Some Bill Ramsey sage wisdom from a few years back.
Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 2:57 pm
You Are Not Your Job
Bill Ramsey
After 18 years at Notre Dame, I’ve quit my job teaching philosophy and accepted a position at the University of Nevada - Las Vegas. Despite being happy working at Notre Dame, I was generally miserable living in South Bend, Indiana. Much of my misery stemmed from the absurd amount of driving required to go climbing. I would clock over 800 roundtrip miles to climb at Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, spending 14 hours behind the wheel each weekend. By contrast, in Las Vegas surperb year-round limestone and sandstone climbing will never be more than 45 minutes away. It was a classic career versus lifestyle decision. As some of my Catholic friends advocate, I chose life.
Most people who know me understand the decision. Still, some have expressed surprise that I could make such a move. After all, it could be said that I was failing to properly advance my career by accepting a position at a less prestigious university. One friend’s email put it this way:
“Who in their right mind would quit a job at ND to move to Vegas? It’s not like you’re going to continue climbing hard for many years to come… Are you really so obsessed with climbing that it’s more important than your career?â€
Bill Ramsey
After 18 years at Notre Dame, I’ve quit my job teaching philosophy and accepted a position at the University of Nevada - Las Vegas. Despite being happy working at Notre Dame, I was generally miserable living in South Bend, Indiana. Much of my misery stemmed from the absurd amount of driving required to go climbing. I would clock over 800 roundtrip miles to climb at Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, spending 14 hours behind the wheel each weekend. By contrast, in Las Vegas surperb year-round limestone and sandstone climbing will never be more than 45 minutes away. It was a classic career versus lifestyle decision. As some of my Catholic friends advocate, I chose life.
Most people who know me understand the decision. Still, some have expressed surprise that I could make such a move. After all, it could be said that I was failing to properly advance my career by accepting a position at a less prestigious university. One friend’s email put it this way:
“Who in their right mind would quit a job at ND to move to Vegas? It’s not like you’re going to continue climbing hard for many years to come… Are you really so obsessed with climbing that it’s more important than your career?â€
