This long rambling originated from a coaching session of the ‘Kintsugi’ method that I attended back in 2020. I did not really care about the branding and identity of the method, but it is true that more often than not I get something of net value out of these activities.

One of the things I acknowledge every time I look back at my trajectory is, I really grew and developed not only by doing a PhD, but by seeking the opportunity to do a PhD. I managed to move quite outside of my environment to do the PhD. I found a really great lab and I had a very good time there. I managed to learn a bunch of things career-wise but it is true that things would have been very different if I had gone there some years later when the financial situation of the lab was very different. One thing that has not changed since then, however, is the imposter syndrome.