uni after that and head out into the work force, landing some sort of job that doesn't require "homework", or if he wants to plunge on ahead into academia and seek out a graduate school. If the latter, it could, in theory, be possible for us to be at the same uni, but that would require a bit of luck, in that we are in such different fields--some schools will have better geology departments, some better history departments.

It would be nice to wind up in Drachenwald (that is Europe for you non-SCA folk), since I've not lived over there since Kindergarten. clovis_t has a UK passport (his mum comes from Scotland), so if I landed a job, he'd be legally able to work in any EU country. But I'm willing to keep an open mind and look pretty much anywhere, so if any of you know of positions for which I should apply, given a background in geology/structure/mapping/metamorphic petrology/pressure-temperature-time paths/chemical U-Th-Pb monazite dating/garnet zoning, etc. let me know!

because corva asked

In a comment to a recent post I was asked: "What will you ever do when you are finished? Start something new? Do some travelling? Tell us the stories of whatever it is, please."

So I thought I'd answer here, on the off chance that she's not the one one who'd like to know what I'm hoping to do "next".

I would very much like to do some travelling between finishing my degree here in Tassie and moving on to wherever we go next. There are ever so many old friends I'd like to visit, new friends I'd like to meet, and places of wonderful natural beauty on this planet I've not seen yet. Should the timing work out that way, I wouldn't mind taking a good six months off to just travel, but if only a week or two are available, that would be fun too (I'd just focus on the "seeing old friends" part rather than the "explore new places" part of the dream).

But at this point it is all very much in the "dream" category. I don't really want to start a serious search for a post-doc or teaching position until I've got a good, solid first draft of my thesis, because I want to have a good idea of when I can reasonably expect to be finished (and therefore available). This works out well in timing, the positions I've seen advertised over the past four months or so are for teaching positions are still mostly in the "start August 2008" category, which I am certain is too soon for my schedule. Hopefully this will mean that a bunch more will come available that start in August of 2009--that would give me the opportunity for travel between degrees!

Of course, that is assuming that I go for a teaching position--all of the web pages suggest that folk are more likely to be hired for teaching at Uni after they've held a post-doc research position, and those positions are less likely to be advertised, and are more likely to have random start times, based upon when funding is approved.

Where do I want to go? Ideally I want to live somewhere which has an active SCA community, with plenty of camping events and lots of good bardic circles to fill my evenings with song. I require topography, preferably actual mountains, though rugged hills can be acceptable for a short-term home. I do not wish to live in a major city, but do require a university or small US-style "teaching college". Not too hot would be nice, real winter would be a bonus. Ideally my home would be outside of town, on a largish property with no nearby neighbours, with plenty of trees and good views of those mountains, yet still be quick and easy to get to my Uni. Even better if my home were on the sunset side of the mountain, so that the sun was at my back when I went in in the mornings, and at my back when I went home in the evenings.

What do I want to do? I'm torn--on one hand, teaching at a small, "teaching college" (US, not Australian style--I don't wish to teach teenagers!) sounds very appealing--a position wherin I do some research, but the primary focus is teaching classes. On the other hand, a strictly research position as a post-doc sounds like fun--the chance to just learn new stuff, work on projects, etc. I don't think I'd be interested (yet?) in teaching at a major university wherin I am expected to do huge amounts of research, publish my results in high-impact journals *and* teach undergraduate students as well. At least in the sort term I think I'd be happier focusing upon one or the other aspect.

And of course, all of this will be influenced by what clovis_t decides he wants to do. He's doing his honour's year for his Bachelor's in History at the moment, and hasn't yet decided if he wants to be done with Uni after that and head out into the work force, landing some sort of job that doesn't require "homework", or if he wants to plunge on ahead into academia and seek out a graduate school. If the latter, it could, in theory, be possible for us to be at the same uni, but that would require a bit of luck, in that we are in such different fields--some schools will have better geology departments, some better history departments.

It would be nice to wind up in Drachenwald (that is Europe for you non-SCA folk), since I've not lived over there since Kindergarten. clovis_t has a UK passport (his mum comes from Scotland), so if I landed a job, he'd be legally able to work in any EU country. But I'm willing to keep an open mind and look pretty much anywhere, so if any of you know of positions for which I should apply, given a background in geology/structure/mapping/metamorphic petrology/pressure-temperature-time paths/chemical U-Th-Pb monazite dating/garnet zoning, etc. let me know!

not so productive of a day

Had trouble waking up this morning, and was low-energy all day. That damn drippy-nose phenomena returned today, after not troubling me for a while, and, no doubt, was a factor in my lethargy. So I took an afternoon nap and managed to get some more work done this evening. Only 446 new words and one new figure (the figure took most of the five hours I actually worked), but if I didn't have to report it here I don't think I'd have done even that they way I was feeling, so thank you to all who see my words for thus inspiring me!

In good news, yesterday evening I did return to uni work after my break, so the total for yesterday is 1,342 words & five figures--my best day since I started reporting my progress here.

Here's hoping tomorrow sees a full return of my energy, and a nose which doesn't drip.

not so productive of a day

Had trouble waking up this morning, and was low-energy all day. That damn drippy-nose phenomena returned today, after not troubling me for a while, and, no doubt, was a factor in my lethargy. So I took an afternoon nap and managed to get some more work done this evening. Only 446 new words and one new figure (the figure took most of the five hours I actually worked), but if I didn't have to report it here I don't think I'd have done even that they way I was feeling, so thank you to all who see my words for thus inspiring me!

In good news, yesterday evening I did return to uni work after my break, so the total for yesterday is 1,342 words & five figures--my best day since I started reporting my progress here.

Here's hoping tomorrow sees a full return of my energy, and a nose which doesn't drip.