The Job
Hi out there in TV Land. I’ve been really busy here, and I kind of forgot that I should probably get back on here and say a little about this job. It’s a job at a place that does these super duper Cadillac evaluations of kids. I will be working with a pediatric neuropsychologist who specializes in kids with learning disability, attention, and behavior problems. For the first long while, I’ll really be shadowing this woman, "attached at the hip." She’ll be in the room for every evaluation I do. They train their postdocs very closely with the aim of grooming people to stay. They are very focused on doing evals and making recommendations that are understandable to parents and that are really carried through, so they tend to stay in contact with families over years instead of the normal test, write a report, then send them away dealy. Instead, they consult with the people who will be carrying out the interventions directly. The salary isn’t great, but it goes up a lot if they decide they want me for a second year, and it goes up a WHOLE lot the year after that.
It’s worlds away from Memphis. This year, I’ve learned that psychological assessment and intervention are really a bit up Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. A lot of the kids I work with in Memphis need much more basic stuff like food, shelter, and safety. They need resources and a good case manager. Today, I was saying to Aaron that if a family that makes $500,000 a year has a kid with severe LD, then that’s just as big of a problem for the family as it would be if the family made 1/10th that amount. I can’t tell how it will be, but it’s really a dreamy opportunity for a first job. I’m pretty excited about it.
The coolest part was that this woman (to whose hip I will be attached!) was just a great match with me. She’s really enthusiastic and full of integrity and smart and funny and down to earth. I mean, that’s cool as hell. She’s also really direct. She said, "I got a lot of applications for this position, and I’ve done a lot of interviews. You’re the only one so far I’d want attached to my hip! I think I’m just going to offer it to you right now."
I mean, I must be getting some serious karmic payback or something. Seriously.
Today was exhausting. We spent all of our time driving all over the place trying to see where we want to live. It’s a hard thing to do. Seems like it’s so loaded! Like such a big decision. Hope we’re choosing well.
