I was inspired to write this post by an email I received from a colleague, as well as some experiences I have had over the past year. For those of you who don't know, I recently left academia after 15 years, and now work in sales for a global biotechnology company. This is not something I ever could have imagined myself doing, but the experience and skills I have gained during this time have been invaluable, especially considering how green I was (and still am) coming into my position. Although some will undoubtedly disagree, the purpose of this post is not to sell a product, rather to bring an issue to light that I do not believe is discussed often enough in science.
When you talk to most scientists about a research product, especially those in an academic setting, the first words out of their mouth are usually "how much does it cost?" I used to be the same way. I believe this stems from a variety of factors, including the fact that, by nature, we as humans want to know we are getting the best deal. In science, this is even more important due to the current academic funding environment. Principal investigators want (and need) to stretch their budget, so they make sure their students and postdocs know that they need to bargain with everyone to get the best price. And there is nothing wrong with that.Or is there?
The problem arises when the sole focus becomes to find the lowest price. Whether you are looking through a catalog of vendors, or within an online marketplace, this too often becomes the single most important and determining factor. And sometimes, quite often actually, you get what you pay for. Cheap products are often cheap for a reason. Innovative and quality products take time and effort to develop, both which cost money.
Let's use automobiles as a classic example. Normally, one would not purchase a car solely based on price. While you may have a price range in mind, you then do your homework: you look at safety ratings, performance, reviews, and recalls. You ask your friends, and then come in for a test drive. Only after all of that research and information-finding do you begin to haggle with the dealer or shop around. Another newer example is cell phones. Are Apple or Samsung the least expensive brands? Most definitely not. However you are willing to pay for the innovation and quality that most other cell phone companies cannot provide.
Science needs to be the same way, whether you are shopping for centrifuges, cell culture media, laminar flow hoods, or antibodies. Of course, price is a factor. But what about quality, performance, or reproducibility? What about product innovation and technical support? Do the results of your experiments matter to you? The same type of low-cost/low-quality companies that exist in the automobile and cell phone industries exist in science. And you may be using their products just because you want to save a few bucks.
At the end of your PhD or postdoc, there isn't an award given out to the person who saves the lab the most money. You get recognized (whether it be by publications or your career track) by the quality and reproducibility of your work. And this is something that will live on forever; much longer than your career. This will become your scientific legacy, and it should be viewed as such. Don't sell yourself short and fall into the trap of just selecting the least expensive product. Always consider multiple factors, and only then, make your ultimate decision based on all of them. After all, you are a scientist. Do your research. It may take a little time and effort, but spending it now will save you a lot more in the long run...maybe even your career.
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