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Asked by anon-256594 on 9 Jun 2020.
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Carin Seechurn answered on 9 Jun 2020:
I would say it has been the other way around; my lifestyle and family commitments have affected my work. Which I believe is the right way around! Your work should never dictate your lifestyle in a way you don’t feel comfortable with.
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Tiffany Chan answered on 9 Jun 2020:
Hi Naomi! I don’t think it’s really affected my lifestyle; having a good work/life balance is really important. I have reasonably flexible working hours, but I try to work ‘normal’ working hours to help with this.
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Chris Holdsworth answered on 9 Jun 2020: last edited 9 Jun 2020 12:03 pm
I would echo Carin’s answer above, but also add that it was through my work and studies that I developed my love for nature and the outdoors. My background is more geology related than chemistry, but going on fieldwork to develop my geological skills took me all over the world and to some really cool places, so in many ways my work has enriched/enhanced my lifestyle as well.
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Heather Walton answered on 9 Jun 2020:
Going to uni affected my lifestyle in that I moved to the city from the countryside and suddenly was surrounded by a lot more people – but I really loved that! I guess I changed from spending a lot of time at home with my family to taking part in clubs and seeing people in all my spare time, I started to do a lot more exercise as well, which I definitely think is a good thing.
In later years of uni I spent more time in the lab and had less free time but stayed sociable when I could, when I moved away to a new city to work I tried to keep that up but it was hard to start with because I didn’t know many people. But I kept up exercise – gym and climbing – and after a while through that I met a lot of lovely people who I could see and keep busy 🙂
So overall I think my lifestyle has changed since I decided to study and work, but all for the better, I discovered an option which I liked better so chose it! -
Katherine Haxton answered on 9 Jun 2020:
It’s changed my life in lots of ways. I’ve moved to Canada and then to England for jobs. I enjoy doing outreach and talking to the public about science and that’s become a bit of a hobby. Mostly though as a scientist, I have a way of looking at the world and that changes what I do. Best example is that I’ve looked at the evidence for why we need to live more sustainably and I’m trying to change how I live to do that. Things like eating less meat (not zero), buying better clothes that will last for longer, walking or taking the bus, that sort of thing.
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Fred Mosselmans answered on 9 Jun 2020:
good question. well on the plus side i am in a job i enjoy. Also i get to go to a scientific conference abroad most years , which while it is not a holiday gets you to interesting places for free. My job involves work at a 24 hour seven day a week facility, so there are periods where i have worked on 13 or 14 weekends a year (not always both days but one out of two) i try very hard to avoid to have watching my football team take precedence but not much else. And probably if was working say 18-20 weekend days only got about 6 days off in leave (and for the last 12 years or so because of my grade i didn’t get extra pay for working weekends or late at night). I have an understanding partner and dont have kids, but my colleagues who do struggle to work so much at weekends . So that does wear you out eventually and now i try to work on no more than 8 weekends per year and hopefully less.
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Ruth Patchett answered on 9 Jun 2020:
The big difference it has made for me is that I have moved house for courses and jobs. I have lived in London, Geneva, Coventry and now Birmingham. You don’t always have to move but often you can get better opportunities if you are able and happy to. It means i have lived in lots of great places but also can be tough moving on when you feel you have settled somewhere.
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Daniel Jones answered on 9 Jun 2020:
In all honesty, during my PhD, my work dominated my life. I’d be in the lab late at night and on the weekends doing experiments and analysing data to try and get really good work to publish. It’s really important to emphasise here that trying to publish is not (or certainly should not be) the main aim of doing a PhD and I’d be lying if I said, though I’m proud of all the work I did during that time, I didn’t regret not taking it a bit easier on myself. It wasn’t until I got my PhD and started working that my work/life balance became a lot healthier.
Though there’s nothing specific in the work I do that has changed my lifestyle, developing a scientific mindset does lead me to look critically at things I see (e.g. the news) and question whether what they are saying really reflects what the situation is. -
Maria Yanez Lopez answered on 9 Jun 2020:
I agree with Ruth’s answer, it has made me change cities and countries looking for better opportunities, so this is something to consider if you want to settle in a particular place.
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Eleanor Barber answered on 9 Jun 2020:
It’s hard to say how study/work have affected my lifestyle – because of course my lifestyle has changed since leaving school and moving to several different cities, but that’s just part of life! 😀 I agree with what others have said – a good work/life balance is important and work should never be negatively affecting your lifestyle.
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Fiona Coomer answered on 9 Jun 2020:
Like some of the other scientists here, where I have studied or worked has governed where I’ve lived: I’ve lived and studied or worked in: Cambridge, Frankfurt, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Glasgow and now Oxfordshire. As so much of your lifestyle revolves around where you live, you could say that it’s really affected my lifestyle. On the other hand, I’ve always had loads of hobbies and interests outside work (walking, travelling, swimming, running, playing music, running a Brownie group, helping with youth groups, meeting up with friends…), and I’ve always done my best to make sure that I can carry on with those as well as working hard.
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Krishna Mistry answered on 9 Jun 2020:
My studies and work have affected my lifestyle but quite positively. When I initially went to university the location was important and I was lucky that the course I wanted to do was in a city I was willing to live in (Manchester). When I moved to do my PhD that was mainly based on the PhD I wanted to do but again lucky it was in Bristol, an amazing place to live for four years. For the past 2 years I have been on a graduate scheme with my company which means I have moved all around the country (Stockton-on-Tees, Stevenage and Reading) which has been dictated by work but I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing different areas which I wouldn’t have considered living in otherwise.
It can be quite disruptive moving around when considering other parts of your life but for me personally something I can do now and enjoy before I want to settle down in one place to call home.
I am now more confident about going to new places and meeting new people. As much as work/studies can dictate where we go, the most important thing is to make the best of it and make sure you get that work/life balance right for you. -
Kat Hunter answered on 10 Jun 2020:
I’d say not much at all. There’s a bit of give and take – sometimes I’ve worked later to get an experiment or report finished and that means I can take it easy/finish earlier on another day – but most jobs have flexi-time now allowing you to work around other commitments. I’ve always had a lot of hobbies outside of work such as being a club hockey player, volunteering and arrangements with friends. It’s important to make sure you do a good job but you definitely need to balance your time. Having other things outside of work actually helps my brain switch off during that time, so when I am working I can be focused.
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Andrew Stonor answered on 11 Jun 2020:
Hi Naomi,
Not really. Studying Chemistry at university can sometimes be like a normal 9-5 job due to all the interesting lab-work and practical experiments. I have a similar type of job now and my free time is pretty much the same. I have slightly more international travel with my job compared to university though.
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Leanne Stewart answered on 17 Jun 2020:
What a good question. I’d say my work has affected my lifestyle a little but that’s purely because my current role involves working shifts but its not affected in a negative way! It means I get time off in during the week when everyone else is at work meaning its quieter when I want to do things like photography – which is always a bonus!
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Rachael Hallam answered on 17 Jun 2020:
Luckily, no. I am lucky to have a flexible job and have a good work-life balance!
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Zoe Ingold answered on 26 Jun 2020:
It’s introduced me to a huge variety of people who, in turn, have introduced me to loads of new hobbies and thing to explore! My boss is quite flexible with hours too so it’s allowed me have a better work-life balance than I initially expected.
Comments
Andy commented on :
Based in Loughborough was a lifestyle choice as family lives there so was influencing choice and also costs were smaller than if i had to move to London or Manchester area where my wife’s family are from!
Maybe could have made a large difference career wise but that is life and you have to do what is best for your family at the time.
In a different way I also managed to pick up management qualifications and drifted into that area due to changing circumstances relating to my departments operating needs at that time.
I am still actively involved in Chemistry via the RSC, through the Consultants Forum and being a member of the Management group and taking active part in its work.