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Last day of work …

16th March, 2009 - Posted by karen -

Last Friday was my last day at work. Ever. I am starting maternity leave and we will be moving back to Alberta in June this year.

It was hard to leave in many ways. I worked with some really great people over the past few years and I have been very fortunate to have such a good group of intelligent co-workers who have always been willing to discuss things and help each other.

You’re probably wondering why we are moving. Well, the answer is rather long but the quick answer is that I am going back to school. “Wait a minute”, you say. “Karen, you already have a Master’s degree. Why do you need to go back to school? WTH?” Yes, I have a Master’s degree in microbiology/molecular biology. Unfortunately, as I have discovered, this kind of training means that I can get jobs in about 5 places in Canada – Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Montreal, and maybe if I know the right people, in one of the government research centres scattered over the country. For various reasons we have decided we would prefer to live in a smaller city or town and a job that requires us to live in or near a sprawling metropolis doesn’t quite fit the bill. Further, I feel that I have gone as far as I can with my current training, and would need to go back and get a PhD in order to apply for higher positions anyway.

I have been very fortunate to work with my employer for the past 5 years. I have learned a wide range of practial techniques as well as learning a lot about my field, and we have all enjoyed living in Montreal during ths time. I don’t regret coming here and taking this job and it will be hard to leave. I feel, however, like there is a fundamental problem in the way out university system is set up. When I came to universtiy, I was young, idealistic, fresh out of high school and didn’t have much of a clue what I wanted to do with my life. I thought about trying a lot of different programs and eventually settled on microbiology because I enjoyed it. What I didn’t realise at the time was that I was entering a research-oriented program whose goals were to create research scientits and collect students for undergraduate research projects. These students would then ideally go on to do Master’s and PhD degrees, therefore working for the university for practially nothing. Unfortunately, there are no other career options available aside from research. When I decided to pursue my Master’s degree I was very fortunate to have a great supervisor and wonderful co-workers. It was a very good experience, however in retrospect I realise how all this training did not prepare me to obtain a job in most work situations. By that point I had entered the specialization of research scientist, who can do only that job and nothing else.

On top of this, I have noticed a general trend with respect to biology. After attending numerous conferences and several training sessions, I am realising that biological research is depending more and more on statistics and bioinformatics. Therefore, the new biologists will very likely be graduates of a math/computer science program who have chosen to specialize in biology. There are some biologists who are flexible and smart enough to learn programming and statistics in a thorough enough fashion to adapt to these changes, but alas, I am not one of them. That’s why I didn’t take a math or computer science program in the first place. So not only am I a highly specialized researcher, but I see the writing on the wall that predicts that I will soom become surperfluous in my own chosen field of specialization.

As you have probably noticed, the economy isn’t doing too well these days. Everyone is facing bad news, whether it’s reduced retirement savings or the loss of a job. Even though I wasn’t in the situation where I was worried about losing my job (at least not yet), it doesn’t take long for a person to realise that research isn’t really a high priority in times of economic cutbacks. If you had a choice between training a doctor or funding a research position, which would you choose? I think the answer is obvious. I believe in scientific research and I think it’s vital to our progress, however I also realise how tenuous a position it is.The thought of possibly losing my job and not being able to find anything scared me – a lot. I realised that it makes a lot more sense to be a certified professional who is in high demand then an over-qualified intelleculal that society doesn’t really need. The irony is that with my current training I could do the job of a Medical Laboratory Technician, however I would not be able to apply for jobs since I have not taken the program and am not licensed as one.

So with all that said, I have taken a close look at my options and decided I would like to try and apply to a Pharmacy program. If I had a head for business I would consider doing an MBA or if I didn’t have children, maybe something more challenging in the medical field like becoming a doctor or a radiation therapist, however the circumstances dictate that I can’t spend more than 4-5 years going back to school before I start working again. My sister-in-law became a licensed Pharmacist this year, and after getting an insider’s perspective on the situation, I think it’s a career for which I am well suited. It also pays very well, and should I complete the program, I would earn far much more as a Pharmacist than by getting my PhD. Further, this career is in very high demand and it opens up a lot of options for moving to smaller cities. If I am not accepted int othe Pharmacy program, I plan to apply to another medical related field (such as X-ray technician or ultrasound technologist or maybe a Medical Lab Technician), although I know the renumeration won’t be as high as for a Pharmacist. The plus side is that these programs are shorter (2-3 years instead of 4-5 years).

It was no small decision for us to consider this change. It meant that Dan was putting his music studies on hold, either temporarily or permanently, and that we would have to move. If I were to stay in Montreal and take a pharmacy program I would have to do it in French. I think it’s something I could handle if I didn’t have children, but with one child at home and another one the way, I don’t think I can spend any time translating my textbooks and notes nor writing my assignments in a second language. The Pharmacy program is only offered in a few locations across the country, and some locations just don’t work for us either due to the cost of living (Vancouver, Toronto), distance from family (Dalhousie or Memorial), or because I don’t have the prerequisites (Waterloo). So the plan, for now, is to try and stay in Alberta. The main advantage of this is that some of our family members live there and it will be nice to be able to visit them as well as conscript their help with our two children once in a while.

We will be moving in with Dan’s parents for about a year. This will give us a chance to take care of Evelyn and the new baby without the pressure of trying to find work and make ends meet before I go back to school. Sometime in the spring of 2010 we plan to move to Edmonton and find a house or appartment to live in. Thank goodness that the housing market is finally cooling off in Alberta! If the situation permits, I will try and find some work for the summer and start my program in September 2010. In the meantime, I plan to brush up on human physiology and start reading some of the key pharmacy textbooks so I will be as prepared as I can be.