Today was special: returning the proofs of a paper to be published in the AER
In fact, 2020 was very special for me professionally (even if challenging personally, like for many people): I finally broke 6 years of publication drought and got 5 papers accepted in one year (!) 1/n

On top of the sheer joy, the primary feeling that these happy outcomes brought me is a deep sense of relief: 6 years without publishing felt really long and brought too many days in which I lost sight of the incredible opportunity I have to be paid to pursue a research career.

On the plus side, I did learn a ton over these years: with all the debates on the refereeing process, mine is a case in which all 5 papers have improved a lot through this process.

The second feeling is an immense sense of gratitude towards the many people who helped me in this journey:
-Friends and family who brought so much meaning to life outside work;
-5 completely different teams of co-authors whom I am lucky to have worked with;

-PhD advisors who remained available and supportive;
-All the academic institutions that were willing take a bet on me, both when I finished my PhD and when I decided to relocate to Europe;

-And the many people in the profession who provided some support (knowingly or not) in smaller but no less meaningful ways, e.g., by sharing disinterested words of support for my research or disregarded the growing publication gap in our interactions.

The third feeling is a renewed sense of excitement: with these papers out of my desk, I will finally stop withdrawing from exciting projects and will be able to pursue new research agendas more freely than ever. I can’t wait to get on with it!