Subj : how hard can research science be?
To   : August Abolins
From : Charles Pierson
Date : Wed Dec 16 2020 11:56:19

On 16 Dec 2020, August Abolins said the following...
 AA> What exactly to do you perceive to be hard work for a research scientist?
 AA> 
 AA> One fellow who comes to my mind when hear the term research is the
 AA> astronomer and "professional" student, Clifford Stoll (of Cuckoo's Egg
 AA> fame). The guy is totally immersed into his projects like an
 AA> enthusiastic child.  He's amazing.
 AA> 
 AA> Sure, someone like him would spend dedicated hours and energy for his
 AA> work - but it is cushy wrt pay, since it is predictable and consistent.
 AA> 
 AA> The only thing that would make my work cushy would be a take-home salary
 AA> that is fixed and that I can depend on week to week.  Everything else
 AA> about it I enjoy (except the bookkeeping work - and yes, I do that
 AA> myself too).  But by comparison, a research job would be cushy.
 AA> 

You do realize that you basically said that you and your research scientist
example are basically in the same situation?  Consistent pay and doing things
you enjoy?

Research science, depending on what's being researched, if obviously less
physically demanding than other career paths, but it can be mentally
demanding.

I would guess in your work, you have to research your clientele. You track
what types of books or what authors your customers buy, and figure out what
upcoming releases the are likely to be interested in.  

I'm not sure of the particulars of dealing with publishing houses, but
 you might have to figure lot quantities or minimum quantities of a book you
need to order, and compare that to how many you anticipate selling, and how
many that will leave on your shelves, suseptible to inventory tax. For
example, if two or three people show interest in an upcoming release, but you
have to order 50 or 100 copies from the publisher, does it make business
sense for you tto order that book? Can you return unsold copies, and how much
does that cost you if you can>

i'm oversimplifying, but that's what I see as a comparison to a part of your
job, and at least a part of what reasearch scientists do. 

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