After spending years and years trying to get into various research positions at a certain reputable University, I finally got an offer. It isn't a position cleaning labs or tending other people's experiments and equipment either, but for a pretty prestigious body of research which is regularly used and emulated by the international community, strongly shapes governmental policy, and has the potential to improve the quality of everyone's life.
I'm trying to maintain an emotional distance from how happy I am, so I can type coherent sentences and avoid rolling around all giddy-like... but fuck if it isn't hard. There are not enough D's in the world to add to my current :DDD
I'm really jealous of all you people. I'm average at just about everything I do, I don't have quite enough skill to be a decent writer and I could never do maths to save my life. I'm probably a minority in this forum and that kind of sucks, especially considering my rather privileged background. And a chemist shaping governmental policy sounds pretty amazing. Anyway, good job in getting in there, we all envy you. :3
This is the extent of my writing ability. When it comes to math, I couldn't Solve For X my way out of a paper bag. I've never been exceptional at anything, but I've tried my best to make a dabbler's versatility my strength instead of my weakness.
Perhaps it comes as a surprise, but the world is made up of average people like you and I, each with tremendous potential, most of which goes unused for various reasons. Generally speaking, skills are not innate, but are instead abilities learned through trial and error. Building them is a matter of trying to do them, not hesitating because you don't know how well it will turn out, and not stopping when you realize you're not at your destination yet. All you need to do is plot a course, and try the best you can with what you have.
Keep plugging, and if you haven't yet begun to plug away yet, start as soon as you can. Don't worry about whether "you're there yet", and instead appreciate where your feet are now, and focus on what your next few steps are going to entail.