It's not what you know, but who you know

Wow, I really didn't expect that one :)

Gather round young'uns, I'm going to tell you a little story. It begins on a typical workday for yours truly. I went to McGill to do some work for a client, a really nice lady in the Breast Cancer Functional Genomics department. She was out first big client, and we've had a vere good relationship since (we sent flowers when she had her first baby). As I'm working, I inform her that I'm looking for a new job and that I'd like to use her as a reference. She says that's not a problem, she'd be happy to, and we start talking about opportunities at McGill. I talk about the one for Genome Quebec, and she mentions something I didn't know.

McGill is investing a few million bucks to build a new biochemistry/life sciences building and one of my old profs from undergrad – who I also worked for for one summer – is spearheading that. He's also negotiating a deal with IBM life sciences and they'll need people on the McGill side of the deal. My ears perk up.

I finish up the last of the work in her lab and head off to see the guy at Genome. In a nutshell, genome just finished a funding period and they're waiting until the next wave of funds come in. When that happens, they're going to sit down and figure out what resources they need/want. Right now, they're not hiring. That's fine, as long as they keep me in the list of candidates :)

Before going back to the office, I decide – spur of the moment thing – to head to the McIntyre building (the biochem department) to go see my old boss, who is now the head of the McGill cancer department. He wasn't there, but I left him a CV in his mailbox and I'll call him tomorrow. Now my thesis supervisor for my masters, who incidentally is now the head for the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR-Cancer), works just two doors over. By a complete fluke, he's there (he's never there. The guy has airmiles coming out of the wazoo!). We talk a bit, catch up, and I talk about what brings me to McGill this fine summer day. He also talks about the new building, and says I should go talk to the head of the Biochem department, and just mention that I studied in his lab.

Finally, and this is where it gets really interesting, I go see the head of the department. He has one look at my CV and basically gets a huge hard-on :) He says that he's really interested in my qualifications and that he'd like me to meet some people about the projects that are starting up. Now I'm trying to keep a clear head, as this is just the beginning of the game and I'm a long way from first base, much less a home run. Still, I'm really interested and I'll be curious to see how things pan out :)

I can see myself dedicating a few years to a project of this scope, which is something I can't do about contracts to design websites for Industrie Canada or l'Ordre des Professionels du Quebec. The only thing that could sour this deal – besides them not wanting to hire me – would be salary. I'm not really willing to take a pay cut – I'm being paid below my worth as it is now – but this is academia… We'll see. One step at a time :)