Well actually Eppendork is not quitting Science, she has doubts as to whether she ever will (cross fingers, knock someone over the head with wood etc). I am quitting my technician job to take up the phizzle dizzle on a gastrointestinal buglet, having just graduated with my MSc in another gastro buglet.
Figure 1: Eppendork thinks it's ok to be angry every now and again
Eppendork however realises that labs can be really, really good or really, really bad and all of the baddness or goodness falls on the shoulders of the PI. If the PI sucks a big fat hairy potatoe and spits battery acid and spite at his or her underlings (god forbid "colleagues") then anyone under them generally has a really crap time and the imposter syndrome kicks into overdrive until they quit, shift labs or become the embittered soul their PI is (because that is how they became the excellent scientist they are today. This sort of crap annoys the bejesus out of Eppendork and she will give anyone who will listen an earful about it. I mean seriously - how many really awesome scientists lose heart and are lost to the respective disciplines because of PI's with no real people or managerial skills. Grrrrrr! Sorry Eppendork forgot the PIs who micromanage their underlings - having witnessed this first hand (not at lablab, but in a lab where Eppendork was fortunate not to work) it also blows.
Figure 2: Gratuitous shoe shot to lighten the mood - Pretty sparklies, pretty, pretty!
Eppendork would also like to bless the PI's who rock the house with their patience, understanding and good humour when dealing with baby science geeks such as herself.
E.
6 comments:
do you read candid engineer in academia's blog? her PI sounds like he's the stuff of legend.
Best of luck with grad school :) There are some awesome mentors out there, the trick is finding them. The biggest thing about doing a PhD is that you need to learn to be autonomous, persistent, develop a thick skin and take responsibility for your own career path. A PhD is an honor that should be earned not something that is given for time served. As you're aware, a PhD is not an easy path to take and it isn't a good financial decision, but it can be an extremely rewarding experience.
True - no one (open eyeballs anyways) chooses to do "Science" whatever discipline that may be for the dosh - that's just silly. Apparently Eppendork fits your criteria before she got to the PhD stage, she has a way thick skin, is persistent and independent to boot. Go me! hmmm Eppendork is not as full of herself as she sounds.
hmmm Eppendork is not as full of herself as she sounds.
You DO need to be able to promote yourself when necessary so knowing what you are/aren't good at is helpful as is confidence ...
you sound like a mini-Isis to me.
take note: there are VERY FEW people who will brag about how great their PI after the first couple or three years in grad school/postdoc.
if you're choosing a PhD lab, one piece of advice: talk to the most senior members. they know from the real shit.
and uh, blog about it when you regret the decision.
ps good luck
Ms PhD:
Where I originate from the majority of people finish their PhDs in three and half years. I realise this isn't the case with PhDs conducted in the states and is amazed at the staying power of her american colleagues. And I fully talked to all members of the lab before I said yes to the phizzle dizzle. However, my opinion of supervisors is still the same - they are like apples - leave the bruised ones the hell alone and look for the crunchy juicy ones :)
E.
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