Several of my colleagues are facing personal and professional transitions. They are starting their own labs, switching to jobs in industry or becoming first-time parents. As I watch them adapt to their new roles, I am reminded that I too will soon face change, as I'm two years into my postdoctoral fellowship. What next? Do I apply for a university lectureship or look for another postdoc? Do I leave the bench altogether and pursue an alternative career? What about my husband, who's also a postdoc, and his aspirations? And what about a family?

Having moved to a new country, a new field and even a new model organism, I feel I should be accustomed to change. After all, change is constant in science, where progress is made with imaginative ideas and innovative technology, not old assumptions and outdated techniques. Yet the prospect of another transition still elicits some anxiety.

Change challenges us to leave our comfort zones and to evolve. But transitions, while initially daunting, can be very rewarding. I have learned additional skills, used novel technologies, met interesting people, and gained new insights about my work and myself. I think it's especially true in the case of scientists that an ability not only to adapt to change but also to anticipate it will help the ambitious individual soar above even his or her own expectations.