Postdoc, Anyone?

So Friday I met with the neuropsychologist I've trained with for the last six years about a potential postdoc. About a month ago, he resigned from his position at the public hospital in Fort Worth to go into private practice with two neurologists in an area closer to DFW airport. When I walked into his office, I was shocked to find that it was a REAL office, not an old patient room in the old wing of the hospital - or a broom closet. It wasn't stacked "up to there" with piles of files and test equipment and various stuff because there was actually room to store everything. He looked relaxed - and happy - for the first time since I'd met him in the fall of 2001.

After the "How's the family's," I asked him, "So, how's business out here in the suburbs?"

He smiled as he replied, "If I have two more months like the one I just had, I will have made a year's salary at the hospital."

"No shit?"

(more grinning) "No shit."

Long story short, he's still interested in mentoring me. I'm still interested in learning from him. So we're going to do business in the way we've done in the last six years. We just have to work out the details.

Woohoo! No silly APPIC match for me -- again! This is the way it should be. If people want to work together then they agree to work together - no intermediaries, no huge piles of resumes mailed out to every program in the world and absolutely no computer matching. The coolest parts though are that I don't have to break in another supervisor and I'll still have the flexibility and understanding about family responsibilities I've enjoyed all along.

More as things develop...