On The Strange Infantilization of Academics

I relocated to NY figuring the odds were at least not against me. Of the interviews I had for tenure-track positions, 2 were in NY. I was moving from London, had never lived here...hell, why not move to the next most expensive city in the world? Plus I had friends here, and thus a place to stay. Which brings me to my next point. I've been subletting for the last 8 months now, in 3 different places, each taken up with the hope/prayer that I'd be moving to a capital-D Destination, a job. Even after it was clear I hadn't landed either NY job, the listings and the possibilities dribbled on and on until late July.

So the last sublet came to an end last week, I'm staying on the couch of one friend, frantically looking for a new place, and eyeing the couch of another friend. Partly this is connected to the staggering mountains of debt acquired in the process of becoming overeducated. Add one part true love and two parts criminal irresponsibility , and the mixture ain't pretty. But I'm too old for this shit. But just not....quite....there yet. And having to resist the whole 'get the job, it'll all be OK' mentality. Because it will never be a panacea. But it's not uncommon enough. I look around at other recently post-graduate students I know who are not employed in academia, and it seems the mid-20s extend a bit longer than necessary.

There were coherent thoughts that went unused in the writing of this. In addition to the many distractions of my job job. And the fact I'm being stymied by 1980s technology sitting in another room, making my headache. Oh well, so much for intelligent posting.