Last month I received my mathematics Ph.D. from the University of Washington. My mother-in-law said my hat looked ridiculous, but I say tams are cool.

When I began this journey six years ago, my end goal was to become a math professor. Last year, when it was time to begin applying for jobs, I was less sure. I enjoyed the academic lifestyle, the teaching, and the learning, but research was something I did because I was supposed to. A happy academic has a burning desire to break new ground and make new discoveries in their field, but I struggled to nurture my spark.

I was scared to leave academia, thinking that either I was in short-term doldrums or that my fear of not getting a job was affecting my judgement. I applied for post docs, but as my academic future became more clear, I became more sure that I needed to do something else.

So I took the plunge, withdrew my academic applications, and started a new round of job applications. This week I started as a software engineer at a Large Tech Company. I’m excited for this next adventure!