Science: Priceless, but costly

Working as a researcher is very satisfying. However, it comes with a price. This is a story about growing up as a scientist in the field of molecular biology. Starting as a young, rather naive researcher, I learned, step by step, not only the facts about my favorite RNA molecules but also the demands and downsides of academia. Going through my recent "scientific awakening, "I fully acknowledged the rules of the game: to write, to publish, to patent, to apply for grants and awards, and finally, to engage in all forms of coscientific endeavors. After going through a divorce, single parenting, immigration, and being scooped, I became a scientist who finally takes her career in her own hands and navigates through, but does not succumb to, the difficulties in science. This is my monument to resilience.