Student-Professional Social

I did my PhD in a place where PhD students are considered employees - they do not pay tuition and are paid a salary for their research endeavors. Therefore, I thought I had already jumped the mental hurdle between considering myself a student and considering myself a professional. However, this week when I got invited to a Student-Professional Social as a professional rather than a student, I was flabbergasted. Although I couldn’t accept the invitation since I have to leave the conference early, I couldn’t help trying to picture myself sitting at the tables with the “big wigs” (professionals). I kept seeing myself standing in the corner, trying to muster the courage to introduce myself. I may have gotten my PhD, but that doesn’t mean I’ve gotten over shyness in conference situations. Every time I want to join a conversation, or ask a question, or introduce myself to someone, I have to talk myself into it. And here was an email asking me to sit at the tables with the professionals! Of course I do not consider myself a bigwig. I was invited because I had been invited to give a symposium talk (and this was on the recommendation of my PhD supervisors). But still, maybe its time to realize that I truly am a professional now, not just in terms of getting paid to do research, but also in terms of having some expertise that others might be interested in. But of course I’ll always be a student as well, we all are because as scientists we are always one the boundaries of our knowledge. We are always learning.