To TTC or not to TTC, that is one of the many questions...

Ok

Bench science is where you are actually 'at the bench', actively conducting experiments to generate data. It is why we all go into science, until repetitive strain injury or promotion take us away from it.

Im at that end-of-first-postdoc dilemma. Should I stay and join the bun fight for funding, or bow out gracefully (or bitterly) and get on with Career Part II.

Are you thinking of other options, Suerock?

HP keep it up!

Sorry to ask, and I can probably guess, but what exactly is bench science?

Oops, job and hotpant crossed post alert!

HP - I am completely with you there. I don't want to give up bench science either, but I don't know what future there is in it for me, and as I've said before, babies complicate things...

But good luck! And if (when!) you get an interview, remember it's a two-way conversation. It's as much you finding out whether you want to work there as them finding out if they want you.

My arm is still aloft in the salute. I may bring it down, DH is looking at me oddly.

So, you do own some sparkly silver hotpants then? Wow.

When I got fed up of people asking me what I was going to wear for my wedding I told them I was planning on silver lamé hotpants. Maybe I should dig them out and join in the sparkly knicker parade

Well, thats the thing - its not actually a science job. It is moving away from the bench and academic research and into science administration. So I have had to rework my CV, which is full of technical stuff. Its 50/50 whether I will get an interview, and even less likely I will get the job, and TBH Im not even sure I want it. Reasons for applying are:

1. Permanent contract.
2. Away from direct academic nonsense.
3. Great location to work close to home.
4. Good salary with progression.

Reason not to apply: I love being a bench scientist.

Nearly done then, I presume? Keep it short and snappy, that's my tip (as, obviously, I have applied for loads of scientist jobs in my time...)

Not too bad. Finished the CV, just rounding off the cover letter.

humph

anyway, how's your application coming along?

Get them on, young lady.

I am not sure if I want to wear sparklepants in my current condition (ie chubby)

Hey, dont take my surname in vain! Tis a serious matter.

Does it have the tune from Viva Forever?
Do we ALL get to wear SparklePants?
I ain't signing up for it till I gets the Sparkle Pants guarantee!

Wohoo!

Ditherers Forever!

PS. Am here again, working.

Suerock, if you are still around... From re-reading your initial posts, you and I do sound rather similar in our quandries about babies or not. My friends too would have me down as one of the last people they'd expect and I too am often indifferent but then get an overwhelming urge to (just not right here and now - there are too many things not right to get cracking now, as it were.)

I would like to now end this post with a few lines about how those posts were aaaaaages ago and, big smiles, look how sorted we all are now but unfortunately I can't... Ditherers forever!

Just had a look at our old thread and saw your (well, all our) first posts. Seems your reasons are similar to mine - ie sometimes really want to and other times really don't and, if there is any time left over we're indifferent.

You are, I think, the same age as me (35?) and the idea of a 17 year old is indeed scary. Make that SCARY.

But yeah, having one at 17 would have been a disaster in so many ways for me too. Though if I had, s/he would be the same age I am now! Scary thought.

No special reason I can't AFAIK - apart from advancing old age

What a quandry. Is there any reason you are likely to find you can't have one after all or is that immaterial at the moment too? (Sorry if you have said before, I get a bit muddled up if there's a gap between posts!)

Having one at 17, in my opinion, would be a disaster. Although, perhaps, my liver would be in better nick than it is now. Hmm...

Maybe I should get TCOYF after all! I don't think I have the discipline to monitor temps (for which read, Suerock doesn't have the discipline to get up at the same time each day...) and I didn't have much joy with ovulation sticks, but maybe I should be more assiduous about checking, err, other stuff? Though honestly sex is the last thing I feel like just now, so knowing when I'm ovulating is fairly academic.

Bit complicated to explain how having a baby would affect decisions, but basically if I go into certain jobs I may ruin my prospects by being/getting pregnant and then disappearing on maternity leave soon after arriving. There are other routes I could go down where it wouldn't be such a disaster - but they aren't necessarily the thing I want to do most. I wouldn't mind the compromise if I was definitely going to be a parent, but I don't want to bugger up my career then find I can't have a baby after all

Sometimes I wish I'd ignored the dire warnings of my teachers and had a baby at 17

Right. Im wrecked, so Im shutting the lap-top down. CV almost done. Thanks for keeping me company! Night, all.

How can anyone be grown up about juices??