My Job

So, I think it finally fully dawned on me this morning that this job I am currently in is actually a real, big-time job. I think that I was still in the mind-set I had with my previous job: that while it's the real world,  yes, unfortunately, we all have to work, and yes, work isn't wonderful, but it's just that - a job. And this previous job I had was definitely easy, and definitely meant for the fresh-out-of-college types that had no clue where to go next. My new job, however, is real. While some would say that I am still just a research assistant, I now know that I am much more. I really am a "Research Coordinator" like my ID card reads. I really do have to make sure that Human Subjects will not be harmed in this study, that all protocols are followed, that I get back to people when they call. I have to realize that what I do in this job could have a huge impact on people the world over. Should we find that Drug X in combination with previously used Drug Y relieves to a greater extent Disease Q, then we have just helped to enhance the lives of many sufferers of Disease Q.   And that is how research goes, and compared to the research I was doing before: Lexical processing in the brain... which tells us that - you got it - older adults have slower processing times, but better vocabulary than young adults!  

Suffice to say I am now realizing that I have vested interested in my job and how well I do it. I no  longer wake up and feel that anyone else could be in that place doing my job (not to say that I am amazing at it, just that I feel I am actually an important part of the research, which is an important part of my boss's job and position as Chair of the Department, and if I don't do my job there are a LOT of people that will be quite upset with me. And if I do my job well, there will be quite a lot of people that will be very pleased with me.). 

So now that I have realized that this job is a real job and that I actually get up and go to work for the job, and not just for the fact that I need to go so that I get a paycheck, I am finding it easier to complete my job in terms of personal satisfaction. That being said, I still can't manage to get up early and get here at a reasonable hour, or help but feel that I just want a day off!