Academic jobs suck like that; you can apply and interview and then not be told anything for 6 to 9 months, and suddenly they will call you and say “so you are supposed to start work next Monday, and we haven’t heard from you?” I have two $150k industry offers but my top choices would be postdocs in Australia, New Zealand, and Monterrey where I’d only make 1/3 of that. I won’t find out about those others positions for another 6 weeks but have to make decisions this week. I’ve done the same thing: ask those other positions, but due to how committees evaluate candidates they can’t say anything other than “we are interested in you and you are highly qualified but we’ve received several qualified applicants and won’t know until XX date.” They don’t have final rankings or offers out yet, just two piles: pass or fail. And that is after 2 months of evaluation.
I’m going to kick myself if I take the money but am then offered a 3 year contact in Sydney or Auckland. But I guess that is life and it is a good problem to have.
Congrats though. Even though you applied for just this job I am sure the experience will pay off down the line; you made a good impression, and that tends to open doors.
