Career Decisions

After the chaos of graduate education, postdoc training, finding the job, promotions to Director, babies, toddlerhood, I find myself at a time when I can take a breath. There was a point in my life when I had to decide a music training or a science education. Although it has been over 20 years since I made " the" decision, I realize that it was never a decision I had to make in saying farewell to music. It was a decision to somehow combine the two.

I say that because if you truly have a deep passion for something, it never goes away. I remember that even after some late nights in the lab, I would find the baby grand on campus somewhere and just play. Trust me, I know where to find these pianos on all of the campuses I have attended.

Even now, I find great joy in composing songs for my children's classes and personal milestones, teaching the art to our young generation; and after all these years, I have restarted my Royal Conservatory of Music training. I even attended a RCM Piano Teacher's Workshop and listened to a great master class taught by the Dean of Glenn Gould Music School. I am not sure if I will take the exams or pursue my music even more seriously. All I am sure of is that I am happy that I am still in it today.

I am happy I discovered the roads to scientific research and still maintained my musical creativity. I am not a professional concert pianist, nor am I a Nobel prize-winning scientist. I just feel lucky. Lucky I am having the chance to dabble in both. One of my biotech consulting leads actually came from my piano instructor. Funny. All this to say, maintain your interests, your passions, most people have two or three. With the pursuit of higher academia and building a family, many extra-curricular activities are likely to fall away. However, try to maintain those that help you unwind and appreciate...just being alive. You will love that you did.