• Question: Does science take over your life or do you have time for family?

    Asked by nataliel to Amy, Grant, Martin, Shawn, Usman on 11 Mar 2013.
    • Photo: Martin Archer

      Martin Archer answered on 11 Mar 2013:

      Being a scientist at the end of the day is just a job. A pretty interesting job that can be a lot of hard work at times, but still just a job. So having a life outside of work is important and making time for family and friends is a part of that.

    • Photo: Amy Tyndall

      Amy Tyndall answered on 11 Mar 2013:

      I make sure that I keep my work to ‘office hours’ as much as I possibly can. Unless there is a really big deadline that has to be met, there is nothing so vital hat it can’t wait until Monday morning. Getting a balance is extremely important – I do know people who work 12 hour days, and even then they don’t ever seem to switch off when they go home! But the plus side to this job is that there is a massive amount of flexibility – if you need to arrive late / leave early, you can do, which is very important and useful if you have a family to take care of!

      However, I do think being an astronomer is pretty much a lifestyle choice and not ‘just’ a job. You have to be willing to apply for positions anywhere in the world due to limited availability and high competition, be able to work night shifts if you work at a telescope, attend conferences, give talks… It isn’t your regular 9-to-5 job, but then again, that’s exactly what I love about it. 🙂

    • Photo: Grant Kennedy

      Grant Kennedy answered on 11 Mar 2013:

      Even though I like it, I haven’t let science take over my life. There are busy times, but I hardly ever work on weekends.

      However, I’m proud to say that I’m interested in it enough that I don’t just switch off at 5pm. Last week I started working on a new project that I think is very cool so I did some work in the evenings to see what the results would be. I don’t mind that at all, as long as it doesn’t happen too much, since then it feels like work rather than fun.

      I always make sure I have enough time to hang out with my girlfriend and mates, and to chill on the couch on a sunny weekend afternoon. No job is so cool that it would stop me from doing that!

      g

    • Photo: Shawn Domagal-Goldman

      Shawn Domagal-Goldman answered on 12 Mar 2013:

      I’d say it’s like any other job – it CAN take over your life, and I know many people whose lives have been consumed by science. But I know lots of really successful scientists that spend plenty of time with their families.

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