Bueno
NaBloPoMo, Research, Science, Whatnot Comments (3)
What’s the best thing going for you right now?
When people ask me what I do, I neither cringe nor sigh before answering. I think this may place me in rare company in the world of employment. I haven’t quite perfected the most efficient answer to the question yet, though, because it’s not a job, exactly, and it’s not really school in the traditional sense of the word. It’s something in between and much, much better.
From my house, I have a 7-minute walk up a hill every day to a hospital, inside of which sits labs that contains a lot of chemicals that can be used with or without electricity to potentially result in answers to questions. I belong to one of those labs and can play with the aforementioned chemicals and electricity to my heart’s content, provided I set neither myself, the lab, or anyone else inside of it on fire. From my perspective, I get to try to solve a huge puzzle every day by building the pieces and attempting to put them together in such a way that makes sense and ultimately contributes to both scientific and medical knowledge, understanding, etc., etc.
So, the best thing that I have going for me right now is that I’m getting paid to think very hard about a problem, with the added bonus of having the freedom to decide how to go about solving it. Jobs like these are few and far between. I actually sometimes dread finishing. The thought has crossed my mind to just keep going forward in a different discipline, racking up degrees until I officially know everything. I could do it, too. In a few years, I’ll be able to refer to myself (privately) as a computational biochemist. I could then apply to the neuroscience program in an effort to become a computational biochemical neuroscientist. Perhaps follow this up by walking over to cancer biology and becoming a computational biochemical neuroscientific cancer biologist. Imagine the power of having that on a CV! Potential employers calling and scream-sobbing into the phone, “YOU HAD ME AT ‘COMPUTATIONAL BIOCHEMICAL NEUROSCIENTIFIC CANCER’!” Ultimately, of course, I’d still be inclined to end up as a computational biochemical neuroscientific cancer biologist greenskeeper, but now we’re getting too far ahead of ourselves.
I love what I get to do every day and it does worry me a little that I might not get to do it with the same freedom and purpose after I finish here. I consider this so close to the perfect job that I’ve likely ruined myself for any future prospects at job-related contentment and this is a bit of a worry. So, I try to focus on the now, enjoy it for what it is, and let the future take care of itself, as it inevitably will.
Sir @ November 27, 2010
Every time you mention chemistry and electricity in the same sentence, I get goosebumps.
Best. Job. Ever.
Second-best job would be getting to light things on fire.
Well sure, everything’s dandy right now… except for the part where you don’t live in the Pacific Northwest. So see? I’ve solved the future for you. You’re welcome. :)
Dave: We also have bunsen burners.
Shari: That is 100% true.