My first blog! ‘where have you been hiding for the last few years’ I hear you all cry! Well, the simple answer to that is in PhD land! But, now that I am free from the jailer that is higher education I can once again re-join the human race. Well, in theory anyway!
So, why am I the accidental scientist? It all started in a failed attempt to get into medical school. Initially the plan was to do a medical degree after my science degree, but after three years the last thing I wanted to do was to go back to all those lectures, exams and course work. So, naturally I started doing a PhD!! Ok, so I admit the lure of the title of ‘Dr’ was too tempting to resist and three years of a PhD versus seven of a medical degree made a lot more sense to achieve said title. How wrong can one naive B.Sc. be??
Five years, 600 PCRs and one publication later, I finally graduated. So, with my degree under my arm and full of the optimism and excitement of embarking on a scientific career I started my first post doc. Like most people in the UK, I was fed up with the weather and so in a moment of inspiration, or madness (delete as appropriate) I accepted a post doc position in Greece. I’m 19 months into my contract at the moment, but I won’t bore you with the last year, past events will probably creep in along the way anyway.
Will I survive academia, or be tempted away to the dark side (AKA industry)? Has Greece captured me forever, or will I eventually succumb to the safe, conventional route that is going back home? Who knows, only time (and this blog) will tell!!
So, why am I the accidental scientist? It all started in a failed attempt to get into medical school. Initially the plan was to do a medical degree after my science degree, but after three years the last thing I wanted to do was to go back to all those lectures, exams and course work. So, naturally I started doing a PhD!! Ok, so I admit the lure of the title of ‘Dr’ was too tempting to resist and three years of a PhD versus seven of a medical degree made a lot more sense to achieve said title. How wrong can one naive B.Sc. be??
Five years, 600 PCRs and one publication later, I finally graduated. So, with my degree under my arm and full of the optimism and excitement of embarking on a scientific career I started my first post doc. Like most people in the UK, I was fed up with the weather and so in a moment of inspiration, or madness (delete as appropriate) I accepted a post doc position in Greece. I’m 19 months into my contract at the moment, but I won’t bore you with the last year, past events will probably creep in along the way anyway.
Will I survive academia, or be tempted away to the dark side (AKA industry)? Has Greece captured me forever, or will I eventually succumb to the safe, conventional route that is going back home? Who knows, only time (and this blog) will tell!!
