Where I Have Been

Ok, so I disappeared from blogging for a year. In this year, two major things have happened: 1. I had a baby boy. He is so cute! Insert all new-ish mom mushiness here. 2. I quit academia. A career wasn't going to happen, I wasn't even sure that I wanted it to happen by the end, and I didn't fancy being exploited just because I want to know where I will live next week. This is not to say that I suddenly found a non-academic full-time job with great pay and benefits. I am doing some tutoring and some other freelancing and feeling very blessed that my husband's job enables me to work part-time, sans benefits, and spend time with my son. I really enjoy what I am doing, but, despite my best efforts, I am still feeling self-conscious about not having a "real" job. Even if I were adjuncting, I could still say, "I teach at University X," which would impress people who know very little about academia. I know intellectually that it is not worth it to be treated like a slave just for the sake of dinner party/Thanksgiving family conversation, but it sucks when people think I made this decision because I had a baby and became a bubblehead. I used to think this about people when I was in college and very stupid. What does the future hold professionally? I have no idea. I am not suggesting that you, dear reader, do anything different professionally, whether or not you are an academic. But I have no regrets about jumping ship. So that's where I've been.