I am at that awkward age in life where I am too old to stay up drinking Friday night and not pay the consequences when I have to be in lab early Saturday morning, but still too young and immature to turn down the invitation to spend the night playing flip cup on a friend’s roof.
Rehearse after me:
“Thank you for the invitation, but I have to be in lab by 7am Saturday, so I must decline.”
“Thank you for the invitation, but I have to be in lab by 7am Saturday, so I must decline.”
“Thank you for the invitation, but I have to be in lab by 7am Saturday, so I must decline.”
“Thank you for the invitation, but I have to be in lab by 7am Saturday, so I must decline.”
But really, who could pass up good beer, great friends, and a perfectly chilly fall night with this lovely view of the city I am fortunate to call home?
I started reading your blog when I was a first year Masters student. Then I moved on to do my PhD in the same molecular biology lab (basically 4.5 years in total MSc+PhD). I defended my thesis and have been a postdoc for six months now. I thought my PhD was quite miserable. Worked on an orphan protein without known function, alone in a lab without technical help, nice but absent PI, and very very little funding. Was jealous of other department's graduate students getting their names in fancy papers/journals. Had little money myself, no friends or support in that small town filled with racist ppl, family problems including very ill parent thousands km away. STILL, I was smart enough to realize that the only way out was make the best I could out of the situation. So one day I decided to sit down and write. No benchwork for two months. So I went to the library everyday and wrote two papers (first author and sole with my supervisor), submitted then, meanwhile wrote the introduction and discussion/conclusion. Printed it out and presented it to the thesis committee, and defended my thesis three weeks later. You have to know that you can't do it forever (or you CAN, but then you'll never defend). You have the data that you have. If you could not get more in 6 years there won't be a miracle (not saying it's your fault). You can't perform experiments and write your thesis at the same time. People telling you they did are liars. Again, for publications, there won't be a miracle now... Take what you have and go to the library, try to get an individual work space if possible, sit down and write. Endnote, Microsoft Office, your lab books and past ppt presentation will be your best friends, and you'll be amazed on how much data you actually have. PI's have their PhD's and labs already, they don't care about you. Don't stay there forever to please anyone, and again and again : there won't be a miracle. Results are results, Science is science. Don't stay there forever, it's a shame. Move you butt.
ReplyDeleteyeah, and also your thesis will end up in the library and NO ONE will ever read it. Just another book getting dust on the shelf. It's your postdoc work that is important to your career if you want to stay in academia. Phd is all about doing this huge work you've done, but not doing it forever. It is also a huge intellectual work that you'll get the chance to show to your thesis committee in the end.
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