Work

So, I have been working for almost 8 months now. It's really great. Sometimes I have one of those days when I maybe lack enthusiasm for what I should be doing that day, but then I remember how lucky I am to have a job that I really enjoy doing. I think being unemployed for so long (was it really 13 months?) has given me a very different outlook on the world of work. Having been unemployed that long has made me appreciate what I have now; I have been able to really throw myself into what I am doing, and consequently I am enjoying the work far more than my PhD or my Postdoc in Berlin.

My PhD was marred by experiments that took a long time to get working, and results that I guess I was never truly happy with. I feel that I maybe winged it quite a bit in the lab; whereas now careful planning and simply taking my time, has not only delivered results fairly quickly, but also results that I feel I have deserved to achieve, rather than just flinging some enzymes at DNA or protein and hoping something comes out of it!

I should really thank my current Boss for a lot of this really. A very approachable person who has encouraged us in the lab to plan carefully, and not to worry at all if we screw up a bit (which we inevitably do occasionally, though nothing very serious). And so I find my approach to research has chilled out a bit, I don't try to do seven things at once any more, things are working, I feel more confident about my science, and I'm really enjoying it. And the best thing is, my Boss is very happy with the work I have done, and is keen for me to stay on, so we shall apply for another grant to keep me on for a couple more years.

Of course my wife has been brilliant too, never forcing me to go and get a crappy shop job, or something similar just so that we have some money. Generally for always having faith in me.

So you see, I really am very lucky.