Enslaved by brains: a ragecomic representation

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Cerebral_lobes.png

I previously mentioned that I started work in a research lab after graduation. People have asked me, both on the blog and email, what I actually do at work... truthfully, I wasn't completely sure of what I was doing until recently. Simply put (without being specific and compromising anonymity due to some recently published work)- I look at brains. I look at a lot of brains. Different kinds of brains. My work consists of:

1. Look at brains.
2. Make cool & pretty pictures.
3. Draw dots and lines.
4. Look at more brains.
5. Repeat 1-4

To illustrate, here is what a work day looks like for me (for those who's familiar with this line of work, of course I don't work with all imaging modalities- just a few from below):

Figure 1. Enslaved by brains.

I look at brains at work, commute home, then look at more brains... up to a maximum of 13 hours a day. Craploads of brains. Clearly, I like brains. This has been going on for ~1.5 years now.

Something important to note is that I initially started this job mostly as a back-up plan... but as time passed, I started to really enjoy working in research. So much that I applied for PhD programs, not as a back-up (especially considering I'm terrible at interviews by consensus, and truly not hopeful for anything in May) but as an alternative path for me to choose. Throughout undergrad, I barely considered research at all since it didn't seem interesting- so I ruled it out altogether.... but I happened to find the perfect supervisor & lab & field, all at the same time and things fell in place. At this time, I can say that I'm a little more passionate about research than medicine, and will be continuing research regardless of what happens in the near future. Funny how things change.

Lessons learned: 
-Science is hard, but cool. Brains even more so.
-Don't rule out possible opportunities and paths in life. Med school really isn't everything.
-From my biased, entirely personal point of view (entirely due to the fact that I've been having a hard time with interviews): if you're bad at med school interviews, you might enjoy research more than medicine. More on that later.

Matt

How I got my first research position: a ragecomic illustration

I've been fairly inactive lately, but I made some comics to explain why I've been so quiet/useless for a while.

So this past summer was quite a frustrating time for me, what with getting rejected from med schools and finding myself without a backup plan. The only plan I had was to get a position in research since I had really bad luck with research in the past--this was an area in my application that was definitely lacking since I had absolutely no research experience whatsoever.

As a result, I found myself applying to (literally) a hundred different research positions in a month.

Figure 1. Before it all began.

Figure 2. Why applications for anything anywhere generally suck all the time.

Of course, I didn't get a single callback. Not only did I have no experience in research, I also didn't have any legitimate employment experience either (just a couple of "self-employed" positions that really holds no value). 

In the second month, I applied as a volunteer research assistant to dozens of labs. I received one reply, had an interview, and was accepted into a lab. Even though what I did was very basic, I worked ridiculously hard considering I was a volunteer. I was extremely grateful for the opportunity since this position gave me what was needed to get my first research position, as well as my first legit paid job.

After two months of volunteering, an opening for a paid research position opened up in the same hospital I was volunteering at. I applied, and somehow got an interview.

This is how the interview went (slightly dramatized):

Figure 3. Getting a job with sheer will and eagerness.

...and that's what I've been doing for a few weeks now, living up to my promise of insane work ethics. I'm having a lot of fun so far but still working like a lunatic, hoping for a publication. Although,

Figure 4. At the end of the day.

...but this really is the best opportunity I've ever had and I've learnt some ridiculous amounts of stuff since I started. Persistence really does pay off.

On another note, I will be posting some stuff that are actually useful in the near future. Stay tuned.


Matt