My five year plan is to finish setting up the global operations where I currently am (at a drug company) and then have one of my reports take over and cut back to either P/T or consulting to 24 hours a week.

And take the other hours a week to tutor Oakland kids.

I love this plan.

It might be different in a business setting.

I think Meara would rock this. What's an IRB?

I have no plans save getting to September 2 without a meteor strike.

Anne, I'm sorry. Every outcome is scary.

I'd like to stay doing data/metadata and systems engineering from an ops side,preferably in this field. Ops side because I like a working problem, not a theoretical. I get a little cranky with systems dev when there isn't already a framework- stop brainstorming, call it! You know how on those csi shows, there's always that floating screen where data is dumped out and is mapped (and totally not realistic to the tech available to actual crime labs)? That's what my brain does. I visualize data and queries. I imagine them as physical things (did this in physics too, which is probably why I stopped being able to solve problems except by rote repetition in the latter stages of thermo. I couldn't create a visual model. Forget relativity calc.) Good puzzle for my brain.

I need to feel competent and pride in what I do, but honestly, it doesn't have to be this. As long as I have that, really, I just want my job to fund the rest of my life and give me moderate engagement and not make me unhappy. I really do enforce a 40 hr week pretty strictly, especially when work is challenging the whole pleasant thing. My life is for me.

Oh, very different as a centralized IRB than as an institutional one! But I think most things are easier outside of academia (it has other benefits?)

So hard, Anne -- feel free to email me if you want any resources or just an ear.

sarameg, I actually think you would love what I do. Never too late to switch careers (this one has a lot of overlap with your skillset).

Thank you, everyone. Jesse, I will be taking you up on that offer in the not-too-distant future.

it has other benefits?

Well, you spend very little time doing what other people tell you to do, so it is a good match if you don't like doing what other people tell you to do.

It's lower pay for longer hours , but most of those longer hours are spent looking into some idea you got at some point, so if the work is boring or unproductive (and it sometimes is) you have only your self to blame.

I'm sorry to hear that, Anne. Good luck to all of you with dealing with everything.

Nanita, if I ever start feeling stuck (or Congressionally laid off) I'll let you know. I like supporting astro because it was truly my first love (and staring at the sky is still my solace) and fuck, I've known the players and personalities and quirks since infancy. There was no learning curve there at all.

And it's a better option than my emergency fallback should I ever need temp work: call center help. I'm glad to be out of it (but still exercise the people handling acquired from it in current work) but I fucking rock it and Have Opinions (which is why when I get good CS, I contact the shit out of the CS, supervisor, company and sing high praise.)

So sorry Anne. Hugs and strength to you and your family.