Random Thoughts: Story of a meager aspiring scientist

Story of a meager aspiring scientist

I think PhD comics actually quite clearly illustrate the life of a doctoral student, in fact much better than any blog ever would. But then, why shouldn't one write about it? My boss often says that chemistry is business of failures. It's unbelievably tough to synthesize compounds, god knows how and why nature has to make so many of them! 

It took me one full year to make my 'parent molecule'. That should have actually taught me my lesson. You should never ever get excited about a molecule!!! But somehow, one never ever learns! I really get super excited about something and try telling myself I can make it in a week. Why would my next molecule take only one week when the first one took me one full year! Seriously, I just thought I would get lucky. So, the first week passed and so did the second.

Your boss always gives you several projects, by the way to keep you busy. So in the mean time, I am also working on this other project that also managed to fail miserably. And then today, on Thursday, while I am lamenting over how this whole week has been an utter disappointment and wondering to myself that I really have nothing to present at the group meeting... I realize that I might have just made that second molecule!!! Unfortunately, I am just not sure. I would have to wait until the next day to do a few more tests before I would be sure. It really isn't an easy wait. But, I do feel something... I think it feels like satisfaction, happiness.

Then it suddenly hits me. Out here, so far away, there really is no one to share it with. There really is nobody who is going to be really really happy just because you are happy. Sounds like seeking an approval, doesn't it? Tell someone you are overjoyed that one of your TLC plates show some product or that the column seemed to be productive, people would look at you, shake their heads and in their mind think that you are such a geek!!! Somehow, that's all my life seems to boil down to. Chemistry!!! And do I love it!!!