#twitterstorians I turned down a tenure track job today at a great school with a great HY department. It's the only TT job offer I've ever received. It was a tough decision but I think my wife and I made the right one. Here's why . . .
Taking it would mean my wife would have to quit her awesome job as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in DC. It would also mean our household income would take a huge financial hit. Sarah would have to start over in a new state that she doesn't have a bar license in . . .
That's her dream job and it would have taken a while for me to get over the guilt of asking her to quit her job AGAIN to move across the country for me.
But we went back and forth A LOT. She's fully aware of how hard it is to find TT jobs. Therefore I know that if I asked and insisted, she would have quit her job. I just couldn't do it to her though.
There were times when she said we should take the job and figure things out when we get there and I argued against it. Then there were times when the situation was reversed. that happened half a dozen times at least.
All of my friends and professors gave really good advice especially my advisor @Andrew_Huebner. Everyone agreed to do what's best for the family which wont necessarily be what's best for a desired career path. One really good piece of advice saw us through though . . .
The process by which we come to a decision is as important as the decision itself. After all the long nights, conversations, and thinking about this over and over again, we can now rest because we came to this decision collectively, sober, fully reasoned, and calm.
My little (and growing) family means more to me than anything. So I wont be a tenure track professor next year. But I feel good about our process and I feel stronger in our relationship than ever. It's a great feeling.
