• Question: Did you find it hard to progress in your field when you were starting out?

    Asked by Ash to Alex, Laura, Lesley, Richard, vediacan on 13 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Richard Prince

      Richard Prince answered on 13 Jun 2015:

      Hi Ash,
      When I started to learn a technique called patch clamping, I encountered all kinds of frustrations. It involves placing a tiny glass tube up against a cell and measuring electrical currents that pass through the cell membrane. As you can imagine, you have to have very steady hands! The first time I tried it, I got it to work. The second time….. nothing (broke the glass tube and killed the cell), and after that, no success for the next 6 months. So….. 6 months of coming into work, preparing for experiments for half the day and then spending the second half of the day banging my head against the wall. It’s a technique that requires a delicate touch, and watching out for very subtle changes in the shape of the cell as you bring the tube close to it under the microscope. I very nearly gave up but my boss, Steve, was really patient and spent a lot of time with me. Eventually I got it working and got really good at it. I think this shows that you have to have the right people around you when you are starting out in your career.
      Best wishes
      Richard

    • Photo: Laura Newton

      Laura Newton answered on 13 Jun 2015:

      Hey!

      It can definitely be hard. During my undergraduate degree we did quite a few practical experiments but usually we only got to practice each technique once. When I started working in a lab for a job, I realised how much there was that I didn’t know and most of what I had tried once, I couldn’t remember. The learning curve of working in a lab is very steep but luckily not too long. Most scientists are nice and helpful and willing to teach new people things which helps those just starting out!

      To find a PhD it can be quite hard and you almost always need a PhD to get a promotion. With the recession there is a lot less funding around for science which means there are less opportunities to do PhDs than there were but if you can show you are interested and don’t give up then you can find a position.

      Thanks for your question!
      Laura

    • Photo: Vedia Can

      Vedia Can answered on 15 Jun 2015:

      Hi Ash,

      I found it very difficult when I first started in the laboratory as an Undergraduate student because I had never worked in a research laboratory. I read so many journals, but what you read in papers is completely different when you are first starting out in a research laboratory (and my only experience was going to be during my 6 week research project module as part of my final year project). As I was a fast learner and keen to learn, I didn’t give up, even when I had hardly any supervision. The PhD students realised that I had potential, and didn’t give up on me either. Instead, they pushed me harder to become the best. Although, the key steps were never explained to me (why I would perform specific step), I read up online and found the answers independently. After, this 6 week experience, everything became a lot easier.

      Best Wishes,

      Vedia

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