Success through failure

This is most likely going to be the last post on this blog in a while. I've managed to get a job, and as of today it is signed and sealed and official. So I'm happy happy happy! In retrospect things went as well as they could have: applied to three jobs, had three interviews and two offers. I never expected things to go that smooth.

For the next two years I'll be project scientist with JIVE, the sister-institute of ASTRON and housed in the same building (how convenient!). The job is to develop user-support software for BlackHole Cam, aka the Event Horizon Telescope. Sounds like good fun and an excellent stepping stone for software related jobs in business.

I'm very excited about the prospect! It is far enough from my current job that people will realize I'm not working for them anymore. Yet I'm in the same building with many familiar faces. It is new things to learn, which I love, and new people to meet.

On the other hand, it may just be delaying the inevitable, since this is also not a permanent job. And I will dearly miss my SKA colleagues with whom I've worked for many years. However, I'm always the optimist, and believe that when I do a good job, something good will pop up in due time. It's what happened this time. It's what happened almost every time I was looking for jobs.

In addition, I am still seriously considering to become a physics teacher. That idea is now more solid than ever. It requires me going back to college for a year, which is not possible next to a nearly full-time job. They do offer the opportunity of a 4 month teaser course starting in February, and I plan to do that in the last year of this job.

So I failed to move out of the ivory tower. At best I'm sitting in the front yard with only a high barbed wire fence between me and the real world. Actually that doesn't sound too bad for the next two years. The real world is a terrifying place.

Thanks to everyone for having my back, and providing extremely helpful advice! Talking to you has helped me stay upright and maintain my sanity. Eventually, talking to people is what got me this job. So the best advice I can give in return for your support: when in need of a job, talk to as many people as possible!