I recently applied for a job at the University of Tasmania - it was partly out of curiosity, and partly because I thought a change of scene might possibly be cool.  I put it together in just two days, and wasn't expecting too much to come of it... but it turns out it must have been okay, because soon afterwards I received an email from their Human Resources section inviting me down to Hobart for an interview, all expenses paid.  Here's a shot I took of a tallship moored in Hobart...



It's not my style to stress about a "choice" until there is actually a choice to be made - that is to say, I didn't really think too hard about whether or not I really wanted to go and live in Hobart until I got a call last week telling me I was the "preferred candidate".  I haven't yet received the Letter of Offer with the full details of the position; but it has become time to make some big - really big - decisions about my life.

I love Canberra - I have lived here most of my life and I do not take for granted for a second how good life is here.  It is clean, safe, well serviced and there is never a dull moment - there is always something to do here if you're even half-motivated to find it: don't believe anyone who says otherwise.  Though I don't tell them how much they mean to me, I have some wonderful, wonderful friends in Canberra, who I love dearly and would miss terribly.  I have developed many networks and connections here in my work as well as so many of my favourite past-times: film-making, photography, and dance.  If I move away, I would have to find ways to re-develop those friendships, networks and communities from scratch - not an easy thing!

There are, however, good personal and professional reasons for moving to Tassie.  Getting away from all of the fun of Canberra, and the cheaper cost of living in Tasmania, might give me a real chance to save money.  The University there has a very good reputation academically, and it would thus be a step up professionally, especially if I decided to do a post-grad qualification (Masters or Ph.D) there.  And there would be plenty of new opportunities to travel around Tasmania and take photographs of the landscape and historical sites: perhaps I might even publish a book.

On reflection, my long-term goal is probably to end up in Melbourne, working at either Monash or the Uni of Melbourne (both world-class universities) with a solid post-graduate qualification under my belt.  Melbourne is my favourite city in the world (having travelled through Europe, SE Asia and the Subcontinent).  

It's a hard choice.  But I have always believed that nothing worthwhile is ever totally easy...