Faith & Vocation: Jesse Wilson
As part of a year long project focused on faith and vocation we are highlighting various parishioners by having them answer seven questions.
Meet Jesse Wilson!
How long have you been in Seattle and what do you most enjoy and struggle with about living here?
I’ve lived in Seattle for a little under 3 years now. Seattle will always be an important place for my wife and I because we met here shortly after we both moved to the region. The upside of Seattle for us, and certainly true for many people, is the access to outdoor activities like hiking, skiing, and rock climbing. My wife and I both love the access to the mountains and coast. Our struggle, not surprisingly, is the constant crowds, traffic, and seemingly nonsensical costs of everything. I know many people could not imagine living somewhere besides Seattle, but my wife and I often feel Seattle is where we are supposed to be right now, not where we want to be due to these factors. God has provided for us and blessed us in Seattle, but it has by no means been an easy road.
How long have you been at your current place of work and do you see this as a place of longevity? Why or why not?
I’ve worked for my current company, Just-Evotec Biologics, for about 8 months now. My company manufactures antibody drugs with the goal of expanding global access by bringing down the cost of production. The transition to my current position has been a good one for me, and I’ve been really thankful for it. I work with a good team of people and I’ve learned quite a bit more in my field through this transition. I do see my position as having the potential for longevity depending on how long my wife and I are called to be in Seattle.
Do you see your calling and your career as the same or different?
I think my calling and career often overlap but are not necessarily the same thing. I’ve always been interested in the sciences since I was in elementary school. I think God made me in a way that drew me to the sciences, and my career is a reflection of that reality. There is a blessing in being able to do what I think God called me to do in my career and actually use my education and training. I also think God’s calling in my life expands beyond the boundaries of my career and supersedes my career. I think God’s calling is also about how I treat my wife, friends, and the stranger next to me. A temptation I have is to form my life and meaning all around my career but I believe that is detrimental to the calling God places on my life.
What are some of the things that you find most enjoyable about your work?
I’m on the Analytical Sciences Team for my company. Antibody drugs are complex and complicated proteins and that’s part of what makes them so expensive. Before an antibody drug can proceed to manufacturing scale, and be delivered into people, many analytical checks have to be performed to ensure the process is safe and efficient. I enjoy taking part in the process and problem solving that occurs when issues inevitably arise. It’s really satisfying to find a problem, discuss how it can be avoided with the team, and then check that proposed solutions actually work.
What do you find particularly challenging?
The Biotech Field can be a bit harsh and transient. Layoffs are common across the industry and people tend not to stay in the same position for more than a couple years. Due to this, it can be a bit tough to get to know the people you work with well, or by the time you get to know people, they move on or you move on. Additionally, I’m a fairly active person. My job can include a lot of sitting at the computer analyzing data, which can feel monotonous at times.
How do you see your faith intersecting with your work?
My company aims to expand access to powerful drugs that hopefully improve the lives of patients. While it is a for profit company, the company is trying to benefit humanity by expanding access to better health. I view my position as a gatekeeper for the projects I work on to make sure our team understands any potential risks. From a faith perspective, I take seriously my role in ensuring the data quality and interpretation is accurate, because there could be real safety ramifications for patients if a problem is missed.
If there was something the church could do to support you more, what might that look like?
I think Harbor does well at this already, but the church should aim to lift up all professions that lead to human flourishing as bringing glory to God. It’s easy in our daily lives to forget we are all dependent on one another's work and the church can be a place we celebrate how our ordinary work, partnered with God, aids the advance of his kingdom. Also, like our society as a whole, our jobs have become more transient. I think this only elevates the importance of the church as a place of consistent community that can not be easily created elsewhere.
