Tiny does it

What is the best advice you have been given? If you want something, go and get it! At a certain point in your career, your most desired place to continue your studies (PhD, postdoc, group leader) might be overbooked, or the lab chief might tell you that he can not have you in his group for some obscure reason. If you really know where you want to go, visit the place, and insist until a door opens. I do not know whether this is a true story but I was told that at some point, Mark Ptashne wanted to join the lab of Walter Gilbert. Sitting in his office, Gilbert told him that there was not enough space to host him. Ptashne apparently removed a pile of books, freeing some space, and said “this is enough for me” and that was the start of a fruitful collaboration. I have to admit that I had to use a similar approach to obtain my postdoc position.