Last week I posted about some scientific fraud I discovered while doing research for a drug company. I must have made an impression at the company, because their COO called me yesterday to offer me a job. Although I have some reservations, I think I'm going to take it. I've been with my current company for 14 years, which is a long time. And while I basically like my job, I can see a the benefit of not having to hustle for government grants all the time. I had a great opportunity there to try to move my research into human use. It was awesome, even though it ultimately failed, so I feel like I've accomplished what I set out to accomplish. What I don't want to do is to just keep plugging away for the next great idea that may never come, trying to squeeze papers and grants out of uninteresting projects in the interim. It's scary thinking about doing something else when you've been doing the same thing for so long. But I know I'll be well-paid, enjoy the work, be good at it, and have a chance to make an impact on the field. The only real downside is that I won't be working on my ideas anymore, which is a big downside, but it's possible I've reached a dead end there anyway.
YET Speaking as an employer, there is zero downside in encouraging and funding motivated, inquisitive people with initiative and ambition. Do what they're paying you for and then ask if they'll pay you to do stuff that will make them more money. And don't lose sight of the fact that they went out of their way to bring a contrarian into the fold.The only real downside is that I won't be working on my ideas anymore,
This is really good advice, and I appreciate it. The people there know me well enough to know that I'm unafraid to say "yes", "no", or "I don't know", no matter what the prevailing consensus is. One of the things I loathe about my current bosses is that they want yes men. I've sort of become persona non grata around the department for steadfastly refusing to play that role, regardless of what their already published literature says. Yes men waste money. Yes men start wars. Yes men pass the buck. I really don't like yes men, but I like bosses who like yes men way less.And don't lose sight of the fact that they went out of their way to bring a contrarian into the fold.
Congratulations, buddy. This warms my heart. I don't expect that this will be the end of you working on your own ideas, and I am sure that you are going to bring them more value than they anticipate. If they don't find you to be an incorrigible ass, that is. You have a clarity of vision, base of knowledge, encyclopedic memory, and humility that makes you a very strong scientist; it was always a joy to postulate and hypothesize and bullshit with you. They probably aren't going to pay you enough. Your notes are shit though. Turn over a new leaf (I tried and failed). Godspeed. Let me know how it goes. Let's have a Zoom beer.
Fantastic result, man. I felt the same when I left NASA and went to work for JavaSoft... and while I regretted not being close to the planes and CRAY computers anymore, I enjoyed working in a company with tangible goals and measurable progress. The pay was better, too.