Saturday, May 16, 2015

Updating the CV

I've been updating my CVs--I don't have any job search in mind, but watching my spouse update his reminded me that I need to do some updating too.  I try to stay on top of this task, so that if an opportunity arises, I'm ready.

I have several versions of my CV, one for each kind of job for which I might apply (administrative, teaching, and so on) and the master CV where I keep a list of every publication I've ever had.

This morning, I thought about how strange my CV would seem to someone who had gone a traditional route.  In terms of publishing, I'm fairly traditional in terms of the poems and chapbooks.  But there's a wide range of spiritual essays published at the Living Lutheran site. 

In terms of work, I've held a variety of both administrative and teaching jobs.  I've had jobs in all of the sectors of higher-ed:  for-profit, community college, 4 year schools of all sorts.

At one point, I hoped that my CV would lead me to a full-time job at a liberal arts school.  I still feel twinges as I send out packets of poems to literary journals housed at schools that sound so lovely.  And every so often, I hear about events that make me wonder what it would be like at a different kind of school with a different kind of job. 

But my spouse and I have decided to stay here until the sea swallows the house.   Hopefully we'll be dead by the time that happens, although I am keeping a wary eye on the state of the various ice packs across the globe.

I'm also updating my CV in the hopes that it will be easier to update my website.  I don't stay on top of that task the way that I should.

But soon I will be sending a query e-mail to some agents who will be expecting that website to be up to date.  It's hard to argue that I'm media and tech savvy with a website that looks like I haven't published anything in a few years.

Ten years ago, I wouldn't have been able to envision the various opportunities that were coming my way, both in my higher-ed career or in my writing life.  I wonder what I'll say 10 years from now?

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