I've been in science for a while now and as far as I can tell, there are two types of people in this line of work. Those that think we should give everything to science and those that don't.
These two mindsets produce two types of work environments. I'll call them the results-first workplace and the people-first workplace.
In the people-first environment, they prioritize healthy work habits and relationships. Science is a critical piece of a whole and healthy life. In the results-first environment, all that matters is the outcome. People get the job done whatever the cost.
For the people-first scientist, science enriches their life. For the results-first scientist, science is their life.
I can't say which environment is better but there few fates worse in science than being a people-first person in a results-first workplace or vice versa.
For a results-first scientist, pressure to push their limits is exciting. For the people-first scientist, it's a corrosive and unhealthy obsession with work. Results-first environments eat balanced, emotionally healthy people that care about their colleagues for breakfast.
For a results-first scientist, pressure to be balanced strangles their creativity and ambition. It's like being chained down or trapped in a coffin. For the people-first scientist, it's a supportive environment where they can do their best work and flourish as a scientist.
I once knew two research assistants. Let's call them Mike and Sarah. Mike was 10 years older than Sarah. Sarah was single. Mike was married with kids. Mike was trying to make a career out of being science support staff. For Sarah, this was just a stepping stone to medical school.
At some point, it became clear to both of them that the lab was having trouble with funding and there would only be enough money for one of them.
Sarah started regularly working past midnight. Mike had to get home to his kids in the evening. Sarah didn't care about the union. Mike tried to stay within the rules about work hours. It wasn't too long before Mike started applying for other work.
I could see both sides. Sarah needed the best portfolio she could for her applications. This job was only temporary. She was expecting to move again soon and didn't have a lot of attachments. She had structured her life to fit for this job perfectly.
For Mike it was different, his life in science needed to fit within the commitments he'd made to his family. He cared about the union because he was planning to be part of the organization for a long time. In a perfect world, a workplace be able should accommodate both mindsets.
I had a conversation once with one of those folks that universities pay to listen to stressed out academics.
She told she had talked to many scientists who had reached a point in their career where they needed to choose between their families, their relationships and their health on one side and putting in the hours to be the best that they could be on the other.
โI don't recommend it" she said, "but many of them choose their work over everything else and go on to have terrible personal lives and amazing careers.โ Her expression seemed to say, "Hey. This is the life you chose."
In general, the people-first and the results-first camps tend to talk past each other. Both camps think they're the true heroes of science. Between them are the unicorns that are so brilliant and amazing that they never had to pick a camp. Everybody else gets squeezed.
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