Perhaps this journey isn't just beginning, but simply ongoing since the day I was born. For as long as I could remember through encouragement of my parents and grandparents, especially my grandfather Pa, I was fascinated with science and held a deep passion for writing.
While I absolutely love writing poetry, short stories, and anything that hits my fancy, I have largely pushed this part of my life into the realm of a hobby. I instead, through my education and professional career, focused on my love of science. I successfully received my PhD in pharmacology, held two great post-doctoral positions, successfully competed for grants, and have written and published numerous abstracts and first-person authored scientific journal articles.
However, I have felt that something was missing. I loved the science, I loved finding new ways to solve problems, but I realized that I was happier not in the lab, but when I was on the computer writing grants, or abstracts or papers. I was happier when I volunteered to help my colleagues edit their work.
To further satiate my writing bug, I began to work as the occasional freelance writer. I wrote study aides for professional pharmacy entrance exams, and have recently started to write science/health related articles for www.livestrong.com. I even had a two-month stint as a movie reviewer for a now defunct online magazine. However, as my sporadic updates to my first blog, The Uncomplicated Scientist, can attest, I still treated my passion as a hobby, focusing most of my time on my research.
However, in the last four weeks things have begun to change. My grant wasn't funded and my fellowship is ending in four months. I have found myself at a crossroads. Do I continue and find a new position? Perhaps as an assistant professor at a university? Do I give industry a shot? Maybe a research manager position for a biotech company.
However, the same day that I found out about my grant, I was also approached my a headhunter that was looking for a medical writer. While the job didn't work out for me, it did remind me that not only is writing a great viable option, but that it is as important to me as the science. I couldn't ignore the passion any longer. While lab bench work wasn't for me, I was sure that medical/science writing held the answers.
Now, I find myself scared out of my mind because, I was actually going out on a limb, taking a risk for the first time in a very long time, to do something I absolutely love. Now I just need to figure out how to make it happen.
Crap? Now what?
Well tomorrow is another day :)
