Earning a living

In a conversation with my uncle this week, I was reminded that I had not talked very much about what I do for a living. I started my new job in April, so I have had about four months to figure out what it's all about. If you're an academic, the short way to explain it is: I do 100% service. (Translation for non-academics: professors typically have three components to their job: research, teaching, and service to the professional/university community.)

The longer way to explain it is that I work for a professional organization of physicists. If you are a physicist in the U.S., you likely belong to this organization, because you read their journal and attend their conferences. I work in the department that specializes in education and diversity, so we work on projects to increase the number of high school physics teachers in the U.S., or to increase the numbers of underrepresented minorities earning undergraduate or graduate degrees in physics. Instead of spending time on education research, I plan conferences, supervise grant programs, and assist committees in their activities.

I am happy in this job, because I really support the mission of the department and of the company. I use many of the skills I learned in graduate school, like synthesizing education literature and writing, and I get to help the larger physics community think about issues of education and diversity. I also work with a great group of people, and, in my experience, a good working environment makes the difference between an acceptable job and an outstanding job. One more thing I love? I have an office with one wall of windows, with a great view of the woods surrounding the building.