March 2007
Very naughty postdoc
So, I have totally been neglecting my blog... I am a very naughty postdoc.
I had a major lab presentation last week, so all cylinders were firing for that and nothing else. This week has been spent cleaning my house, which, along with my blog, cycling, horse, and friends was totally neglected for a few weeks. Fear not, Smoothie gets great care regardless, lest you take the word "neglect" literally in regards to my boy. Not so much for the bike. It reached a new low when my friend asked if she could hang her coat on it, and I replied that she may as well, as it was the first time that it would be used (for anything) in three weeks. I have been ramping up training over the last two weeks though, so hopefully with a *lot* of work I'll be ready to race by mid summer.
I also decided that since I was to busy to do anything but eat, breathe, and sleep "Role of PDGF in Lung Development," that it would be a great time to sign on as the new Chair of Policy for the National Postdoctoral Association. I don't know what this says about me--perhaps that I am smart but not wise? No... I just really want to make a difference for young scientists. We are at such a crossroads right now, with grant funding so low and so many young researchers at a crossroads, deciding whether they can afford to stay in academic science (more often than not the answer seems to be "no"). I am itching to find a way to affect change. I am going to the NPA meeting this weekend, which conveniently is in Berkeley this year. I hope that it will prove fruitful, both in terms of bringing ideas back to Stanford to improve life for our postdocs, and in terms of some personal networking.
The career search continues, and I find myself stuck between a sense of great social responsibility (i.e. low paying non-profit jobs) and a sense of responsibility towards caring for myself and family (i.e. need something with slightly higher compensation). The financial reality hits hard, with a couple hundred thousand in student debt and the desire to buy a home in California on a single income. Can I find a position where the contribution towards society is direct and tangible, and yet pays well enough to allow me to stay in the Bay Area? We shall see...
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