MAA Blog: It’s Okay to Move On

By Dr. Katelynn D. Kochalski

Since my freshman year of college my dream has been to get a PhD in math and teach at a liberal arts college similar to my undergraduate institution. This goal helped me stubbornly hang on through the dark days of endless assignments and qualifying exam struggles in graduate school. Throughout grad school I tried to take every opportunity presented to me that I thought would help me on the job market. You’re offering a professional development program aimed to prepare graduate students for all aspects of academic life? Sign me up! You want me to teach as many different courses as possible, despite the added prep time required? You bet! Could I take over the day-to-day operations of an outreach program? Sure thing!

So, the job market year comes and it’s a whirlwind. I spend almost all of my time tailoring every single cover letter to the particular institution. All of my efforts appear to pay off; I have a number of job offers. I even have some in New York, close to my family who I have been missing so much the last six years. When all is said and done, I’m deciding between two positions: a teaching only position at a world-renowned institution far from home or a tenure track position at a regional college close to my family. For me, it wasn’t much of a question. I genuinely thought the regional college was a great fit. Not only that, but I missed being home for birthdays and holidays. So, what was there to consider? After six years away, I moved back to New York. I was anxious and excited to start the rest of my life, put down roots, and start my dream job.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the reality. The job I had chosen was not a good fit at all. I felt completely isolated from everything: my department, my students, and even my general community. In grad school, I had a tight-knit group of friends that I saw almost daily and who never failed to lend support. Suddenly, I was all by myself in a tiny, rural college town that, like many rural towns in the region, had fallen on hard economic times. I cried every morning on my five-minute drive to work and found myself on Mathjobs within the first month. In one of my searches, I noticed that another regional liberal arts college was hiring someone in my field. I knew from growing up in the area that they had a good reputation, so I called my advisor and asked him for his advice on what to do.

It was a hard decision. I felt like I was betraying my current institution, but I also knew I needed to find something else. I decided to apply for the other job, and I baked for my department after each stage of the interview process to help alleviate my guilt. I hadn’t thought to include any reasons for my desire to leave my current position in my cover letter. Luckily, I had been talking with some of my letter writers and told them about my reasons for leaving, so they were able to address that question in their recommendations for me. Flash forward several weeks–before the close of the fall semester, I had accepted a new offer that would start the following fall.

Now, over four years later, I am incredibly happy I took the leap and applied for my current position. I love my students, colleagues, and the location where I’m living. I even ended up a bit closer to family, although that was a fringe benefit and not a motivating factor in my decision. So, did I make the wrong choice initially? Did I waste a year of my life? I like to think I took this path for a reason because it helped me gain perspective. I love my new job. If I had been in a position that I had been happier in, I may not have been on MathJobs that year and may have missed the posting for my current position. Was it an ideal path? No, not really. But would I change it? No, not really.

Katie Kochalski grew up in Buffalo, New York. She majored in math and economics at Canisius College. After completing her undergraduate work, she earned her PhD at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on probability theory (specifically queuing theory) and modifications on the game of best choice. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at SUNY Geneseo and is serving as the Book Review Editor for the Notices of the AMS. Her hobbies include rooting for the Buffalo Bills, playing euchre, baking, anything Jane Austen, and attempting to relearn how to play the piano.