to wxc20: let me tell you my story

Let me tell you my story. May be it will give you a different perspective.

Both my hu*****and and I are physics phds. Tough to find jobs and even tougher to find jobs in the same city. He graduated 1 year earlier than I did and got a postdoc in midwest. He was in theoretical physics and wanted to be a prof. He was good and had all the potential, according to everybody who knew him. I was in experimental physics. After phd, I got a industry job. We made a deal, if he could get a tenure position in 4years (2 term postdoc). I will drop everything and follow him. Otherwise, he will follow me. His second postdoc was with MIT. Still after that, no good tenure position for him. In theoretical physics, 3-4 postdoc before tenure is not uncommom. So he decided to look for industry jobs.

But what can a phd in theoretical physics do in industry? He loves his field and didn't want to be yet another programmer for the rest of his life. So I suggested DSP, and he was like "what is that". After a week of reading a book on DSP from a local library, he felt that was a perfect direction for him. Because the techiques used in DSP is exactly what he used in theoretical physics everyday, even though the terminologies are completely different. I helped him to change his CV to a resume. In a month, he got 3 offers in the city where I was. So after 3 and half years of seperation, we finally solved our 2 body problem.

So it can be done. You need to believe in yourself, and you need to open your mind. You don't have to give up your interest and strength to be just another programer or accountant. Good luck!