Even before I finished the Master's program, I was fortunate to be hired by the Neurology Research Laboratories at the Stanford University Medical School, where I worked as a research assistant for Dr. David Prince, a world-renowned epilepsy researcher. It was a chance to put to use the background I had in electronics and physiology in a world-class research lab, pretty much my dream job! Not only that, they had computers and 14-track FM tape recorders to maintain. The lab did intracellular recording from in-vivo animals when I began, a most difficult and demanding type of research. Soon, the lab moved to the newly-invented brain-slice in-vitro technique, in which thin sections of brain tissue could be studied by perfusing drugs and studying the cellular response. This proved to be a revolutionary technology which immediately furthered our understanding of how brain cells communicate and function. I not only designed electronic test equipment and wrote a data acquisition/analysis software package for the PDP-11/23 computer but participated in studies of extracellular ionic alterations measured with ion-selective microelectrodes. I learned a lot about analog and digital circuit design for test and measurement. In addition, I learned photographic techniques to produce illustrations for scientific papers. I worked there for 12 years before taking a position as audio engineeer at Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics.
Since moving to CCRMA, I have had the opportunity to greatly further my education in music technology. I finally got a chance to explore fine microphones and acoustically-perfected spaces not accessible to the average garage recordist. I have had the chance to work with musicians and composers of great talent and began a course series on audio recording in 1991 (Music 192a, Music 192b). Since then, I've maintained the audio equipment and outfitted studios, presented concerts of electroacoustic music, taught recording classes, unplugged the occasional backed-up toilet, and generally made myself as indispensable as I could. I must have done something right, as I've had two chances at a dream job and I still love what I am doing. I would recommend that you pursue what you love and prepare yourself for the opportunities which will present themselves.