GET OUT!!!

That’s a funny phrase. In India we were talking about how hard that one is to explain to people from another culture. Especially if, like Elaine, you hit the person and shove them halfway across the room.

For some time now I’ve been saying that I want to get out of science. I really enjoy science as a discussion topic and sometimes it’s fun to read about. Like in an Isaac Assimov book. But as a profession I find it quite tedious. The research is at least. The thing about research is that it by definition will be fraught with failure. If it were easy and obvious, someone would have already done it. That isn’t an explanation for failure that seems to work with PIs (Primary Investigators). And of course, it doesn’t help when you have the good old “No Science Zone” that I possess, it’s my super hero power. Well, this week my zone was too strong for my boss. I got canned. Tuesday morning I was taken into the office and was told that it wasn’t working out and that it was my last morning there. I was to empty my desk and then I could go. The reasons given for getting rid of me were all true. None were worthy of firing, certainly not since it was the first time he said anything about any of them. But it was within my probationary period, so he could have fired me for wearing a Hawaiian shirt. Especially since we all know , “only two kinds of people wear Hawaiian shirt’s: big fat party animals and gay people”. Well the basic reason stated was that I wasn’t motivated enough to do the job or to make things work. Which is true but what I should have pointed out to him was that he was never really around to inspire me to do anything. Only being around 2 or 3 days a week and then being in a meeting all day doesn’t give me much time to try to trouble shoot things. Also when the best he does is tell me that my boxes are dirty and that’s why things are coming out so unclear, it doesn’t seem that he cares much, so why should I. Well, I didn’t. And so after saying that I want to get out of science, I’ve been told to get out first.

Hopefully I’ll be able to take the hint and stay out. At least stay out of research. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to start a career change to an international relations type job. I’m particularly interested in aid delivery and infrastructure development in underdeveloped areas. Just so I don’t have an anti-aid zone around me too. “That can’t be good for business. That can’t be good for anybody.”