(no subject)

[catsittingstill]

I'm still struggling with getting the mp3 recorder to talk to my computer. We'll see how it goes.

Last time I mentioned that I might be employed soon. I ran into Leif, who was a graduate student in the same lab I was, in the bookstore about a month ago. After a certain amount of backslapping and old timing he mentioned that an aquaintance of his was looking for people to work in his lab. At Leif's suggestion, I contacted this person and he asked for my resume (which I had to re-create; it had been so long since I applied for lab work) and letters of reference from my former bosses. Then he asked me to come in to talk on Tuesday. For some reason I thought we were going to chat about the science projects in his lab, which we did do--but mostly it turned out to be a job interview, for which I felt woefully underprepared. However, at the end of the morning he still seemed interested, and asked again about those letters of recommendation. So when I got home I got straight on the phone and left messages with my former bosses--both of whom responded (to me) the next day. So he should have the letters by now.

I'm kind of nervous about this. It has been a long time since I worked in a lab. I hardly know what to hope for. On the one hand, I've really liked the freedom of being a housewife. On the other hand, I'd really like the respect and pay (such as it is) of being a scientist again. And it has been so long since I had anybody to talk to about science! On the third hand, it will mean a lot of driving (about 50 miles a day) and I'm trying to reduce my impact on the environment.

Well. It may never come to anything anyway--they have to find funding to pay me first.

Comments

[tnatj.livejournal.com]

Respect, eh? This conjures an image in my head of potential future co-workers retreating in discretion as you work in that laboratory. They're saying "Back off man! She's a scientist!"

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

Well, they're scientists too, of course. Mutual peer-to-peer respect, as it were.

And outside the lab, well, in my experience people who ask what you do have one set of reactions to "I'm a post-doctoral fellow in a crystallography lab, presently working on antibody fragment structures" and quite a different reaction to "I solder parts on computer boards" or "I'm a housewife."

[trektone.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the job if it's what you want. In addition to the environment the driving might not be great for your back, but I'm sure you'll take care of yourself.

Fwiw, I aspire to be a housewife or househusband. I'm not picky as long as I don't need a sex-change operation. :)