Same person, different job and place

After never spending more than one month away from the UK, I recently upped sticks and swapped the rolling hills of Albion for the severe and beautiful mountains and lakes of Switzerland.

One of the main reasons I love academia is the opportunity to travel, meet new interesting people and talk great science. I have worked with so many amazing scientists who have moved from elsewhere to the UK, and so this was my opportunity to put myself in their shoes, and understand what it takes to live away from a place you’ve called home for decades.

So how is it going so far? Four months in and I’m loving it - working in a new lab with so many cool people with great ideas, and living in a new place with what feels like my own personal lake to cool off on hot summer days.

Adjusting to a new place wasn’t smooth sailing, and it takes time to learn all the tricks for sorting admin that the locals seem to have all the cheat codes for (someone should really write all these things down on a blog…).

So why did I do it? One, I always wanted to live abroad, and academia makes this a lot easier than other career paths. Two, as an academic, it’s encouraged to fly the nest and experience life in a different research environment. This broadens your own skillset and network, but also means you won’t end up competing with your previous supervisors and colleagues. Three, meeting new people and experiencing something new - variety is the spice of life after all.