For those of you who have forgotten me and those who've never met me, my
name is Bill Stevens and I was in Sanderling (Asilomar) in 1992 when this
organization was formed. I got put on the Steering Committee, probably not
as much on merit as enthusiasm, and I have loved it since.
I used to love the profession as well because so many of us, inspired and
assisted by our colleagues, developed so many skill sets that we were set
apart from simple classifications as chemist, electronics person, system
administrator, NMR expert, teacher, consultant, collaborator, etc.
I "retired" from Southern Illinois University at the end of May 2011. I've
been wondering - who buys NMR instruments these days? In days long past, I
might've picked up the phone and called a product manager at Varian like
Iain Green to ask that question. Now, since Varian's been gobbled up, there
are no names or faces on Agilent's website that I've found. I don't know
whether I know any of the NMR people there besides Vlad Karpovich and I
doubt he'd remember me.
I'm about to be asked - in a very formal setting - why don't you seek
another job in NMR? Frankly, I doubt there ARE jobs in NMR for 58-year-old
people. I think most of the industrial NMR spectrometers in St. Louis
disappeared during the Monsanto - Pharmacia - Pfizer - Solutia - etc.
shuffles.
Academia seems also to be on the ropes with a steady elimination of
research support staff. Many of those who remain standing have had so many
additional jobs added to their responsibilities that they are miserable and
probably medicated. A recently advertised opportunity sought a
highly-trained person who was only on the cusp of employment while nearing
the PhD. (Clearly, 58-year-olds need not apply.)
Has the NMR market shifted to Europe, India, or China? Are there still
robust academic, government, and industrial labs in the US that rely on NMR?
While I very much miss my work - the thrills of self-imposed challenges and
accomplishments, the satisfaction of producing a lightbulb moment in a
student, etc. - I don't expect there will be an opportunity for me to
return to it.
I would very much like, however, to have a good answer when I am asked,
"Why not?"
Bill
--
William C. Stevens, K9YP
Chief Communications Officer
Jackson County Emergency Management Agency
cell: 618-521-9892 residence 618-457-8385 fax 618-457-8485
84 Roosevelt Road
Carbondale, IL 62901
K9YP_at_arrl.net, billstevens55_at_gmail.com
Received on Mon Jan 27 2014 - 12:09:07 MST