Reaching a milestone -- what I have learned, and what is next?
Created: 01 November 2015
Originally from my blogspot
A few days ago (on Friday 10/30/2015), I gave an oral presentation as part of my dissertation defense. It went well. Thanks to my advisor and a lot of people who helped me out. Besides that my graduation is really going to happen, nothing really changes. I am still searching for a job and thinking what do I do with my life after this.
It is a good thing that I finally got to defend my work after over a 5-year period of graduate research. Looking back when I first started, I have grown quite a bit. A lot of people doing graduate research would say, your advisor(s) plays the most crucial role in your development. I strongly agree with this statement. I am very fortunate to have an advisor who really enjoys and is very enthusiastic about science. Not only to get results, but to understand what lies beneath the surface. Another lucky thing for me is that this trait is contagious and it is unavoidable that I got infected after working with him for five years.
Under his guidance, I learned to think more like a scientist.
Besides a scientist mindset, I noticed several changes in other aspects of my life.
Have been living far from home for several years, I became less attached to my home country. I never forget where I came from and my background. Those are things that made me who I am today and I am thankful. Nevertheless being more individualistic makes me see things with less biases.
I also became more open in terms of career paths. It was quite a long time that I had wanted to become a professor who leads a research group conducting exciting scientist projects. During my time in grad school, I learned that there are lots of other jobs that allow you to do exciting science and doing a PhD does not mean you will stay in academia. The world out there is a lot bigger than I thought.
I learned to be more aware about my health and diet. Because of my unfamiliarity with the health care system in the US, I was afraid to go see a doctor or a dentist in the first few years of my study. Due to that, I got a minor health issue which could easily be prevented if I gave higher priority to body welfare. It was nothing serious but it made me realize that it is very important to take care of your health. Nowadays I watch what I eat and exercise regularly.
There are a few other things but these three are probably the most distinguishable aspects.
Now is what will happen, or what do I want to do after this.
Honestly speaking I am not quite sure. I enjoy doing academic research but I also want to catch a glimpse of what people are doing in industry. I also have a hidden desire to eventually start something of my own if I find something I am passionate about and see an opportunity. That’s a long shot though. I will not think too much about it at the moment. For now, I will take any exciting opportunity that comes first and try to gain as much experience as I can. Then I will reevaluate things after a few years.
Given that I am on a track of finding myself, that’s probably not a bad option. We will see. The road is still far but at least I reached another milestone. A new exciting journey is on its way :)
