1000, 5000, 10,000, 30,000. The numbers don’t matter much. The bottom line is that there are enough applicants to make the process slow down. In addition, it would be nice if you could hire and pace it out through the year, but here it all comes down to a crunch every october and February. For everyone reading this, just keep in mind that the slowness is something to expect, so plan for it. Apply early, and when hired get all your pq and hiring paperwork done so far in advance that if something goes wrong you still have time to get it fixed. In the end it will be worth it.
In addition to all the other benefits we’ve talked about in the past, one of the nicest is just being a part of the United States Antarctic Program. For most of us there is an underlying sense of pride that we work here. And once you are back home again and you see a newspaper article about the dry valleys, or Antarctic ice sheets, that little twinge of pride comes back again. You’ll feel it, I promise.
Again, hang in there and let the wheels turn, you’ll be down here with us before you know it.
mike