?!? = WTF; also, job don'ts.

if i could write "WTF?" on a student's exam while grading it (and not get sued) then i would.

instead, i write: ?!?

the tally: in a 48 hour period (monday night to wednesday night) i graded 140+ 5-question exams, where the subject matter involved dοuble, trιple, and lιne integrals.

between grading sessions, i took several breaks in the form of:

• writing cover letters,
• teaching,
• writing talk notes for next week,

and the like.

[sighs].

it's done now, though, and the student appointments have essentially stopped.

---

i've been giving a lot of job/application advice lately, which is unnerving. i shouldn't be giving advice: i don't know anything.

the advice has mostly been negative, in the sense that:

1. don't do this: it's a bad idea, because i've tried it.
2. don't do/write anything out of the ordinary.
3. never expect anyone to read anything on time regardless of what it is -- your research statement, teaching statement, your thesis -- or who it is -- your letter writers, your advisor, the hiring committee, etc. in fact, plan on writing something that can easily be skimmed.

for those of you out there wiser than me, feel free to interject your job don'ts and do's.