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The Retirement Newsletter: Looking back — reflecting on my career
Welcome
This week, in issue -1, I look back at my career and ask if it was worth all the hard work.
Forty years in science
A few weeks ago, I was running a tutorial, and we were discussing careers in science. I told my students why I got into science and how my career had panned out. I realised there were three distinct phases — the school days — the university days, and the professional days.
The school days
At school, I was good at science and maths. It all came easily to me, and I enjoyed it. I had an “enquiring mind” from an early age, and I liked to know and understand how things worked — I still do. I have never lost that curiosity.
I was the classic nerd at school, and when I left, it seemed only natural for me to go to university to study science.
The university student days
Looking back, I didn’t make the most of my undergraduate degree. I was lazy and didn’t fully appreciate all that was on offer. I was still enjoying my science and discovered that I enjoyed lab work — lectures not so much. When I finished my first…
