8
Oct
I was sitting in sections of the first ever non-symoposium "Let’s Have an Awesome Time Doing Science!". Ron just gave a nice talk about why he loves his job.
The following is his top ten reasons.
(I put googled images into his points based on my understanding.)
Why I love my job -- by Ron Vale
- Freedom to choose your own directions
- Reinventing oneself throughout one's career (nature of the research)
- Participating in a great era of discovery (like to be an observer)
- Being part of an international community joined by common interests
- Pleasant travels
- A social and youthful job
- Many measures of "success"
- Flexible daily schedule
- Doing some good
- Scholarship
The whole section was recorded, and you will be able to find information about the video at Awesomescience's Blog.
Ron wrote the following essay for ASCB which is the text version of this talk. Check it out!
--
Mol Biol Cell. 2010 Jan;21(1):11-4.
It's a wonderful life: a career as an academic scientist.
Vale RD.
Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA. vale@cmp.ucsf.edu
Many years of training are required to obtain a job as an academic scientist. Is this investment of time and effort worthwhile? My answer is a resounding "yes." Academic scientists enjoy tremendous freedom in choosing their research and career path, experience unusual camaraderie in their lab, school, and international community, and can contribute to and enjoy being part of this historical era of biological discovery. In this essay, I further elaborate by listing my top ten reasons why an academic job is a desirable career for young people who are interested in the life sciences.
PMID: 20048258