On the road to get a PhD Part 3

When I entered the master's program, I was in the same laboratory with my advisor. He told me I could research on any subject I wanted, so I started doing exactly just that. Our laboratory did not have any analytical equipment, so we borrowed equipment from other laboratories. At that time, the connections I made within my circle helped me. It was a research project that have never done before in Japan or abroad, but strangely enough, it went well. During the presentation at the end of my first year in the master's degree, I got the second-highest grade overall and was paid for it. My advisor asked me if I would like to submit a paper for DC1 at JSPS. I didn't have a lot of knowledge about that, but I decided to write it anyway. I dyed my hair black and started job hunting. The ban on company seminars was lifted in March. It was a seller's market, and I received job offers from about five companies. I remember that I was able to talk with important people and travel to various places, thanks to the job hunting. Many companies, mainly large corporations, required a letter of recommendation from my advisor, and I skipped those companies because I wasn't sure if I wanted to proceed with higher education or not. In the end, I accepted a job offer from a medium-sized chemical manufacturer that did not require a letter of recommendation, and I finished my job search. Around fall season, I received my DC1 results. The result was that I was not accepted. My advisor was sick in the hospital around that time, and I felt that the entire laboratory was at a standstill. I felt that the organization was not strong enough to be operated by one person, so I told him that I would try to find a job instead of continuing on to higher education. I had been preparing to submit several papers by then, but due to my advisor's health problems, I have not been able to do so for nearly a year. Perhaps it was partly because of this debt, but my advisor apologized for being sick, that he didn't have much to offer me. He should have just thought about his condition, but I reaffirmed that he has a good personality. Then I went straight to my master's thesis presentation. I won the best presentation award and got a full scholarship from the Japan Student Services Organization. I think it was the best way to end the day. During the last drinking party at the laboratory, my advisor told me, "You can also become a working doctor now.” As a young man, I, of course, took him at his word. To be continued.