Résumé
I will begin by talking about the nature of scientific thought, contrasted with the experience of working in a complex “enterprise.” Then I will note some of the reasons (personal, cultural, economic, political or other) that explain why people chose a career in science. I will describe in detail my own unusual route, influenced by literature, medicine, the Vietnam War, and finally the appeal of laboratory work. I will also recount how choice of a scientific career was displayed in a famous old movie and summarize my concerns about the unequal representation in the demography of science.
