It’s been WAY too long since I’ve written a life update. I’ve been meaning to for a while, but every time I think about it I decide it’s not interesting enough. However, today I decided that’s stupid. I don’t really care if it’s boring. So here we go: an update on what I’m doing for work and how I’m doing with my depression.
No longer part-time!
This is somewhat old news (it’s been the case since January), but I did finally give in and take a full-time position. I quit my old job in August 2016. If you do the math, that’s almost a year and a half of being only semi-employed.
In that time, I taught at the University of Arizona as an adjunct, developed a small business, and pursued personal interests (like this blog!). I thought about getting a “normal” job at a local startup, but that offer was pulled right before I was set to start.
My one class in fall 2016 turned into two in spring 2017, then into three in fall 2017. This wasn’t my plan; the third class came when I filled in last minute for a colleague who needed sick leave. The whole time, I was also doing other bits of work that added up to about the same time commitment as another (fourth) course. So in essence, I accidentally and unknowingly slipped into doing a full-time load while being paid adjunct wages. And because I enjoyed it, it didn’t feel like a full-time job.
At that point, I had begun looking elsewhere again, even thinking I would likely leave Tucson. But some of the higher-ups had a vision for the College of Engineering and that vision involved people like me teaching core courses full-time, on much better than adjunct wages. Of course, much better than adjunct pay at a university is still much less than private sector pay for someone with my background, but the lifestyle (flexible schedule; relative autonomy; summers off) can’t be beat.
So I stayed! And now I’m a full-time Lecturer in the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department at UA.
What does a lecturer do?
It varies. My job entails four “course equivalents” per semester. Most of these are taught, but some I cover with administrative and service work. Right now, for instance, I’m teaching three classes and managing our department’s international collaborations. In the spring, I’ll be doing 2 classes, the international work, and some additional admin work.
Since I don’t enjoy research (PhD burnt me out), I don’t want to do it. And this job lets me keep my distance.
Since I love teaching, I do want to do it. And this job lets me focus my efforts on improving my teaching methods and thus the outcomes for students in my class. This is what I care about the most.
Since I’m keen on traveling and love working across borders, I do want an international component to my job. And my teaching focus, coupled with my past work in the UA Global office, make me the perfect point person for our department’s micro-campus degrees, where we work with partner universities on undergrad education.
So I get to do the things I want to do, and I get to do them really well, because I don’t have to do the things I don’t want to do (research). And, if we implement this right, it means that people who do love research can focus on that a bit more because I’ll help lighten their teaching load.
Depression update
In the 2+ years since I left my 8-5 Monday thru Friday job, I’ve realized that my work environment has a large effect on my mental health. Specifically, the flexibility and autonomy I mentioned earlier are absolutely essential to me being happy. I don’t mind working hard – in fact I love diving deep into things nobody else can be bothered with. But I need breaks, I need outdoors time, and sometimes that deep dive needs to happen at home in my sweatpants with my cat on my lap.
There aren’t a ton of jobs that provide the lifestyle that I have now. From that standpoint, I have the perfect job for me. I can do meaningful work (another must for my mental health), but at my own pace and without being micro-managed. That said, having a full-time faculty role means that the politics and red-tape I’ve been avoiding can and will start creeping back in. So I need to make sure I manage that well. But on the whole, this position has led to a lifestyle which is conducive to managing my depression well.
As always, there are ups and downs with the depression. But the downs are less often and (mostly) less extreme than they’ve been in the past. So on the whole I’d say things are good – and my therapist seems to agree. I’ve also been improving with managing the downs when they do inevitably arrive. I’m quicker at recognizing it’s the depression, and quicker at responding (i.e. with healthy eating, better sleep, more exercise, etc.). Oh, and I’m much better at asking for help 🙂
I even went off my depression medicine about two months ago. I fully expect to eventually need to cycle back on, and I admit I’ve had one bad weekend in that two months. But I was SO frustrated with always feeling groggy – I just needed some time off the meds so I can reset my baseline. And other than that bad weekend, things are going fine. I’m much more alert throughout the day when I’m not on Lexapro, and I really do like feeling alert!
Wrapping up
Alright, I think I’ve rambled on enough for now. Hopefully this post has helped catch you up on what I’m up to, and how I’m doing. I realize I’ve left out a lot of specifics. I’ll try to write about personal things a bit more often, and to use that space to fill in some more of the details 🙂
Thanks for reading!
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