As a fresh-faced 21 yr old, I did a one-year placement at a pharmaceutical company as a synthetic chemist – a position that involves a lot of what is remarkably like cooking but with ‘reagents’ (fancy word for chemicals) instead of ingredients, making potential drugs instead of cakes. I loved the placement, I loved the work and I loved the people so I set about on the pathway to getting back in to the industry. It’s eight years on, I have the qualifications to do the role, I’m applying for jobs and I’m starting to wonder ‘Is this what I want to do? and 'Can I use all the skills I've learnt elsewhere?’

This blog is going to cover my research into what scientists like me are qualified to do that’s not in the laboratory. I’ll do my best to reference websites and people that actually do these jobs and hopefully I can help some people out by sharing what I’m learning. It’ll probably be interspersed with anecdotes and rants from the lab so you can see why I'm leaving this ‘unique’ environment! If you read this, think it’s useful/funny/worth reading, pass on the link – I’d love to know if I’m any good at this writing lark.

Wednesday 6 November 2013

In at the deep-end...

As part of my ongoing investigation into 'life-beyond-the-lab', I'm attending SpotOn London 2013 this week. Hell, I'm going to be a panellist. This is scary for several reasons:

                           1. I've been blogging for a grand total of 2 months
                           2. I've no idea if I know enough to even be going to this conference
                           and 
                           3. Who the hell cares what I think?

Some back story I think...

After deciding to look into the area of science communication, journalism, outreach, whatever you want to call it, I came upon recurrent tweets on some fancy-pants science communication conference. Then I looked closer at the people tweeting about said 'fancy-pants' conference and noticed genuine excitement
and enthusiasm
about the upcoming event. Then I noticed that the event is sold out every year and the tickets go out in batches (nod to Glastonbury there - I'm imagining shady characters in sports-coats selling and buying extra tickets in the Bloomsbury area) to ensure people get a chance to go. 

This was not your average 3 key-note speakers, old-boys-club-during-the-tea-break followed by one- awkward-glass-of-wine-before-I-leave conference - people seemed to actually want to go!

I ummed and aahed about buying my ticket during the first two ticket sales slots - at £100 I wasn't sure I should risk buying my ticket before asking my boss and I wasn't sure if he'd allow me to go during work hours (I'm currently trying to save my days off for potential interviews so was in a bit of a pickle). 

With each sales slot, the tension mounted due to the clever use of Twitter by the organisers to let us know that the tickets were dripping away...
then, I grew a pair (metaphorically, of course). I decided that I should buy a ticket, in fact, I needed to buy a ticket - who knows what I might learn! 

On my way to work the next day I was deciding on the best way to convince my boss that I should go to this, scanning the morning Twitter-feed, I stumbled upon a tweet that suggested that maybe I could get a ticket to this thing for free (and hopefully then know someone there!). 

Ticket cancelled with <6 minutes to go!

So, a hasty read of a blogpost,  an (hopefully not too desperate) email and a cancelled ticket reservation (I wasn't too hopeful I'd get a reply, so I hedged my bets) later I was rewarded with not just a place but a chance to help organise a session!

The generosity and helpfulness of this crowd really knows no bounds!


Now, here I am, looking forward to a new challenge, meeting new people and seeing just what people think about blogs and more 'casual' online communication between scientists. I think this is what we need to get past - the fact that because blogging, tweeting and the like are not peer-reviewed or mostly even regulated in any way, that they can't be 'valuable' or for 'proper' science.

We've had one Skype meeting, across three countries and come up with two GoogleDocs. I've realised that almost all people feel variations on my opening three points, about most things, particularly on blogging, science and speaking at conferences, so I'm going to throw myself into this! We're going to create a Storify of the event and I'm sure there'll be follow up blogposts.

I'm also attending the Science ShowOff 'cabaret' of science on the Friday night, although that may involve more gin and less learning.  Or more gin and more learning. Definitely more gin.

I'll probably have more questions than answers, but now I've realised that it's in the British Library and not the British Museum, I know I won't be all alone, next to the big lion statue thinking it's just me that has lots of questions about the value of science going all 'business-casual' online.

Wish me luck?
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