If you remember in Part 3, I was struggling with my new advisor, after I had made the difficult decision to drop down from a PhD to a Masters. Matt’s new advisor was working so well for him – and I was still struggling! Maybe I wasn’t meant for graduate school at all.

I found a full-time position as a quality control scientist at a startup animal vaccine company in my town. I loved the job (with the exception of having to test the vaccines on mice…I stabbed myself about three different times with the needle trying to inject them throughout my time there). My boss was so kind, and I enjoyed working with my coworkers, for the most part.

Credit-wise, minus dissertation/thesis credits, I was only one class away from a PhD. My parents encouraged me to not give up – I was so close to getting a masters, just a couple of thesis credits to go.

My bioimaging professor was new to campus. He had come from Northern Virginia, and he seemed like a good family guy. He made it clear he wasn’t available weekends, because he was spending time with his kids. As the class was finishing, I figured it wouldn’t hurt if I asked him a question. I set up a meeting with him, and then asked if he would take a Plan B Masters student. I briefly explained my situation, I just needed a few credits to graduate with a Masters degree, and I could only stay for two more semesters. He told me that he didn’t have funding, being new. I told him that wouldn’t be a problem – I had secured a full time job that I’d already been working at a few months. He gave me a tour of his lab, gave me some reading work on things he was working on and a paper he thought I could do, and said he’d ask his boss, as he didn’t want to ruffle anyone’s feathers. I met with a few other professors, but no one was willing to take me for such a short time…but I also wasn’t willing to stay any longer. I was done with graduate school – it was not as much fun as I thought it would be.

I met with the department head. I told him briefly what was happening in my current lab, and he emailed my advisor about it. Needless to say, things were pretty irreconcilable between us after that.

My bioimaging professor emailed me and said he would have me out in two semesters, by December 2023, if I wanted that. I told him I wholeheartedly accepted his offer. After the department head messaged me asking if I really wanted him to sign off on this (which I did), I was in a new lab, in a new building, in an essentially different department. He did have me try some hands-on research, but then we both agreed that a paper would suit my timeline better. So I researched the cancer genes Jun and Fos, and worked on a research paper. He kept sending edited/commented drafts back to me, and I would work on it during my downtime at work and in the evenings.

I was doing so much research, writing and rewriting and trying to understand my topic. And then September came, when you have to apply to graduate. I still didn’t have a great draft for a Masters thesis, but I asked him if he thought I could graduate. I told him I had an enticing job offer, though it required a masters. He told me to go ahead – he had said he’d get me graduated by December, and he would do that, as long as I kept working on the paper.

By the time December came around, I had a fairly decent thesis written, and he had signed off for my graduation. If we’re being honest, the paper I wrote in that last semester was not graduation-worthy. But he was true to his word, my timeline, and I think he saw that I was burnt-out, struggled with finding good labs, and just wanted out. He wanted to make sure that I was at least rewarded for my efforts. I think that if I had started my graduate school career with him, my outlook on grad school would be very different.

My graduation could not have come at a better time. I had applied for, interviewed (my most grown-up interview, lunch provided and all), and been offered a state position, working for a university as the science lab manager. It required a Master’s and they were willing to let me start work in November, a few days before it was all finalized, as they desperately needed the help.

I was very sad when I left my job as a QC scientist. I’d really enjoyed working there, and I was technically going to be paid less, and I would now have an hour commute to work each way (as opposed to 5 minutes), but the other benefits that came with a 9-month position outweighed what I currently had. They were sad to see me go, but told me they would always have a position for me if I ever needed it.

And my last advisor, although I sometimes feel that I didn’t deserve to graduate with the work I put in for him, still kept his word, saw something in me that earned the degree, and helped me obtain my Masters in two semesters, just as he’d agreed to during our first meeting. He didn’t push it off, berate me, or say he couldn’t be my advisor. He’d seen me struggle, and he wanted to have me succeed.

I called my parents when he told me to go ahead and still apply for graduation. I was finally a few months from obtaining my Masters…I had a wonderful job lined up, and things finally seemed to be getting back on track. They were so proud of me and happy for me. Was this round-about way that I took all God’s plan? And why?

If you missed the previous parts to this saga, you can find Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 here!

Feel free to drop any questions/comments you may have below, or contact me here – I love hearing from you!

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