Being on the academic job market so far produces the same feeling in me as riding a Drop Tower, a ride that drops you from a 23-story height.

It took me a long time to get the courage to ride Drop Zone, a Drop Tower in California. While standing in line, I was terrified. I kept thinking, “Why did I voluntarily agree to do this?”. But it was too late to back out at some point – I didn’t want to look like a coward in front of my friends and all the other people in line.

So there you are in this job market “line”. You know it’ll be ok in the end. You know that it’s just a ride and everyone standing in line comes out ok. You see the smiling people around you and imagine that you’re the only one this terrified.

You finally go on the ride. It lifts you up and now you KNOW there’s no getting down without that butterfly feeling in your stomach. All the seats rise at different rates so you don’t know exactly when the drop will begin. You don’t know whether to close your eyes or keep them open. And then it happens – your seat drops from underneath you and the fall begins.

Almost instantaneously, you’re back on the ground. You feel exhilarated. You thank your friends for convincing you to come. And you never want to do it again.