He smiled a little as she mused aloud, wondering to himself just what sort of rules got in her way. It didn't surprise Spock in the least that she'd disregard rules that didn't work for her and was happy to find that she liked certain rules. She sounded like an intelligent person; she had from their first interaction, but the way she spoke solidified his belief.
When she asked her question, he raised a brow. As though he hadn't considered such a question in quite some time. "Well," he considered, "My father always wanted me to. And it seemed natural. I like sciences, I..." he paused, face darkening with sarcastic humor, "like my students well enough. And it gives me time to do what I like, researching, learning, writing." It was a comfortable profession, especially for someone with Spock's level of intelligence. "I like academia. Not the politics and the egos, but the atmosphere of learning. You meet people who care about their subjects, who dedicate their lives to furthering advancement in their fields. I've always been more comfortable with books and a keyboard than with people." He stopped after this, realizing he might have gone on a little too long.