My Life as a Scientist: The College Years and Beyond

Some people say that they’ve always known what they wanted to do in life. That, however, was not the case with me.

There was a time when I wanted to be a journalist. Even after my interest in science took over, I did not know exactly what I wanted to do.

Like many other folks, I wanted to be a doctor. More specifically, I wanted to be a forensic pathologist. However, after a few semesters in college, I decided that I was not suited to life in the medical profession.

I chose chemistry during my sophomore year in college. I’ll give my organic chemistry professor credit for this, as his enthusiastic teaching style really captured my interest. I enjoyed seeing how different molecules can come together to create something else. Despite this, I still didn’t have a specific chemical discipline picked out.

As an undergraduate, I did three research internships. Two were summer programs at large universities and the other was a semester-long program at a government laboratory. While none of my undergraduate projects were directly related to the field I’m in now, I think those experiences were the most important parts of my scientific development. Among other things, I learned to handle air-sensitive, moisture-sensitive, and radioactive materials. I also had the opportunity to see how real labs operate and how scientists of all ages interact with one another. I strongly encourage any student considering a career in the sciences to pursue an undergraduate research position. Even if your project doesn’t turn out to be a lifelong passion, it’s still an opportunity to develop skills and make professional contacts.

I’m now working as a forensic chemist. It’s absolutely nothing like television, but I still enjoy it. I don’t go out to crime scenes, and I don’t interrogate suspects. I mostly do lab work and a lot of paperwork. The paperwork is the part that the TV people apparently don’t want anyone to see…I guess it’s not exciting enough.

To anyone interested in a career in forensics, my main piece of advice would be to choose your major carefully. Every agency will define their degree requirements differently, but most are looking for people with a science major…chemistry, biology, biochemistry, etc.

As idealistic as it may sound, I really do believe that everyone is suited to something. The trick is figuring out what that something is and pursuing it. If it’s not science, there’s nothing wrong with that. If there’s a field that interests you, go for it! Change is often daunting, and it’s easy to pass up opportunities out of fear of failing. Through my own life experiences I’ve discovered that change can be good and that I can’t succeed at anything without first opting to try.

How I became a scientist Part II

It is funny how you chose paths in life. Once in graduate school, I fell in love with science. I found it exciting, stimulating and just plain fun. I worked hard and occasionaly wondered if it this was the life for me, but overall I just couldn't stop wanting to know the answer to next experiment. I decided to pursue a postdoctoral position outside of my original field and went into a biology lab. I loved it just as much and when it came time decided to pursue an academic career. I really enjoy it. I am pursuing science that I am interested in and fascinated by. I get to reach out to students and share my interests and teach them new things. My laboratory is publishing our work and that makes me happy and very proud. I am not so crazy about grant writing , I have met few who are, but find that even that helps to sharpen my thoughts on what I am interested in and want to pursue and sometimes leads me down new avenues. Overall, I really am glad I took this path for all that it was unexpected.