#student update

Anyway I am back on my studying bs and willing to get hurt again 👍

I AM SO EXCITED TO HOPEFULLY GET A PLACE ON A TEACHER TRAINING COURSE

I'll be doing a PGCE in Primary in Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

         Finals are done. That means I’ve finished all the coursework for my Bachelor of Science degree with majors in Biochemistry and Cognitive Science. I’ve also an unofficial (not recorded) philosophy minor. Five years of hard work has led to this moment. Assuming I’ve passed the three courses I need to officially have the coursework for the two majors done, I’ve now the equivalent education to an undergraduate degree. 

         Where will I go now? I’ve applied to several jobs already, but no response. I knew the jobs in the biochemistry sector are competitive since there are hundreds of thousands of biochemistry degree holders out there and only hundreds of positions. Lack of industry experience also limits my options, it seems most employers want 1-5 years work experience minimum. I did have one interview for an internship position at a Calgary Biotech company that I almost got. I was rejected from McGill’s Biotechnology Master’s program, and still haven’t heard back from Ryerson University about the Philosophy Master’s program. 

         I finally feel sort of free. Not bound by any academic priorities. My mind feels like its been through a war and I definitely need some “me” time over the summer to relax and do what I want for a change. My plans? Well, I hope to maybe do some light travelling, writing, and purpose seeking. Going through 5 years of university has definitely changed my personality and perspective on life and taking time to reflect on this is important. Going into university my naive mind knew exactly what it wanted, and now it’s rather unsure. I know one thing for sure though, my mind needs rest from the slaughter of academic grinding it has ensued. It doesn’t help that (my) social anxiety increases the cognitive load on my mind, and there is a LOT of peer interaction in an academic setting.

         I hope to (and probably will) move to Montreal or Toronto, Canada. Montreal for it’s cheap cost of living, “Joie de vivre”, and the possibility of practicing my French, and Toronto because of its touted highly-rated cosmopolitan living. Then again, I’m probably getting ahead of myself and might end up in a laboratory position at in a large town somewhere (Burnaby, Charlottetown, etc...).

         As for this blog, it will still exist. I’ve made a more professional blog on the WordPress platform at scirephilosophia.wordpress.com. This new blog will contain only philosophy-related posts to bolster my philosophy social presence for professional purposes. I am going to focus on this new one over the summer months to bring it up to par. My posts from the WordPress blog are also set to post here, and I still hope to post other various nonsense to this Tumblr blog. To all my current followers, feel free to follow the new blog or just stay content with this one. 

      The final semester of my undergraduate degree begins tomorrow. It seems like a long road, but it’s coming to an end. 3.5 more months left in a five-year degree. Thinking about myself now as when I began my undergraduate career, I almost feel like a new person. Time, hardship, and experience changes your perspective and personality. Classes I’m currently registered for this semester are: Experiential Biochemistry Signal Transduction Psychology of Language Modern Philosophy: The Empiricist Period Introduction to Metaphysics  I’m foreseeing lots of paper writing (at least 6 or 7, 12-page formal papers, as well as many smaller papers) and some short research presentations.       My plans upon graduation? Plenty. I’m currently networking and seeking job prospects with potential employers. I’ve applied to post-secondary graduate programs. I might take a week-long trip across Canada for some experience. My plan B is to plant my butt in Toronto city and hope for the best. I’m sure I will do okay with a university degree and prior working experience.

I finished my Bachelor’s last May and packed up my bags to leave for Montreal City. So far, I’ve applied to a number of jobs in my field and no interviews as of yet. I’m still unemployed with no income besides the few pennies I get for doing online surveys.  

I’m currently taking some online courses on game development in hopes to upgrade some skills and to get hired at Ubisoft here in Montreal (Where I applied and was rejected, probably due to my lack of game development experience), as well as some biology courses to help with working in a life science field.  

Montreal is a fun place to live, and there are plenty of hip things to do ( although I’m not really into the hipster scene). It’s very lively and I think that the city is pretty well organized, especially in its environmental efforts and transit (although there is way too much construction). So far, the weather has been rainy with many thunderstorms, with some hot and humid days populated in between.  I applied to be a participant in clinical studies (can make up to 4000$ in one weekend) but was rejected by the company due to the nature of my allergen reactions. I’m such a lucky bloke. 

       The end of the term is here. Pushing everything off led me to having to complete 4 papers in 48 hours. I finished one formal lab paper on an experiment using DNA diagnosis of TCF7L2 gene polymorphism in T2DM. In the last 24 hours, I have been working on finishing a paper on the incompatibility of Descartes’ passions in his prior dualistic commitments, re-editing and preparing a cover letter for a previous report on the “correlation between psychopathic traits and physiological responses to lying”, for re-submission, and currently today starting from scratch on a scientific research paper about producing novel recombinant proteins in microorganisms through genetic engineering practice. Al these are due within 24 hours. I probably shouldn’t be procrastinating on here. 

      Next week I have three exams, then heading back to my hometown for three solitary weeks of relaxation. I look forward to seeing my cat friend I haven’t seen in four months.

       I have begun the dreaded networking procedures required in the real world to find a real career. My submission for Biotechnology graduate programs at McGill U have been completed and submitted, waiting on news from that venue.