Tag Archives: academic lifestyle

A journey into type-A-personality-land and back

Posted on May 23, 2014 by zinemin

Recently I was reading up on the term “type A personalities“, which I have seen used by academic bloggers to describe themselves. Apparently, type A personalities tend to be impatient, short-fused, efficient, organized, status-oriented, very competitive, quite aggressive, and most … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, High sensitivity, Leaving Academia | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Should you do another postdoc?

Posted on November 23, 2013 by zinemin

Here is yet another article about the negative effect that having to do 2-3 postdocs before being able to apply for tenure-track positions has on people’s life, which has been widely shared and discussed on my facebook. I left academia … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia | Tagged , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Some lessons about living abroad

Posted on October 24, 2012 by zinemin

This fall I have now lived abroad for 5 years in a row, in two different countries, and in total I have spend 6.5 years living in 4 different countries away from home. I will move again in the next … Continue reading →

Posted in Expat life | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Do you really want to be a professor?

Posted on October 3, 2012 by zinemin

Having PhD students depend on you, some clinging to you, listening, fearing you. Other students evading you, hating you, unsuccessfully trying to trick you. Everybody in a secret circle of admiration around you, obsessing over you. You don’t even notice … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Application season

Posted on September 22, 2012 by zinemin

I have been in Holland for 2 years and therefore it is application season again. This reminds me of Berthold Brecht’s poem that goes something like: I don’t like to be where I came from. I don’t like to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments