October 2007

Always, ALWAYS check the "To:" line

So, I just learned a really really important lesson about email. Always, ALWAYS check the "To" line...

I had a policy committee teleconference today, but due to numerous conflicts with scheduling, I only ended up with one other person on the call. I happen to chair this committee, so of course I was a bit... well, bummed. One member, who is really my mentor on the committee, as he was the chair before I was, had emailed to explain why he couldn't make the call and asked how it went. I sent my reply, but I didn't realize that for some reason his "reply to" address was different than his "from" address, and thus, emailed the following to the ENTIRE policy committee:

hey k,
after sitting on the telecon line for over 10 minutes, having once
redialed to make sure i put in the right moderator code, singing
lonely sad songs to myself (country music seemed best suited, though
it's not what i usually listen to), L. finally came on. so
she and i just socialized for an hour. i was like, wow, i must really suck, i can't even get anyone to attend a telecon, even after my exciting "just got back from CCLI had many good ideas this won't be a boring call" note.

OOPS! Well, I guess on the list of "awkward email moments" this ranks fairly low, at least I didn't say anything embarrassing. And of course, I followed up this email with an email to the group, explaining the mistake and also subtly hinting that maybe they should feel guilty enough to attend the make-up meeting next week.

If anything, I got a great response for the meeting next week--seems people respond to pity more than they do to a plain ol' telecon announcement. I'll have to keep that in mind.

The upshot (and greater picture) of this is, of course, that working on this committee has given me extraordinary insight into what it takes to lead a committee--not just in terms of getting the work done, but in motivating volunteers, giving them a sense of ownership of their projects and a sense of community.

I guess the other big picture is be careful of what you write in an email, you never know where it will end up after you hit send.

Over and out.

Horrible oversight!

ARRGGGGHH!! Due to what I would like to think of as a technical problem, but possibly my misunderstanding of our blog system, I just discovered a whole batch of comments that have been made, to which I never replied. My apologies to all who have taken the time to read my blog, and who have been so wonderful in contributing feedback. Now that I have identified the problem, such oversight will not happen again. My best to all, and my sincere apologies!

Learning Curve

Ohhhh... So THAT'S how job searches work...

Learning absoulutely fascinating things about life after postdoc, especially when pursuing "alternative" career pathways outside of academia. By the way, can I just throw in here that the word "alternative" in reference to non-faculty jobs is a total misnomer? With well under 20% chance of obtaining a faculty position following a postdoctoral fellowship, it is remaining in academic research that is the true "alternative" career pathway. But I digress.

Am realizing the true implications of what it is to join the "real world" of work. Up to this point, I have always been in a training position--veterinary school, internships, postdoc... the application process, and indeed application philosophy, is entirely different than that of the job market outside of hospital walls and ivory towers. Did you know that you should be applying to between two and six jobs PER WEEK? I sure didn't... It just doesn't work that way in academia, internships etc, where even applying to 10-20 places can be a lot.

Part of my problem is that I approach the job search like I approach dating; namely, that I am way too picky and don't give many jobs a chance before I write them off as being "too boring" or "not my cup of tea."

Thankfully, I have met up with some fantastic people lately, one of whom gave me the most spectacular career advice I have ever recieved (mostly to the effect of, "whatever your prejudice is against job X, get *over it* and really LOOK at what you enjoy doing and how that job might enable you to do that"). This has opened up so many doors for me, and has me focusing, among other things, on the medical device industry.

To put it as inarticulately as I can (I tried to formulate an articulate sentence here and failed, so I'm swinging the other direction), I like things that *do* things. Even more, I like things that help people do things that help other people. Has medical devices written all over it, doesn't it? I remain passionate about policy, higher education, and issues pertaining to minorities and women in science, so a career in that vein is a strong possibility as well. The good news is, I can do both, by continuing my role as Chair of Policy for the National Postdoctoral Association, my work with AWIS, and my work with medical students, but having an equally rewarding day job in industry. The reality is that any one of these areas, and probably many more that I still have not considered, are possible.

I wish that recognizing that one is multitalented, with multiple and widely varying interests, was not so frequently equated with being "flaky" or "lacks direction/purpose" or "has no goals." Not that I have ever received such feedback personally, but I know these attitudes are out there, and hope that they do not affect my job search. Have you ever noticed how people who have always been on a very straight and narrow professional pathway, never deviating from their goal from the time they were an embryo to the time they died, are spoken of very highly, whereas a varied work history is something that sometimes has to be "overcome" or "creatively dealt with?" I object. There are many things I am spectacular at, not just one. There are many things I am truly passionate about, not just one. This makes me a more complete person, not less. It also means that there are many many jobs out there that I could make a real difference in, and enjoy. The challenge is finding 2-6 per week to apply to.

Oh, I got 2nd at the Montebello Hill Climb. I realize that most of the pictures I have been posting have been cycling, but honestly a picture of me in the lab would be a little boing and cycling does take the vast majority of whatever "free" time I have... I'm the one in red and yellow, with my face hole hanging wide open (heart rate was around 184bpm at that point).