It’s good that it’s not easy to summarise a person
If I asked you to introduce yourself, what would you say? Many of us will automatically include our job titles or profession in our response. But how much of your life is your job? Assuming you’re getting a solid eight hours of sleep a night (surely someone does?), you have 112 waking hours per week to enjoy and hopefully you spend the majority of these outside of work.
And yet the argument that long hours equals good science is still very much alive (as Philip Ball details in his latest column). This point of view often appears to assume that your career forms the core of your life, around which you must balance your other interests and responsibilities. While this may be true for some people, who get such joy and satisfaction from their career that there’s nothing else they’d rather do, for many it’s the other way around. A career in chemistry is a choice, and it shouldn’t be made at the expense of other parts of your life. Making the choice, no matter how much time you devote to it, is what identifies you as a chemist.
And yet the argument that long hours equals good science is still very much alive (as Philip Ball details on p25). This point of view often appears to assume that your career forms the core of your life, around which you must balance your other interests and responsibilities. While this may be true for some people, who get such joy and satisfaction from their career that there’s nothing else they’d rather do, for many it’s the other way around. A career in chemistry is a choice, and it shouldn’t be made at the expense of other parts of your life.
In both industry and academia, the pressure to constantly produce high-impact results plays a major part in this idea that success only comes with sacrifice; in academia this is exacerbated by the stress of short-term contracts and the lack of permanent positions. It’s a complex issue, and relieving these pressures requires a concerted effort from many different stakeholders (many with vested interests in the current system), not least by changing our reward systems. But that’s not a change we can expect to happen quickly.
In the meantime, it’s heartening to see the efforts being made by societies, universities and other employers to take a more well-rounded view of chemists. Mental health support, flexible working and family friendly policies (such as those discussed on p60) are increasingly seen as vital for attracting the best people. Such provisions help to make the point that a life outside of work is normal, expected and welcome. And about time too: for years there’s been an expectation for academics to take work home with them. Why not the other way around?
In the meantime, it’s heartening to see the efforts being made by societies, universities and other employers to take a more well-rounded view of chemists. Mental health support, flexible working and family friendly policies are increasingly seen as vital for attracting the best people. Such provisions help to make the point that a life outside of work is normal, expected and welcome. And about time too: for years there’s been an expectation for academics to take work home with them. Why not the other way around?
There will always be some people who think that work and home life should remain entirely separate. Of course, you should be under no obligation to combine them. But being able to discuss your relationships openly in the workplace, or leave when your caring responsibilities demand it, helps to free your mind of worry, leaving space to be creative and think about chemistry.
None of us can be summed up in a single sentence. Your job is just one part of the story of your life.
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