What ever happens to Walt's job in Sandia Laboratories?

Question

In Breaking Bad Season 3 Episode 13, we see a flashback scene where Walt and Skyler check out the house they plan to buy.

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The flat broker asks him about Sandia Laboratories and mentions to Walt that he hears "some pretty fascinating stuff goes on out there". Walt insists on buying a bigger house because they can afford it eventually.

We see Walt being confident and willing to spend. How does he end up being a Chemistry teacher and also lose his confidence? Is this because of his son having cerebral palsy or his regrets on leaving Gray Matter Technologies?

Please review your last sentence. I believe you left word(s) out or typed out your thought too fact as it doesn't make (grammatical) sense. — CGCampbell, May 20, 2015 at 19:47
I don't think this is touched on in the show. But IMO, yes, that Grey Matter thing always haunted him: He was miserable and\or made a mess of things in every job since then. — Walt, May 20, 2015 at 19:51
Random trivia: This is the only scene in the whole series where Walt has no facial hair. And they never did explain what happened with Sandia. — Johnny Bones, May 20, 2015 at 22:03
My guess it's basically used as an explanation of why they're in Albuquerque. This is the third workplace that is mentioned, BTW: Around 20 years before the events of the series unfold, Walt worked in Application Labs ("Cancer Man"). He also worked in a chemical lab near Los Alamos, and met his wife Skyler White, a hostess named Skyler Lambert at that time, in a restaurant ("Cancer Man"). He moved to Albuquerque to work for Sandia Laboratories just prior to his firstborn ("Full Measure"). — BCdotWEB, May 21, 2015 at 13:51
Walt was always a difficult person to work with because of his heightened ego. That would have given him problems at Sandia Labs. — bizentass, May 26, 2015 at 11:07

Jamesey · Accepted Answer · 2015-06-11 22:19:39Z

4

The way I picture it is that Walt was close with Gretchen and Elliot (the other two involved with GrayMatter), I often mused that perhaps Walt came close to sleeping with Gretchen. My take is that when Gretchen and Elliot grew close, Walt felt alienated and left with his ego bruised. The business's subsequent success did not act as a particularly soothing balm and well... you know how downward spirals work.

That is my take anyway.

answered Jun 11, 2015 at 22:19

Jamesey

1061 bronze badge

WRT "perhaps Walt came close to sleeping with Gretchen": Walt was dating her and even went on a vacation with her and her family, during which he left her.
– BCdotWEB
Aug 18, 2015 at 10:05
1

Matter of fact: "Vince Gilligan told us exactly what went down between the characters off screen: We were very much in love and we were to get married. And he came home and met my family, and I come from this really successful, wealthy family, and that knocks him on his side. He couldn’t deal with this inferiority he felt — this lack of connection to privilege. It made him terrified, and he literally just left me, and I was devastated."
– BCdotWEB
Aug 18, 2015 at 10:07

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