Tuesday, February 19, 2008

I'm lending money to universities with billion dollar endowments

I had forgotten how tight money gets during interview season due to new and sudden expenses; plane tickets and hotel rooms add up quickly. Spending money that isn't mine is slightly thrilling, and even moreso is the suspense of whether I will be able to pay my credit card bill in full before getting reimbursed. (Not thinking ahead, when the stock market declined, I tried to get some bargains with anything I could scrape out of my bank account. Or rather, thinking too far ahead.)

Unresolved reimbursement is an awkward way to be in touch with potential jobs. I had two interviews in December for jobs that I really want. For one, the hotel mistakenly charged my credit card instead of billing to their account. For the other, the advisor's assistant had a family emergency, and didn't get around to reimbursing me until I emailed yesterday. In my email exchanges, no one said anything about the jobs and their time-frames. Is this a classic case of "They're just not that into me", or do they just not know yet?

I don't know, so meanwhile, I apply apply apply to more more more jobs, and fly off to more interviews (thankfully!). At this stage where I've spoken with so many people, and not gotten anything back, it's hard not to wonder if this year will be like last year: many fantastic almosts, but nothing substantial in the end.

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