Day 28: Careers and thinking ahead

The institute I'm working in has recently appointed a new director, a lovely Dutch genetics professor. This afternoon, he made everyone's Thursday by inviting us all to an institute-wide social event (at 4pm and with free drinks - it drew quite a crowd!). The event was a low-key way to introduce himself to the new research groups (including my group) and welcome them to the institute, and got everyone chatting about what they were working on and getting to know each other. 

When the director joined our conversation, we were talking about careers - about how so many PhD students leave science and some of the pros and cons about working in science and research. And this got everyone talking about how they got where they are now. It's really thought-provoking listening to other people's career stories. I feel like there is a lot of societal pressure on young people in the UK to have career plans all figured out; to have a clear idea of where they are going to impress employers and fight for the jobs they want. But it is reassuring to hear that everyone gets to where they want to be differently and in their own way. There might not be a set path to follow, but you can forge your own.