The sad reality is that in order to do something one truly aspires to, one generally must do the shit jobs first, whether to get their debt down to a managable level, or in order to build up some savings so that working their job of choice doesn't put them in the poor house
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Hey . . . just wandering through. How right-on are you? I'm in a similar predicament in the science field . . . molecular research in academia (read: Ramen noodles forever), or molecular diagnostics and forensics (read: no more Ramen noodles, unless I am feeling nostalgic for my student days).
Its particularly amazing because I've been lamenting my exit from biology as of late, so its nice to know that it wouldn't be as simple as I imagine it if I had stayed in biology, even though I think I still wish I had.
Science is particularly NOT simple. The academic route (Masters, etc., eventual professorships) is completely loopy. LOTS of keeping ahead of the game, butt-kissing, grant writing, competition, UGH. And, you're broke! universities in Toronto pay around $23 000 Canadian for Masters students - and you can't get another job cause you'd "Better be focused on your work in the lab." (Actual quote from past supervisor). I wasn't even allowed to T.A.
The industry stream of bio is much smarter, I think. Pay's better, lines are clear-cut, jobs are plentiful. There's just that nagging feeling of being a sell-out. I was working on locating a mutation that causes a serious disease in children . . . when I'm in industry in a couple years I'll probably be running paternity cases. Maybe forensics.
Anyway, all this to say you're not missing much :)
yeah, I should have surmised that its an all or nothing gig in the acedemy, although your research sounds very interesting. What disease were you attemping to isolate the gene(s) for?
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My gut and my wallet are at odds, and I hear ya.
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Its particularly amazing because I've been lamenting my exit from biology as of late, so its nice to know that it wouldn't be as simple as I imagine it if I had stayed in biology, even though I think I still wish I had.
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The industry stream of bio is much smarter, I think. Pay's better, lines are clear-cut, jobs are plentiful. There's just that nagging feeling of being a sell-out. I was working on locating a mutation that causes a serious disease in children . . . when I'm in industry in a couple years I'll probably be running paternity cases. Maybe forensics.
Anyway, all this to say you're not missing much :)
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