So a couple weeks into my funemployment, things are not so fun anymore. I am officially an applicant to my first choice university and this week I will bang out another application as well as look for a potential supervisor at a couple of other schools.
Applying to doctorate programs is much more than filling out an application. I have to write 2,000-4,000 words (not including bibliography) research proposals for each program. But before I can do that, I have to informally reach out to a professor and see if they have any interest in the topic that I am proposing. If not, then I might as well move onto the next school. One program that I started looking into last Wednesday has over 100 professors in their political science department! Luckily, I have until September to apply for that one.
As I bang out these applications, I am now in the “waiting stage”. Waiting for an acknowledgement, waiting for an interview, waiting for a letter, waiting to exhale. And this is the stage where I start to contemplate my decisions and how irrational I may have been to do this.
Meanwhile, the start-up for a part time job is coming slow. I did the training and now I’m waiting for the HR stuff to come through. Hopefully by next week I can start. I also hope to start writing chapters to my sequel in July!! I had already started on a couple, but I want to wait until I have a fair amount before I start posting weekly! I’m also reading a whole lot more smut, so my creative juices are flowing…no, not those juices — at least not yet!
I have also made an effort to “get out more”. I recently attended a masquerade event held by Seeking Arrangement at Stage 48 in midtown. I was disappointed by this event. It was promoted as way for members of the site to meet in person, but it seemed like everyone there had already came with a “friend”. Or maybe there was an imbalance of more women than men–good for him but not for me.
Also, Stage 48 is a club open to the public, but it seemed like they opened the party to the public too. A couple of guys that I danced with didn’t even know that this was a private (paid) event. They just saw the lights, heard the music and paid the cover charge to come in. I wouldn’t recommend another one of their events.
Now, what have I learned in the last few weeks? I definitely have been happier, less stress and dreaming bigger. All this has made me realize how soul-crushing my last job was. Strange, because it didn’t start out that way…but somewhere along, it became apparent that I was devolving. So leaving is a huge plus, and I feel more creative and inspired, and did I mention happier? I’m still worried that my plans may not pan-out. Getting into a school will be tough, so I have to prepare myself for some rejection while staying positive for an acceptance.
I know that it will take time (like 3-4 months before I know for sure where I’m going), so patience and engaging hobbies are the way to go.
So are you in a transition point in your life? How are you dealing with transitioning and what are your dreams for the next step?
Tell me @ReporterandGirl
