Somebody was kind enough to describe us as worth reading! I certainly hope so. And on that note, let me talk a bit more about tenure trekking.

I’m going into my ninth month at my job and it’s been an interesting ride so far. Some of the biggest stress has been caused by the whole tenure thing.

Now stress isn’t always a bad thing, no matter what people might think. In this case, it’s probably lighting a fire in me (or under depending on viewpoint and what you need) to do things that I would normally be reluctant to do.

Like presenting. I’m an introvert who normally would avoid talking in front of large groups of people. It’s likely that I won’t be sleeping much in the next month because I’ve got five presentations spread out over three conferences. Craziness! But it’s also good for me. As a presenter, I’m more likely to meet more people because they will approach me about something I’ve just talked about. Being a shy person myself, it’s not as likely that I’ll just turn around and start talking to someone. (So if you see me and I seem uncommunicative, I’m really not!)

On the other hand, I’m actually involved in less things that I’d normally be inclined to get myself into because the stuff I am doing needs more attention. I tend to be somewhat scattered. But I’ve really had to narrow my focus because preparing presentations, doing research, writing, serving on committees, and such takes up lots of time. Yes, I have lots of long weeks sometimes, but I also wouldn’t change it.

Being fairly new, I’m still trying to figure some things out and am still looking for where my talents and skills best fit. However, in general, I’m lucky to be in a place that gives me freedom to explore things. There are some advantages to being in a smaller academic library where things aren’t so compartmentalized. (Just an aside for those of you who are on the job search. And btw, we have two positions open here!)

So far, it’s turning out to be an interesting journey. I’m learning more than I ever could have imagined. And I’m glad to be on this path.