Cream and Crimson Rock Star Mania

"Party like a rock, Party like a rock star" (repeat 3-4 more times)
Totally dude!
~Da Shop Boyz


I believe that a person should at least feel like a rock star once during their lifetime. I always thought that my moment would accompany a seven figure salary. Nevertheless, it was an awesome yet fleeting 60 days. I was blessed with job offers for postdoctoral fellowships at three universities. It was nice to feel that my various experiences working in the bayou, cereal city, DC, and the mighty frontier of Alaska paid off. Although people gave me a hard time about moving a lot, I always have known that I was not meant to stay in one job forever. Particularly if I was not satisfied or did not see opportunities for professional growth.

So there was me in the corner, there was me in the spotlight, losing my mind trying to pick the best place for me. One university pulled out of the best tricks to convince me to join their team. Salary, designing my own research projects, teaching, experience writing book chapters... You know, what?! It worked. So, cream and crimson, ready or not, here I come!

The life lessons of a rock star:
1.) Don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone.
2.) Everyone should at least live in an exotic place once in their life(like Alexandria, LA or better yet...Alaska)
3.) Going the opposite direction of status quo can work to your advantage.
4.) Always travel light...the heavier the load, the more likely you are to let dust turn into mud. Makes it harder to move....
5.) Consider being a generalist...that way you are on the road to becoming a renaissance man/woman. People who are multi-talented are becoming harder to find. Someone may consider paying closer to what you are worth.

So, I am returning "home." To my ol' stompin' grounds. I can only pray that I made the right decision and that I will have nothing but good things in store for my new career as an academic. A cream and crimson academic. In honor of those who party like rock stars if not all their lives, most of it...JLB, Jr., this is for you:

"Indiana, Our Indiana,
Indiana, we're all for you!
We will fight for the cream and crimson,
For the glory of old IU
Never daunted, we cannot falter
In the battle, we're tried and true
Indiana, Our Indiana,
Indiana, we're all for you!"
~Russell P. Harker