Hello everyone! I apologize for my long absence on the blog. I hadn't intended to let the blog go for so long. But it is time to get back on the horse, as the saying goes. I have been doing a lot of that lately.
At the beginning of September I took a much-needed vacation to northern Michigan, visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Oh yes, and Short's Brewing Company as well! It really was a long and busy summer, and I felt much more ready to come back to work after some hiking, swimming, sleeping, and good company! We are actually very spoiled here in Michigan--it is a beautiful state.
In mid-September I passed the one year mark as a postdoc in the GEM lab. To mark the occasion, I felt that I needed to reflect a bit on the last year and take stock of what I have learned. This was actually a little more difficult than I anticipated. I think it is hard to analyze a situation when you are still in the middle of it. Nevertheless, here is what I came up with.
The most obvious change is that I feel fairly comfortable in my job now. I know the lab, I know the people, and I have a decent handle on my project. In fact, I am wrapping up a project right now with the aim of submitting a paper early next year. I have often heard that it takes 6-12 months to settle in to a new job, and I certainly feel that this was true for me. The tragedy is that my postdoc appointment is only two years in total, so I have spent half of that time settling in! I know that I am the type of person who likes being comfortable in her job. Some people love starting new jobs, but I see myself staying in a job for a long time. So far life has not allowed me to do that, and I know that I am adaptable enough to move around when necessary, but I do hope that my next job will be more permanent.
I also feel that I have gained a greater sense of independence in the last year. I know how to take on a new project and how to tackle it. It still amazes me how big things are built from small pieces. Writing my dissertation drove this home for me more than anything else. I watched then as the sentences became paragraphs, which became chapters, which somehow became a 200-page document describing my accomplishments of the last five years. Every small piece had enormous value. I think the same is true for any project. I am no longer afraid that the small pieces (i.e., the things I do day to day) will not be enough. For example, at this very moment I am running standards on the ion chromatograph to define elution times for various known compounds and to create calibration curves using a series of samples having different concentrations. None of this is ground breaking or difficult. But it does give me confidence in running the instrument and lays the foundation for the things I will try next that have not been done before. (Although right now this one sample is taking forever to come through the column--I hope everything works out!!)
I have also started to think of myself more as a colleague than as a student. I recognize that science is a process of lifelong learning, but I do have a certain amount of knowledge and experience. I noticed at the Goldschmidt conference that I approached more people, and with the intention of exchanging knowledge and possibly collaborating. Someone close to me once told me that some promotions are intended to be grown into. Perhaps the PhD is the same way.
The million dollar question on everyone's mind is, "What next?" I don't know yet. I do want to stay in science, but in what capacity I don't know. My career will probably also be driven by the job market. So stay tuned: In less than one year, I expect to be starting a brand new adventure. Happy weekend!
