First Experiment as a Post-Doc

On my sixth day of work I was tired of sitting down at my desk so I started asking around is there something I can do for you? One of my lab mates came to my rescue and said here I need a bunch of mutations made and I don't have time to work on this so if you want you can do these. I was super pumped I like making mutations, or cloning, in fact I think I more than like it I might even love it. So I had this idea that I was going to step in and everyone would be in awe of my mad skills. So I decide that I should start with 9 mutations, that is right NINE not one or two like a normal person NINE. The problem with doing 9 first is that if there is a failure it is going to be massive not a small failure.

Now if you are reading this I bet you are cringing just a little since you probably know that this experiment is going to be a big fat fail. And you my little readers would be correct I had a massive fail in my first experiment. It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life to date, that is probably an overstatement but it is pretty stinking close to the truth. I was ready to be a bad-ass and instead I was just a regular scientist who has failures and then moves on with her life. It was stupid but I looked at it and realized that this was just the first step since I am going to try and master one of the hardest techniques during my post-doc. I am going to fail a lot and not just a lot they are going to be massive and epic. I am going to need to drink after work often and I am going to love it.

But I am trying to have a great attitude at my job because you know what I really like my job. I think this is a great job for me, I am going to be challenged and I am going to have massive hurdles to overcome but I am going to make it one step at a time. Oh well, I restarted the experiment on my 10th day of work and it worked. Turns out I did not use the right enzyme, who would have thought that the two red capped vials did not go together. Apparently I did, but I got 8 out of 9 and that is just fantastic. I am looking forward to more success over the next several months. I am such a nerd, but I really like science.