Finding Your Path by Trying

You Don’t Find Your Path by Thinking — You Find It by Trying

Today I had the chance to speak at the Next Nobel Prize 2026 inspiration day at Umeå University. My talk was scheduled just before lunch — the perfect moment, it turned out, because the students were still alert, curious, and full of questions. It was a beautifully arranged event meant to give high‑school students a glimpse into real scientific research, and I felt genuinely grateful to be invited.

As I prepared my talk, I kept returning to one idea:
How do you explain to young people that you rarely know your path in advance — you discover it by trying?

I certainly didn’t have a predetermined plan when I started my own journey. My way into proteostasis and aging biology was anything but linear. It grew out of detours, unexpected opportunities, failed experiments, and a steady pull of curiosity. Looking back, every twist taught me something — sometimes about science, sometimes about myself.

This became the core message of my talk:
You have to taste things before you know what fits you.

Try a technique.
Join a project.
Talk to different people.
Say yes to something that feels new or uncertain.
Only then can you discover what sparks excitement — and what doesn’t.

Science is full of setbacks. Experiments fail, hypotheses break, and entire ideas sometimes dissolve. But then there are the magical moments — when you see something new for the very first time and understand what it means. That feeling doesn’t come from planning the perfect path. It comes from doing.

A small reminder from today

After the talks, six students visited our lab. Today, the tour was led by Sofia Morney — who joined us in the very first year as a forskaraspirant and has stayed with us ever since. She even created a small puzzle for the students, turning complex ideas into something playful and engaging.

Watching her guide the group with such clarity and creativity made me genuinely proud.

Why trying matters

We often tell neat stories about scientific careers — as if everyone knew their direction from day one. But reality is more interesting than that. Most of us discover our path through exploration, mistakes, curiosity, and openness.

You don’t find what you love by overthinking.
You find it by doing.

Trying is not uncertainty — it is part of the method.
A good one.
A necessary one.

If I managed to pass on even a fraction of that message today, then I’m glad.