Academic

John Jackson has some nice advice in this quarter’s The Political Methodologist:

I suggest to students heading for their first job to write on an index card four institutions where you would be happy to have a tenured position in six years. Select these on the basis of the type of department and university that best fits your personality and interests: large versus small, relative time and weight given to teaching, public versus private, heterogenous or more homogenous in the type of work and approaches, etc. For the first four years look at that card at the end of each year and honestly assess whether you have made progress towards that goal. As the tenure decision gets closer look at that card more frequently to keep in mind what was your goal, how you dened success, and whether you are succeeding. If the answer to the last part is yes, then you have succeeded regardless of the current tenure decision.

Markets usually work.