Hey, Progress!

Today I got an email from an industry representative at an R&D company in my home town. I applied, or rather requested an unsolicited interview (there was no job position open), to this company for a job in 2005, in a desperate but inspired attempt to claw my way out of the soul-smothering black hole that was my first job after graduation.

Although there was no actual job offer, I was full of hope because I was finally doing something about my situation. The man in question listened to me for 40 minutes and then said kindly that I seemed engaged and proactive, but they were working primarily with production matters rather than ergonomic product design, so maybe I had some filling-in of experience gaps to do before I would be suitable to join their team. But if a position opened up, I would always be welcome to contend for it.

Our contact since then has been sporadic, and I more or less put our meeting out of my mind. I'm pretty sure that our conversation was not at the top of my mind when I finally applied to the PhD position that has now landed me in Canada, several rich experiences later.

Today, he wrote to congratulate me on the progress I've been making in my studies and career, and to ask me how to get a copy of my Licentiate thesis.

It's so nice to find out that sometimes, people have been tracking your progress at a distance and can actually see that you've taken quite a few steps since the beginning. :) Getting reminded of this may be one of the nicest gifts of perspective one can receive.

Thanks Paul.