I Asked Myself: What Do I Truly Want?

In a recent interview with Life Science Sweden, Tina Persson, shared her remarkable journey through various phases in her professional life. With a background as a docent in organic chemistry and experience as an RNA researcher at the Max Planck Institute, Tina has witnessed the evolution of her field.

Reflecting on her early days, Tina mentioned that when she returned from Germany, the concept of working with the interaction of small molecules with RNA was not widely understood. However, she acknowledged that today, it has become a given in the scientific community. In the 1990s, Tina, together with a research colleague, made significant contributions by developing aptamers, a new type of artificial RNA molecules. This breakthrough laid the foundation for the biotechnology company Aptahem.

I made my own choices, but still not. I don't regret the time I did research, but what I remember most are the people I met, says Tina Persson.

As a researcher, employee , consultant and manager, she has worked around the clock, been burnt out, recovered, been recruited, resigned and also been dismissed in a reorganisation. In short, Tina Persson has a long, crooked and motley road behind her.

I was good at maths and science at school, so everyone told me that was what I should focus on. Then it continued in the same vein, it just rolled on. Had I stopped and reflected a little earlier, perhaps already after high school, I would probably have chosen a different path, she says.

"I wish someone at the beginning of my working life had grabbed me and asked difficult questions"
~Tina Persson

She took her first steps away from academia when she trained as a fitness instructor.

Suddenly I met people under completely different conditions. I discovered a world outside academia.

After several years in various roles in business, Tina Persson stopped. It was time to invest in a dream she had long had – her own company. After all, she herself had made the journey from academia to business life, why not support others with the same thoughts? She has now been running Passage2pro for seven years, which works broadly with individual coaching, team coaching and leadership development.

I wish that someone at the beginning of my working life had grabbed me and asked difficult questions, such as what drives you, what are you really interested in? It's so easy to get tunnel vision. I think that applies to many. Maybe you have applied for, and got, a job without thinking, and then it just continues in the same vein, out of sheer habit. Dare to look up, dare to take certain steps and also dare to say no.

Read the full interview here.

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