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Oh the places you'll go

This month's Scientiae Carnival, is about "changing views of ourselves and our careers as we progress through life." For someone as old as I am, these changes might best be expressed as a play with many acts:

Act 1: A very young Patty tries to be an alter boy and finds that no matter how much she knows about religion, that is not going to happen because, back then girls were not allowed to be alter boys (Today it is possible if the bishop agrees, however boys are preferred).

Act 2: Patty, a bit older, starts thinking about college and a major in engineering. Checking across New York State she finds very few engineering programs open to women (told you I was old). One program looks good and will let her in but won't let her, or any young women, live on campus. Our heroine goes off to a coed Jesuit College to major in math and minor in physics

Act 3: Pat starts thinking about what she wants to do with her life and realizes that she has the skills to be a mediocre mathematician or a good educational researcher. Off to graduate school she goes.

Act 4: Dr. Pat is an assistant professor of research, measurement and statistics. She likes the work she is doing but feels she isn't doing what she really wants to do (change the world) so she quits the day she gets tenure.

Act 5: President Pat founds Campbell-Kibler Associates, an educational research and evaluation firm with an emphasis on science and math education and gender, disability and race/ethnicity.

Act 6: Blogger Pat starts the FairerScience webblog

Act 7: Who knows but it certainly has been a fun ride so far.