(no subject)

[vyvyanx]

Wow. My hair is now _very_ red. I look a bit like Franka Potente (well, hair-wise anyway!).

Comments

[conflux.livejournal.com]

It sounds very cool. Maybe you could put up a photo so we can all go wow?

How's the job hunting and career musing going? It may be worth talking to EMC recruitment on 01638742244, if you haven't already done so, as they specialise in finding jobs for
Cambridge academic types. In fact, they found me my current job.

[dryad-wombat.livejournal.com]

*BOUNCE!* Really??? I'm about to finish a Ph.D. and I'm similarly wondering if I really want to stay in academia. I've taught for four years at university in America but non-academic alternatives are MOST appealing.

Many thanks for that pointer conflux :) Are these chaps okay with Ph.D.'s in non-scientific areas?

And wow, Vyvyan, are you in the same position too? :) Let's talk sometime? :) I have been collecting hordes of post-academic career choice books with cheerful titles like "What Else You Can Do with a Ph.D" and things :)

[conflux.livejournal.com]

Are these chaps okay with Ph.D.'s in non-scientific areas?

Well this is what they said to me. They like people with PhD's and first's. They were very good in the IT sector but I don't know how good they are in other sectors.

If you are looking for a job in Cambridge in a high tech industry it would be good idea not to hang about. I fence against someone in the DTI who's job it is to track these things and he says that the same tech slow down that's hit most of the UK will increasingly effect Cambridge too.

[damerell.livejournal.com]

PNG! PNG! Cont. p 94!

[vyvyan.livejournal.com]

Lacking both a camera and a scanner, pictures may be hard to produce, unfortunately! (damerell, it's not _quite_ as red as IWJ's was a few years ago - more orange really - but still remarkably startling :-)
Thanks for the agency recommendation; I may talk to them. I looked at their website today, amongst others. TBH, I really don't know what I'll end up doing. Ideally I'd stay in academia, but I'd also like to stay in Cambridge, which given my rather obscure subject area may be an almost impossible requirement to meet. I've applied to the OU in the area, but haven't heard anything yet (their academic year starts in February). They may just not be running the courses I could teach in the local area this coming year.
Otherwise, well, I sometimes think vaguely about proof-reading or technical authorship or somesuch. I really don't know. If IT companies wanted historical linguistics consultants that would be ideal, but I can't think of any reason why they would. One thing I'm sure of, I am _not_ going into management consultancy! (I have actually had management consultants trying to recruit me a couple of years ago.)

[vyvyan.livejournal.com]

I'm in a similar position. I got my PhD in 1999 and I've been a research fellow for the last four years, also doing some supervising, lecturing and exam marking for the department. I'd love to chat to you about these things sometime soon!

[dryad-wombat.livejournal.com]

Definitely! Hey, tell you what - my email is spw7@cornell.edu. If you ever fancy a post-academic-themed coffee, drop me a note if a particular time is good for you :). I'm free most days except Weds & Thurs. We can chat about what options we've found and things and pool resources, or at least enjoy the coffee :)

[dryad-wombat.livejournal.com]

I completely share your wishlist. I want to stay in Cambridge, and staying in academia appeals insofar as I am not at all sure what else I would like to do (and not get bored by!) -- but of course, the academic job market is brutal and I must admit, I haven't actually even checked the British listings (the American ones are ghastly this year - the MLA list is packed with jobs advertising teaching Dickens at religious universities in Ohio!!!!).

proof-reading or technical authorship or somesuch. I really don't know.

Exactly the things I have contemplated! I must admit that Mark Whatsit's postacademic page "Sellout" (http://www.ironstring.com/sellout/) does make Tech writing sound promising - and I even downloaded a How-to-get-into-tech-writing book thing from somewhere, during one of my more frantically scouring-for-options moments.

Like you, what I REALLY would like is a position involving research. I don't actually care WHAT I research, as long as I am scouring and synthesising masses of information, and get to write about it and ideally even speak about/present it. There must surely be companies that need omnivorous and interdisciplinary researchers such as you and I - indeed, I know of a few -- but so many seem to be in London, and that's one pricy commute.

One thing I'm sure of, I am _not_ going into management consultancy! (I have actually had management consultants trying to recruit me a couple of years ago.)

Oh god yes, I share your revulsion. I haven't ever been wooed by them myself, but a couple of fellow Cornellians were, and they ended up fleeing in horror from it too, despite the whopping salaries.

Looking forward to chatting to you!
S

[vyvyan.livejournal.com]

Oh, do you read the newsgroup ucam.jobs.offered? A couple of research fellowships at Clare College have just been posted on the group - you might be interested!

[dryad-wombat.livejournal.com]

Gosh, thanks for that! I haven't re-acquired newsgroup-reading capability yet since I theatrically wiped my hard drive, but I really must get newsgroups and find that one.

[dryad-wombat.livejournal.com]

Hi hi! *Blush* -- I've done something unhelpful to my email program and I seem to have lost all recent messages. Was it three o'clock? :) In front of the Guildhall/Corn Exchange kind of entity? (I may be morphing two structures there). My mobile is 07876 653 372 if that helps co-ordination processes :)