Money, money, money

As my reader(s) will no doubt already be aware, next Monday I will be beginning my first real job, as a laser engineer for a company based in Stockholm. From the impression I got at the interview, the job could hardly be closer to what I was looking for (with the exception of it being in Sweden). I feel like a marine on the eve of his first deployment, finally being sent off to do what he's trained long and hard for.

The next few months will be very interesting. I've really enjoyed doing laser development for the past 4 years, but what it will be like as a job is a whole different question. I suspect in some respects it will be easier (I will be working with relatively established technology) and in others, harder (the lasers will have to perform for years, not just minutes!) This is also my first job, which means losing the freedom of academia, but gaining evenings and holidays! I know I will miss being in a university, but honestly I'm kinda looking forward to having a real job.

So here I am, sitting in the lounge of a hostel in Stockholm, waiting to go and look at an apartment. I've got my Swedish mobile number, my Stockholm Oyster card, and I know how to say "I don't speak Swedish" in Swedish, but nothing seems real yet. It feels like I'm on holiday, but I know I'm not. I suspect that will change once I have somewhere to live and I start working, and it'll hit me all of a sudden! This is also the first time that anything genuinely worth blogging about has happened to me, so do stay tuned to learn all about my Swedish adventure!