by Deborah Rogers –
When I met with Jennifer (Making Their Mark, pg 11), at her office at the top of Observatory Hill, she had a busy day ahead of her. Years of design, construction and testing of the new high resolution optical spectrograph (GHOST), designed for the Gemini telescope in Chile, were coming to fruition as the equipment was packed into shipping containers ready to move to the site. Jennifer will be following the equipment down to South America to oversee its commissioning. I loved the conversation we had about how she’d got into that specialized line of work, and as I drove down the hill I had a familiar thought: “what would I need to do so that I could work in an environment like that?”
Go back to school, obviously. Be better at math; hmmm, problem. I say familiar because many of the interviews I’ve had this month have led to that same internal question. Spending the morning with Daniel and Ben at Howl Brewing (pg 74) – with that delicious, comforting malty smell – chatting about experimentation and inspiration, made me envious of their workplace. And then reviewing all the incredible applicants for our Woman to Watch contest: I feel surrounded by people doing interesting work, who often took one moment of inspiration, one deep passion or unique pastime, and made it into a career.
In a neat life/work segue, I took my son to the open house at Stelly’s High School this week too. It was his chance to wander the building, chat with teachers and preview the course options available. What an exciting time, with a world of opportunity available. I almost felt envious as I saw all the different potential paths that stretch before him.
It’s interesting to ponder which of the choices we made brought us to the precise point we’re at today. Who were the people who showed you what was possible? What’s the role you’re modelling for the people who will come after you?
