I haven't been able to sit down and come up with a blog in the last little while. I got through the recovery from surgery quite well, was back at work one week later but maybe have been overdoing it a bit, am exhausted each day I come home. I'm getting stuff done though, despite unexpected roadblocks which include the PI in charge of the lab area I work in deciding to put in a door between two rooms, necessitating construction and dirt - which are not so good for running PCR reactions. So I'm writing. I'm mainly working on an article based on all my real time results, also need to start working on the poster version of it as I am going to Vancouver next month to present it! Am actually quite excited about that.
Beyond that, been doing lots of extracurricular stuff, it appears most of my Wednesday morning is going to be swallowed up by it. A while ago, one of the bloggers I read ( I just looked around, but can't find who. Someone in the universe of female scientist/grad student bloggers, sorry!) commented in her blog that she didn't think that extracurricular activities really helped you. I have a slightly different perspective, which may be in part due to the fact that as of right now, I don't really want a career in academia. I think it teaches you to work with people from all different parts of the university, to better understand how the university itself works, requires you to have excellent time management skills so that you aren't sacrificing your work for your other commitments, and also lets you flex both your team work and leadership muscles. I am currently applying for jobs outside of the academic stream (c'mon sweet government job, I just want to help my country... in a well organized, stable and convenient locale...) and it only helps me. I don't see how any of the above wouldn't help you in the academic stream either. As a professor, you do not spend most of your time in the lab, rather the opposite, and will be required to serve on committees, task forces, etc. Getting a sense of it early certainly couldn't help.
And when there are big men in coveralls drilling holes in your wall its an excuse to get away from Word and SPSS.
(P.S. due to me applying for jobs that may or may not relate to this country's government(s), I may be doing some editing of the blog. I stand behind all my opinions and don't believe they hurt me in any ways, I just may have gotten carried away here and there.)
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