For those who haven’t seen on social media, I have recently accepted an offer for the position of Software Support Officer at the University of Manchester. The role is new, so I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing, but broadly speaking it involves helping students with final year projects and encouraging them to do collaborative/group work through the course of their degree. I’ll be based in the School of Computer Science, where I spent 4+ years as an undergraduate and postgraduate, so I know most of the staff and my way around the building.
The job involves a pay cut from my current position, but that is offset by a (much) better pension, fewer hours, more holidays and no requirement to travel to London for meetings. Plus I get the benefit of access to the University library, including all the journal subscriptions, which is something I miss from not being in academia.
I’ve no idea where the role will lead over the next couple of years – one possibility is that I might have another go at completing a PhD (part-time) and then see if I can get a lectureship, which would be the next logical step on the University career ladder.
My current job has a three month notice period, but I managed to negotiate that down to 6-7 weeks so I can leave at the end of November, and hopefully start at the University at the beginning of December.