The Path to Our Dream Career is Paved Only by Our Own Curiosity

“To me, a university is associated with coziness and freedom. Here, the teachers talk and discuss with you like an adult. I didn’t realize that while studying, but the university’s liberal nature strongly influenced my personal development”, says Augustina Mišeikaitė, Vytautas Magnus University’s (VMU) graduate and Product Manager at Nova Natura.

From the dream to study medicine to teaching Lithuanian language in the Argentinian-Lithuanian community – in just a few years, as she sought her calling, Augustina managed to try out multiple activities. Curiosity is what drives her to pursue her goals, the VMU alum confesses, urging young people who are still seeking their own path to be open to the world and maintain a broad perspective when considering the study field of their choice.  

Student status means greater responsibility for one’s actions

Augustina was certain that she’d study natural sciences even before graduating from high school. Even though she spent a long time dreaming about medical studies, fate brought her to biotechnology studies at VMU Faculty of Natural Sciences. While her first dream did not come true, the chosen promising field of biotechnology helped her realize that she ended up exactly in the right place. In addition to that, the university’s community and the study model based on liberal arts (artes liberales) only encouraged her even more to pursue her goals.

“After enrolling, there was a lot of uncertainty. We were only the second class of students in our program. However, I was fascinated that we attended lectures together with students of biology, biochemistry, or physics. I must confess that, during my first year, it wasn’t easy to study the general subjects, such as maths or physics, because I’m not very strong in those fields. But I knew that I’d need these subjects while studying natural sciences”, the graduate remembers the beginning of her studies.

She also says that one of the greatest challenges at first was time management. In Augustina’s words, acquiring the status of a student also means assuming greater responsibility.

“You have to learn to organize your schedule and your time. You become an adult and must learn to look after yourself. Since this was completely new to me, I wanted to run everywhere and participate. As a first-year student, I became quite actively involved in the Student Representative Council. Taking part in activities like that is very beneficial, because it not only improves adaptation in a new environment, expands your horizons and contacts, but also you become more adventurous, you start to feel like you’re a part of the community and your connection to the university becomes entirely different.”

“However, when I received the not too gratifying results of the first assessments, I realized that it’s not the way it was at school – an hour or two is not enough to prepare for a midterm or an exam. The amount of material and information at the university is completely different”, Augustina shares the life lessons she had learned.

After coming to a realization that studying must come first, she eventually managed to successfully balance the time for learning and the social activities. “Sometimes, I’d leave home at 7 a.m. and return at 11 p.m. But I really enjoyed that lifestyle. I felt like I was really living and making use of all opportunities available at the time. I try to experience, discover, and see as much as possible in life”, the graduate says.  

Trip to South America helped in self-discovery

After earning her BA in Biotechnology, Augustina later completed Master’s studies in the same field, which focused a lot on research internships. She confesses that writing the MA final thesis was a time of existential crisis: what to do next? The answer to the graduate’s question came in the form of an announcement seen online about an internship competition for students and graduates, which invited them to teach Lithuanian language in Lithuanian communities around the world.

“I decided to apply, as I have always been good at Lithuanian language and grammar, I attended folk dance lessons at school for a long time, and I was also familiar with various crafts and different fields of fine arts. Moreover, visiting South America was one of my dreams, so I didn’t hesitate to choose the Argentinian-Lithuanian community in Buenos Aires for my internship”, she notes, explaining her decision to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Although Augustina’s plans were slightly disrupted by the start of the global coronavirus pandemic, which forced her to move the Lithuanian language lessons online, she assures that the strong motivation of the learners more than made up for it. 

“Some of my pupils are already second or later generation Lithuanians or simply Argentinians who are learning the language for the sake of their friends and relatives or out of the desire to contribute to the nurturing of Lithuanian identity. They put in a lot of effort, did the homework, excitedly shared their impressions from trips to Lithuania, and showed off their Lithuania-themed items, others had Lithuanian tattoos. Being there inspired even more Lithuanian spirit in me as well”, Augustina says. According to her, although this practice differed completely from her study field, it was precisely the time spent in Argentina that gave her the motivation to continue linking her professional goals with natural sciences. 

Fascinated by work dynamics

Nevertheless, after several years spent conducting Parkinson’s disease research in a laboratory, Augustina felt the urge to look for a new career direction.

“Although the work was interesting, I realized that working in a laboratory I really missed dynamism, socialization, interaction, and being among people. Guided by this search, I ended up at the company UAB Nova Natura, which supplies laboratory tools and equipment. I am a project manager who is responsible for smooth cooperation with clients in Lithuania and partners from various countries around the world. I’m glad that my job is diverse: from visiting clients to participating in conferences or trainings abroad. Maintaining relationships with people from different companies makes the specifics of laboratory work even more interesting. For example, in one meeting, you might be talking about mammalian cells, and in another – about plants or bacteria,” Augustina shares, not hiding her joy at being able to expand her own knowledge by interacting with professionals in their fields.

She asserts that being in a dynamic environment not only opens up opportunities to meet people of different characters and professions but often forces one to step out of their comfort zone.

“In such an environment, you’re constantly learning. When new tools or equipment emerge, you have to understand how they work and what they are for, so that you can offer your client exactly what they need. When I worked in a lab, I used to write to suppliers myself and ask whether they had the tools I needed. Now I’m on the other side – people contact me and ask if I can offer them the necessary tools. It’s nice when some of my current clients turn out to be former professors,” says Augustina.

Make time to consider your own desires 

According to the project manager, what motivates her in her daily work is not only the dynamic environment but also her own curiosity, which allows her to keep moving forward.

“I personally enjoy discovering new things and communicating. In my work, I feel a great sense of emotional satisfaction when I know that I am being helpful and can assist others. When clients thank you for your efforts and leave positive feedback, that means you’re definitely doing something good,” Augustina believes.

One of the key aspects that helped her find a beloved occupation, she reveals, is realizing how crucial it is to take time to reflect on what you truly want to do in life.

“When you're in school, you’re quite naive, thinking that everything in life will go just the way you imagine. But things can take a completely different turn. I am a perfect example of that. So, my advice to those who don’t know what they want to study and feel lost is to dedicate time to searching for yourself and to look at your chosen field of study from a broader perspective.”

“Now, as a graduate, I see what wide-ranging opportunities my completed studies have truly given me. I can do scientific work in a laboratory, but at the same time, the knowledge I’ve gained allows me to engage in project activities and communication with clients. My previous experience serves me well in my current role. So the education I received and the scientific foundation from my studies really do open up new paths,” says Augustina.