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80 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS

Juggling Career and Family

Mary Ann Stepp

George Washington University

H

ow can a person learn to juggle family life with

children, run a research team at a medical

school, and teach graduate and medical stu-

dents? There are ways to learn to handle it all and stay

happy, but it takes acknowledging the reality of some

not-so-simple truths:

Having It All Is a Fantasy; Having

Enough Can Be Reality

Learn to accept the fact that none of the tasks will be

done to the level of perfection that would be possible if

there were more hours in a day or fewer responsibili-

ties to manage.

Be Prepared to Spend All Income

Managing family, a category which can include chil-

dren, house, and aging parents, demands flexibility

coupled with enough money to allow the purchase of

good support for the family’s needs. Good childcare is

worth the cost and will allow parents to feel good

about their time at work. When children are very

young, especially if there is more than one child in the

family, childcare costs can exceed one parent’s income.

Despite this, most scientists would never consider not

working. Flexibility in childcare arrangements is

important since different solutions to the need for

quality childcare arise in response to the differing

needs of the children as they grow. For example, over

time, childcare arrangements may evolve from a

Good childcare is worth the cost and

will allow parents to feel good about

their time at work.