and yes I said yes I will Yes.
Do I dare turn down a job offer (well, an invitation for an on-campus interview anyway) in this job market (academic math jobs)?
Yes.
In this job market in this economy?!?
Yes.
And indeed there will be time
To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—
[They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”]
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—
[They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”]
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.From The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
By T. S. Eliot
The approaching end of my PhD experience is an opportunity. I have been travelling this path with little regard to my priorities. This is a chance to reshape my life to something more in line with what is most important to me. One of my top priorities is being close to home. And so, Yes, I dare (in spite of the peer pressure) to reject an opportunity in the midwest. Even if that means jettisoning academia. Even if that means unemployment. Maybe it's time for something completely different anyway. Or maybe I'll get another academic opportunity somewhere I can actually, in my heart, call home.
Another top priority, by the way, is Go, which has been more or less on hold for far too long. Speaking of which, I go to Amsterdam tomorrow to visit Guo Juan!
