return from conference
I had a busy but productive conference. It kicked off Thursday with a meeting for a potential post-doc spot where I got to tour the facilities and sneak in to sit in on a set of talks. (We flew in Thursday morning and we walked about 5 blocks in the rain to our hotel from the Metro, so I looked sort of like a drowned rat and had a massive blister by the end of the day due to sock wetness).
Friday was a mini all day conference where I presented a poster. Saturday I met with two more prospective people, Sunday morning I met with another person and presented the same poster at the larger conference. Monday I met with the last prospective person and presented a second poster. Tuesday I called it quits for the conference and went to a few museums w/ E, as he came with me. He hadn't been to the city before so he got a lot of walking and site seeing in while I was conferencing. I felt like I didn't have time to see a lot this year with all my meetings but I did manage to squeeze a few posters and talks in. The good news is I think I had two people who were really interested in me. I felt like I hit it off with both of them and I like the research from both of their labs. One person told me she would wait for me to be done (I won't finish until probably next Dec), the other one told me was looking for someone now but would let me know if it would be possible to wait. He was obviously interviewing other people so I hope I hear from him soon. If he finds someone else now or can't wait then I'm strongly leaning toward the offer that I do have.
Knowing now where I'm going would be less worry and stress as I can plan ahead and E can start to job hunt before we leave!
I just can't believe it yet....
Friday was a mini all day conference where I presented a poster. Saturday I met with two more prospective people, Sunday morning I met with another person and presented the same poster at the larger conference. Monday I met with the last prospective person and presented a second poster. Tuesday I called it quits for the conference and went to a few museums w/ E, as he came with me. He hadn't been to the city before so he got a lot of walking and site seeing in while I was conferencing. I felt like I didn't have time to see a lot this year with all my meetings but I did manage to squeeze a few posters and talks in. The good news is I think I had two people who were really interested in me. I felt like I hit it off with both of them and I like the research from both of their labs. One person told me she would wait for me to be done (I won't finish until probably next Dec), the other one told me was looking for someone now but would let me know if it would be possible to wait. He was obviously interviewing other people so I hope I hear from him soon. If he finds someone else now or can't wait then I'm strongly leaning toward the offer that I do have.
Knowing now where I'm going would be less worry and stress as I can plan ahead and E can start to job hunt before we leave!
I just can't believe it yet....
posted by B @ Friday, November 21, 2008
4 Comments:
At 6:30 AM,
Anonymous said…
That's so exciting! I hope things work out and you get a job you are very excited about. I'll call you sometime soon and we'll catch up. :-) -S
At 6:55 PM,
suetibu said…
Hi, I am a neuroscience PhD candidate too and was at the conference this weekend. Like you I am hoping to graduate next Dec. I am very surprised that you are already meeting with potential postdoc advisors.. Is this normal or are you being very proactive. I have been successfully scared to start looking myself..
At 10:15 AM,
Anonymous said…
Sounds like things are progressing nicely for you. Your posts sparked my interest because my sister survived a burst PCOM aneurysm on, of all days, 9/11 of 2007. A craniotomy was performed in which the PCOM and left MCA were successfully clipped. Unfortunately she did suffer from post-surgical vasospasms, but due to the exemplary care she received (HHH therapy), she pulled through! Apart from a slight degree of short-term memory loss, she has fully recovered. This experience has instilled a true admiration for individuals in your profession which requires enormous sacrifice and unwavering dedication.
My previous post to you was in regard to your data collection and analysis. I wanted to make a few suggestions that may make your life a little easier. If you are generating results in digital format, all it should take is a little manipulation to get them into an acceptable form for a specific program. I have pretty extensive knowledge of Excel and perhaps can give you some pointers for successful data import techniques.
"Back in the day" when I was pursuing my PhD in Mechanical Engineering (I'm ABD), I faced the challenges of working with huge arrays of data. Back then, Fortran was the only code suitable for such an undertaking. I only wish that the software today was available then!
Oh, one last thing. If you are working with data in hardcopy format, it is relatively easy to digitize it using an OCR program. I also have extensive knowledge of this software due to the fact that I am visually impaired and must sometimes transform media into digital format so I can read it.
Dateach
At 8:59 AM,
B said…
suetibu-
I heard mixed things. Some people said great, you can never look to early, other said oh I don't have stuff planned out that far yet. I figured it wouldn't hurt to try. This way I could meet people face to face and then if I email them later they might remember me.
It also depends on your program and advisor. I know some people's advisor just called up a friend and ta-da they had a job. Even if they don't call on your behalf they might have suggestions on who would be a good fit for you. Good luck! Once you start contacting the fear eases a little!
imdateach-
Thanks for the advice! I'm going to learn Matlab but didn't have time before the conference. That should help me immensely.
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