Passage One

As 170 people sat down to dinner, I breathed a sigh of relief: The conference was going well. Running it was part of my job as a university program manager, working on a project to boost biotech collaborations between academia and industry. When I started in the role a few years earlier, I thought that maybe, after years of career exploration, I had finally found the right job for me. But at the conference, I found myself wondering whether that was really what I wanted from my career. I’m a scientist, not an event planner—but I had been too busy organizing the conference to appreciate the research being discussed. Was it time for yet another change
I started off as a lab scientist. But then discovered that the highly focused nature of lab work wasn’t for me. My next job was at a pharmaceutical company—conducting literature searches. I enjoyed the work, which allowed me to stay close to research and interact with a variety of people. But I was only offered a short-term contract, so after a year I had to move on. I then became a scientific journal editor. I loved the breadth of science that I was exposed to, but the job required a lengthy commute. So, I made another dramatic change and moved back to the ivory tower for my current job.
It had become a pattern: I spent a few years in each role only to find that it wasn’t quite the right fit. I also realized that maybe I was searching for something that didn’t exist.
I began to think about creative ways to add the scientific stimulation I sought to my work life.  With my previous knowledge and my experience as an editor, I realized I had the skill set to do that through freelance science writing, such as news articles for journals and blogs.
With my former colleagues’ positive responses, I finally decided I could do my university job on a less than full-time schedule. Fortunately, my manager agreed.
For the last year, I have been a university program manager/freelance writer, and I’ve never been happier. Weaving the two roles together has been a bit tricky at times. But I finally feel I have a career that is tailored to my needs. I’ve realized that a career doesn’t need to be “off the shelf.” Jobs can be mixed and matched to get to one that fits.

The author left the job as scientific journal editor because________.