What was I up to?

Yeah, I know. I did not post anything since Nov.1st. It has been more than 2 months since my last effort here.

What was I up to? The answer is right here: It was either I was busy or I was lazy.

Now, I would like to make up for it and share my pretty eventful last two months with everyone.

What can you do with a Ph.D. degree?

Spending 5 years of my 20s in the research lab earned me a Ph. D. degree. That 5 years were composed of long working days, working weekends, deprived stomach and empty pockets.
Almost 4 years after I earned my Ph.D., today I am thinking of alternative science careers. I am tired of bench work, had enough of failed experiments and got disappointed with the progress I made in the field of science and human health, and on a practical level, my expectation of pay back from the high education and hard work is not close to be fulfilled. Additionally, I would like to work with different and diverse people, not a silent bench and tubes every day.
My career exploration has started and so far, I have found many career choices out there for me to choose and do more research on. They are called alternative science career. I actually got really excited about those career paths after reading people's stories and what these careers are all about. Another common aspect of these careers is higher income in the hope.
What are particularly intriguing to me include Tech transfer, regulatory affairs, project manager, patent attorney and MSL.
I have started an internship at the OTT at our medical center. Time will tell me if I like this job.
As of other choices, more research and feedback from people in these fields will give me a better feeling.

Preparing for the China Trip!

A lot to prepare for!

Gifts for all the relatives. They take up most of the space in our suitcases. I spent so much time looking for things that people in China might like, of course, also a lot of money.

Medications for the potential some flu. Policies are formed in China now that people coming from the States, Canada and Japan are required to self quarantine for 7 days upon arrival in China. If there are symptoms upon arrival, then one is doomed! We will stay in China for 3 weeks, now we actually have 2 weeks to move around. So we really hope that all 3 of us are healthy and in one piece when we arrive in China.

Certainly, my parent and sister have a lot to prepare for our arrival as well.

I don't have much time right before our departure, so keep this note short. Oh, one more thing, people can not log onto blogspot.com in China any longer. The reason is this website is blocked! Unbelievable!!! For this reason, I won't be able to update my blog for 3 weeks.

In any case, I am very excited about this trip.

Thoughts on Life and Work

Ordinary people work in order to make a living, no matter how much you might hate what your job is. Sometimes, you just don't have other choices. I am one of them, certainly.

I am a scientist. My job is to do numerous experiments to test hypotheses. Everyday, I wish my experiments work, wish them work out as what I planned. However, chances for those wishes coming true are so slim. By the end of day, frustration and sense of failure hover around your head. How can I make my dream come true? How can I make a step forward towards my career goal? Self-doubt is ensuing. Should I make career adjustment? Tons of questions take over my head.

The worst situation is your life partner is in the same boat. I often keep the frustration and mental battle to myself. If I have any sort of financial backup, for example, my partner can support the family on his own, I would refuel myself in classrooms and change the way I am living my life now. This will bring about a better life to myself and my family, make a virtuous cycle. However, the very single variable can not initiate this cycle. So my life can only run as it is now.

Of course, many people think it is perfectly fine to live the life as it is, or even over joyed with the current situation, for instance, my partner. To me, it is dangerous to be content with current state for you will lose the motivation to make progress in the life.