AsianScientist (Jan. 6, 2017) – Let’s not mince words here—there have been times when I’ve really questioned my choice of career. In the current climate in which academic science is described as being completely incompatible with having a family life, I won’t deny that it’s very difficult to remember why we do this.
When faced with a giant wall of grant application deadlines, progress reports that need to be written, emails and phone calls from various project partners, not to mention students and assistants needing supervision and guidance, and all for so little job security, I’ve often wondered what life would be like if I had studied something else and had a nice and regular nine-to-five job…
BUT THEN I REMEMBER! I didn’t choose the scientific life—the scientific life CHOSE ME!!! That’s right; at some point in my life, the galaxy decided to bless me with certain… personality traits that made me particularly suitable for a career as a scientist. And thinking over it, I can see that a few of them are repeated in various other scientist friends and colleagues.
The ability to work crazy work hours like they’re completely normal
I fully believe that the ability to work (coherently) with very little sleep is definitely something that the Gods of Science have given to people who become scientists. Now I’m not saying it’s healthy, but it definitely isn’t considered abnormal and you’re going to have to agree that it isn’t unusual at all to log in and see friends on different parts of the world also online and mentioning that they have slept x hours in the last y days.
Speaking for myself, I know that between 11pm and 3am are my golden writing hours. Maybe it’s the sleep deprivation and the sugar from all the chocolate I eat while writing, but that’s the time when I can look at my data, and magically come up with the scientific connections and inspirational words to push out that manuscript that eluded me during daytime hours. And four hours of rest later, I’m ready to rock up back to the lab!
And how many of you have dragged yourself in while sick or know people who turn up because things need to be done and you don’t have time to be bedridden with the flu? All of us, that’s who.
The outlook on life and the world
We scientists generally view and assess the world with a logic and detachment that may strike others as unusual. Maybe it’s because I’m a scientist but I don’t consider this a bad thing. For example, when I meet identical twins, I want to know how they’re similar and different! Sure, the questions might be strange and too intimate, but who doesn’t want to know how environment impacts on people who are control versions of the other?
I’ve also noticed that scientists tend to view themselves not as singular units but how they fit into the world as a whole. This was recently shown to me by a friend who was assessing his year which started with moving from academic research to industry, and leaving his home for a different location where he is now happy ensconced with a new partner.
“On a personal and professional note, 2016 has been very successful,” he said, as I raised my glass in a toast to his year. “But on the other hand, so many terrible things happened—natural disasters, terrorist attacks, the triumph of populist politics, so many celebrity deaths… can I really say that 2016 is a good year when so many bad things also happened? Perhaps my year was just a statistical outlier?”
The joy of chaos—and the bringing of calm
Maybe this is a huge generalization, but I’m going to say that people who become scientific researchers—curious people driven to solve the (currently) unanswered questions of the universe—actually really enjoy the pressure.
Admit it; you love being challenged and secretly or not-so-secretly enjoy the chaos and variety that working in research can be. You thrive on the excitement of trying out and mastering a new technique! You’re driven by the elation of getting a result that matches your hypothesis! The satisfaction of ticking off things from that giant to-do list as well as the craziness of having to change plans when an unexpected result comes in pushes you like nothing else. And seeing your name in print or on Web of Science gives you a thrill of knowing you have risen to the challenge and conquered it.
Which brings me to…
Doing it for the love… and maybe a bit for the glory… but mostly for the love
Ultimately, nobody goes into science for the money, attention, or fame although you might be able to acquire these by certain stages of your career. A colleague of mine summed up the ultimate personality trait found in scientists.
“I got into science because I love science—I want to know, I want to solve, and I want to understand. And even if I don’t, I am comfortable in knowing that I’m trying to do so and I’m contributing in a meaningful way.”
It’s true that we can’t live on good intentions but amid all of the stress and misery, something amazing would happen and I am reminded that I wouldn’t change it for the world.
This article is from a monthly column called The Sometimes Serious Scientist. Click here to see the other articles in this series.
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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine; Photo: BRICK 101/Flickr/CC.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff
