I have a background in physics, where I wanted to take on the big questions of life, the Universe and everything. Curiosity drove me to pursue a degree in astrophysics, where I discovered the world in the terms of numbers, atoms and waves. I loved to break down reality into smaller and smaller parts, and uncover the very foundation that makes our world the way it is. I was equally fascinated with the large structures. Stars for example are the most simple objects that can exist, they are spherical collections of the simplest of all elements, hydrogen. But still their birth, death and impact on it’s surroundings is exactly what gives rise to the unbelievably vast and complex cosmos that we can today get a glimpse of through radio astronomy, the topic in which I wrote my Bachelor’s thesis.
However I felt somewhere that the academy was not my right element. I craved something else, and while I figured out the next step I worked for the student union for a few years while doing some advanced level course in different technology areas. I realized that I needed people in my life and that long days in a small research group was not for me. So I tried a different route.
I have been working within the service industry during my years at the University to make ends meet, and now I wanted to try something new. I had a new found love of long distance running, so I took a job at a gym while starting up my own business as a running coach. You can see a lot of traces of this in my social media, if you scroll back. I loved it, but after a while this too got old. I felt that the development and mental challenges was lacking. I was bored, and there was no way for my to move any further in this career.
This led me go once again throw myself into the field of science, but this time I embraced the technology part. And finally things started to come together. From my very first day I was in ecstasy. This was the exact combination of pick-apart science, problem solving and people skills that I had been craving for so long. I was in my right element at the office, where the fast pace work abrupted with frequent coffee breaks made the days go by lightning fast. I was also around people like me for the first time. With one foot in the nerdy part and one foot in the social part. I was ready to deliver.
Since then I have tried a few different roles within the field of automotive technology. I have worked with rollouts, testing, data analysis, logistics and project management. I have sat in cars trying to get the software to download, and I have written up long term test plans for large international projects. I now have full focus on developing my career as a project leader, where all my strenghts – my analytical skills, my organization skills and my ability to communicate through written and spoken words – come together to form a professional self that I can be proud of.
No ones road is straight, and certainly not mine. I have had my ups and downs, but every decision I have made this far has taken me to the place where I am today, and that is all that counts. I do not want to limit myself by setting it at the sky, but I WILL aim for the stars.