Thanks for having such a useful blog! Here is my question:
I am a postdoc in the two-body problem, and we have decided to go where my spouse's job takes us. (S)he has offers at great places in Denver, the Bay Area, and Boston, and we are trying to decide between them mainly based on my prospects.
Is it even plausible for me to find an TT job if we "land" in one of these places? When deciding between locations, is it more plausible to end up at a less-top-tier institution that may have fewer openings in my field, or will a big center that is prestigious have more positions and thus provide better odds? I have seen this coming for sometime and have built a very strong CV (many first author pubs, some in C/N/S journals).
Or should I accept fate that academics is impossible when geographically constrained, and choose location based on better industry positions? From internship experience, I know I will probably be bored-to-tears in industry, but see the advantages of a 9-to-5 and a big paycheck. But I love teaching and cutting edge research, and have worked my whole life to get a job doing those things, so clearly my strong preference is academia. I am willing to take any TT position (SLAC or research), but will not consider adjuncts (rather do industry at that point).
tl;dr: Assuming my CV is as strong as can be expected, can you give me a reality check on my odds in academics if constrained to a major metropolitan? If choosing a metro to be constrained to, are your odds better in a location with a big prestigious center in your field, or one with many smaller less prestigious universities?
postdocThrowAwa2 karma
Thanks for having such a useful blog! Here is my question:
I am a postdoc in the two-body problem, and we have decided to go where my spouse's job takes us. (S)he has offers at great places in Denver, the Bay Area, and Boston, and we are trying to decide between them mainly based on my prospects.
Is it even plausible for me to find an TT job if we "land" in one of these places? When deciding between locations, is it more plausible to end up at a less-top-tier institution that may have fewer openings in my field, or will a big center that is prestigious have more positions and thus provide better odds? I have seen this coming for sometime and have built a very strong CV (many first author pubs, some in C/N/S journals).
Or should I accept fate that academics is impossible when geographically constrained, and choose location based on better industry positions? From internship experience, I know I will probably be bored-to-tears in industry, but see the advantages of a 9-to-5 and a big paycheck. But I love teaching and cutting edge research, and have worked my whole life to get a job doing those things, so clearly my strong preference is academia. I am willing to take any TT position (SLAC or research), but will not consider adjuncts (rather do industry at that point).
tl;dr: Assuming my CV is as strong as can be expected, can you give me a reality check on my odds in academics if constrained to a major metropolitan? If choosing a metro to be constrained to, are your odds better in a location with a big prestigious center in your field, or one with many smaller less prestigious universities?
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