The Great Job Hunt

It is a privilege to have multiple job offers in an economy in which unemployment is 10%. It is also nice to be very near the light at the end of what has been a very long tunnel. While it has been fun to interview for a job, it has also been difficult to sort out exactly what it is I want in a job. Hopefully I will come to some sort of decision by the end of January.

What I have enjoyed the most about the job interviews has been the real estate tours. It is the point of the interview experience where the discrepancy between what I want and what they think I should want is the most glaring.

I wear the same suit to the interviews that I wore for medical school interviews, residency interviews, and fellowship interviews. Despite having gained a few pounds (me - not the suit), it still fits. Most people do not associate the plain suit with a religious statement. For example, the realtor taking me on my last real estate tour asked me what kind of place I would be looking for. I proceeded to tell her that I was very happy with my two bedroom-one and a half bath condo that I had in Chattanooga. She then stated that as soon as she saw the suit I was wearing, she was sure I would just love some of the trendy, preppie sorts of places downtown.

The realtors never quite seem to get the fact that I indeed aspire to nothing more than the 1000 square foot condo I owned in Chattanooga for which I paid $25,000. Instead I get shown 5 bedroom mansions that have way too much lawn to take care of. After making subtle hints about these places such as, "I bet that place is no fun to clean," I generally give up trying to be shown places that I might actually be interested in living in someday. It seems to me that such houses not only represent luxurious status symbols, but a ball and chain which I for one don't wish to wear.