I am convinced that there are no accidents or coincidences in this world. Everything has a purpose, a message, a meaning. Sometimes this message subtle, and sometimes it is glaringly obvious.This weekend, the universe decided to skip subtle nuance, and go for blatant.
Something I have been working on is bringing my heart to the table. Loving people for exactly who they are, and when I sit beside them, really being with them. Not giving myself the right to recede in my head and start a running commentary on them. Just loving them, period.
It has taken focus and intent, but it's amazing what a difference it makes.
This weekend, I was on a morning run in North Salem, CT, and I ran across a bridge that I noticed had some graffiti on it. Now, for those of you who have never been to North Salem, this is the sort of town where purebred horses outnumber people, Whole Foods is considered pedestrian, and a full European Union of imported cars zoom past you on the streets. Graffiti in a town like this?
Attached is a picture of that graffiti. Ok, universe, I gotcha.
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I love this...
ReplyDeleteHi Samanta, I've been reading your blog; I must admit that I was very skeptical (to say the least) of this coaching stuff, but it seems quite interesting.
ReplyDeleteI am around 2-3 years away from completing a Ph.D. in sys/synthetic biology, and have lately been quite worried about what I will/should do after I graduate. Can you share what your experience was like....what job prospects are out there for someone with synthetic biology experience....are there things that you wish you would have known earlier? Are there any specific skills that are most helpful....for instance, I keep wondering about the computationa/"wet" balance of my thesis research.
As you know, graduate students are not really made aware of options outside of academia,...and it's even harder for people like myself since this field is itself very new.
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ReplyDeleteHi ivyphd2be,
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! It's great to have another fellow Synthetic Biologist reading. From my perspective, the sky really is the limit on what you can do with your degree. What ideas and possibilities would you like to pursue? What sounds exciting to you? I'll bet you can make it happen. I've watched my fellow graduate students start companies, advise policy decisions, author radio shows, consult, become professors, volunteer in the developing world... there really seems to be no limit.
I would like to flag something that you said, if you don't mind:
"graduate students are not really made aware of options outside of academia"
I used to feel the same way, but then I realized that my reasoning was a bit twisted. Really, WE are responsible for learning about the opportunities out there... there is no one at the helm of our ships but us. If you are interested in, say, science writing, do you really expect your advisor to sit you down with a bunch of brochures and say "here is how to become a science writer?" That's our job. So what I learned is that a more accurate statement as to why I didn't know of more opportunties was:
"I haven't researched opportunities outside of academia enough."
Once I started actively looking and exploring, it was actually pretty easy. People and generous and love to share information, and before I knew it, I had TOO MANY leads. It just took me being the captain.
If you have follow-up questions, feel free to email me at samantha at handelgroup dot com.