Why this book

I’d like to share my story of how I ended up working in bioinformatics in the hopes that it will be useful to those who are planning on starting a career in bioinformatics (or in some other area of work). I come from a low-income family and was the first in my family to have attended university. On top of this, I grew up in an isolated and exotic island, called Papua New Guinea, in a highly dysfunctional family. I learned most of life’s most important lessons the hard way and if I can prevent at least one person from making the same mistakes that I have, I’d consider this book a success.

One of my biggest problem in life is not seeking help when I need it because it’s not something I learned to do. This is one reason why I have mostly learned things the hard way. There is value in this but it’s a major impedance in terms of time because it not only stops you from achieving what you want but it also takes time to bounce back mentally. To the old adage of what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, which is attributed to Friedrich Nietzsche, you may become stronger but it can also leave you disheartened and jaded.

I also like to write because it gives me an opportunity to self-reflect. I think it’s important to evaluate your current situtation from time to time. Therefore, even if no one reads this apart from myself, it will have served one purpose. Now, I will probably read what I’ve written in the future and cringe. If I’m lucky enough to get someone else reading this, they may read this today and cringe. I think I’m fine with that because what I write reflects who I am right now. I may outgrow these opinions in the future and that’s part of learning and moving on. It’s like looking back at code you’ve written many years ago and being in disbelief at how bad it is. But this is an indication that you’ve improved!