Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Holy bedazzled Gilson's Batman!

Eppendork realises that sometimes luck happens to you - as the universe offers you an opportunity and you can choose to pick it up and run with it or not. I also realise that sometimes luck is exactly of your own making through lots of hard work. Sometimes you are just in the right place at the right time and hold your tongue the right way. Often in science things or opportunities happen through serendipity - Eppendork puts her excellent MSc thesis and experience down to her homemade luck and a good dollop of serendipity and a whole whack of bloodymindedness. My thesis came about because I realised that what was on offer re my project wasn't going to push my buttons and keep me focussed (I have the attention span of a gnat - but that's what the internet is for) for two years. Eppendork knew the field she wanted to be in so cold called her future supervisor and low and behold there really was a project just waiting to be snapped up by a fabulous post-grad student such as herself. It helped that it was in a field that was well funded and the main technique was new and exciting, but if I hadn't picked up the phone to start with the story wouldn't be the same.

Figure 1: Mmmm now here's a recipe Eppendork can appreciate!

My PhD project has come about pretty much the same way - it helps when glorious supervisor A gives you a kick ass reference and new supervisor can see the potential in moi.  Eppendork thinks that when you see a spark of awesomeness in someone nurturing it and giving it the space to shine should be the only thing you do.

E.

PS: Advice is just advice - if the recipient of said advice isn't listening then nothing is going to change not even a little bit.

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