Pimp my career!

What an interesting day. First off, I received an email from an attorney in Boston who does pro bono work for asylum seekers. I have worked on one case for her in the past acting as an expert witness on Ashanti traditional healers, witchcraft, and sorcery. This attorney has just recommended me as an expert witness for another case involving a Ghanaian seeking asylum in the USA. All of this work I do for free because of the debt I feel I owe the amazingly generous Ghanaian community in Boston and all the people I have come to know and love in Ghana over the years. After this email exchange I next heard from a publisher that an article which I co-authored had been given the green light a few days ago. Very nice!! Finally, an African Studies journal emailed me to ask if I would do a book review for them. All of this, of course, was very flattering to my ego, but then it left me wondering if I’m such an over educated, expert, and qualified person, why the hell can’t I get a JOB these days???? How many damn languages, statistical packages, behavioral theories, experiences slogging away in muddy villages, exposure to TB, and putting up with dysfunctional academics does one have to do before you actually get a decent job???? Does all this job related angst magically end when I become Dr. McNally??? This almost makes me nostalgic for the days when I worked at McDonald's as a teenager cleaning up dishes, running drive thru ("You want fries with that?"), and emptying grease traps at night!