Ok, so people following along with the life part of this delicious blog breakfast… ok that sounded funnier in my head…

Anyway, people who read the ah… human interest part of this blog (i.e. my life) will remember that I graduated from my Ph.D. program on the last day of December 2009 with my Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences with a focus in Biochemistry.

As I did not immediately have a job, I moved in with my parents, temporarily, while job hunting. Romantic, I know. “Look ma, I’m a grownup! I got me a Ph.D.! I’m movin’ in!” ::laughs:: But there were limited options, and luckily my parents’ house has decent extra storage space and we all get along very well.

Anyway, fast forward 5 months of searching, with a LOT of wonderful wonderful people in a lot of fields (including the ever amazing Ravelry) helping me rewrite my resume in seven formats… ok, three, but each one was rewritten at least twice, and the final “Federal” form probably more than that. After this five months, I finally get a nibble. An invite to a hiring event, for a job that actually has to do with my field. I panicked, contacted a ton of friends about interviewing and clothes and generally freaking out. Luckily, as always, I have some great friends who helped a lot with advice. Again, the Ravelers helped me a lot with things like tie choices, also my good friend Art who I’ve sadly since lost touch with.

So, I took the train down to DC, stayed with my awesome friend, Liz. I went out for the interview, which involved much personal drama. I managed to leave my belt in MA when I repacked, so I had to buy an emergency belt (holy CRAP they’re expensive when not on sale) and found out within the first block my shoes didn’t actually fit anymore. Much fun. But, long story short, they loved me and offered me a position.

The one caveat being that, like many jobs these days, it requires things like background checks and such. Did you know FedEx line workers (the guys who pull packages off the conveyors) need a drug test? That’s not my new job, but I didn’t even know they required one. Everyone has to pee in a cup these days.

So, while all that’s going on, I’ll continue to be here doing what I’m doing. Time for that process is indeterminate, but could be six months. But eventually, assuming everything goes well I’ll be moving and starting a new job! I’m very very excited about it. I’ll be down in VA, a few hours outside of DC, thinking about science, processing science, analyzing science, but not fighting with the lab work like I’ve done for 12 years. Pretty much exactly what I was hoping for. And if I like the work and the location… there’s actually semi-affordable farmland around the area. Maybe I could have a dog… or… ::gasp:: a sheep or two.

We’ll see, that’s all far out. Right now I’m in a holding pattern, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve found a job in a market not suited to job finding, even with my specialized degree. So I’m very very happy, even if getting from here to there won’t be quite as fast or easy as one could wish… but then, really, when is it?

So, that’s the story of the job hunt. I have one, at some point.

That’s all for now, back to the dye pots! Polwarth, BFL/Silk, and… something else!

~The Gnome