If you were given a choice between all expenses paid trip to Singapore for an academic conference  where you will give an oral presentation of your accepted paper or all-expenses paid trip to Zimbabwe for an intensive two week workshop/course to develop your skill in an area of interest, which one would you choose? My postdoc was faced with that choice recently and he chose the latter. Instead of presenting our paper titled “A global prevalence-based systematic investigation of human noroviruses in fresh produce contamination” at the International Union of Food Science and Technology World Food Congress in Singapore, he decided to attend GeneConvene and TReND course on genome editing (both, theoretical and practical aspects) in Zimbabwe because he was of the opinion that he would learn more in Zimbabwe. Prioritize learning above all other things and be proactive about developing your professional knowledge, skills and experience. Find and attend free courses or fully sponsored courses. When it is necessary to attend courses that are not free, be willing to pay for it yourself and don’t ever begrudge the money you spend on your education. Remember the more you learn, the more you earn. Be a lifelong learner! 

What training or course will you be attending in the next one to two months’ time and why?

Credit (Image): Tyson Foods