Spent the day reading
E. O. Wilson's - Letters to a Young Scientist
http://www.amazon.com/Letters-Young-.../dp/0871403773
4/5 stars -- excellent overview and insight into a career as a scientist. He explores the preparation, advancement and on-going career based on his own (extraordinary) experience from a boy collecting insects to one of the most respected entomologists in the world.
A short easy read. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in science.