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Marathon begins

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Today I accepted an offer from the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi, to become Scientist Gr. IV (3) ad-hoc. All that hard work for Gr IV (3) you say? Well, that’s just a taste of things to come, life à la Govt of India.
 
I feel like I have been running for the past many months and even as the finishing ribbon flutters to the ground, ahead of me stretches the next course. I just finished a 16-month long race so I could qualify for a 29-year long marathon. Congratulations to me!

As I digested this information I began thinking back. To grasp the momentousness of this, well moment, I have to give you some numbers. Here goes…

24 applications sent
10 visits
8 seminars
3 rejections
3 offers

Or look at it another way…

16 months (first application sent in October 2008)
32,000 American Airlines air miles (qualifying me for GOLD (!!) status)
6,300 air miles within India (10,000 km) 
57 scientists (one-on-one interviews)
8 cities
2 Young Investigator’s meetings

I think that is worth a celebration, if for nothing but surviving. We are after all masters or rather doctors of survival. So, tomorrow we, my labmates and I shall go and celebrate with wine, if not champagne!

Stay tuned for further developments. 

Comments

Unknown said…
Congratulations Chetana! The long wait was finally fruitful. I am your first follower - good luck with the blogging too!
February 26, 2010 at 8:56 PM
Unknown said…
Congratulations, Chetana! I am happy to hear from you and your great news! When are you moving back? I look forward to see more on your blog what's you are up for :)
February 26, 2010 at 9:54 PM
supersensitive said…
Dear God!! You mean we all have to go through so much to get a position, where we have to anyway go through so much, after having gone through so much ?? Hats off to you Chetana! You are an inspiration.
February 26, 2010 at 11:46 PM
Unknown said…
Congratulations, Chetana! That's great news.
February 27, 2010 at 3:15 AM
Unknown said…
Kudos! and Cheers! Congrats, Chetana! You land a job and to add to that accumulate air miles! Don't worry, all the trepidations and anxieties of making the about turn will fade away once you're back home.
February 27, 2010 at 9:34 AM
Unknown said…
Such a great news! Phew, keep feeling on top of this world, for a while at least, you deserve it :)
February 27, 2010 at 10:48 AM
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