My path to becoming a junior doctor
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Itβs impossible to sit down for a chat with Marcin Demyk without at least one person coming over to say hello.
Marcin, who has worked at ΒιΆΉΛήΙα΅ηΚΣΎηfor almost a decade, seems to be a permanent fixture of the College. Officially, Marcin is a Food Services Assistant, working within the Food Services team. But go for lunch and heβs at the till; pass the Dining Room and heβs setting up chairs; visit the Portersβ Lodge and thereβs Marcin, picking up a shift as a relief Porter.
βI donβt stay here for free!β Marcin insists, laughing. βThey pay me!β
Although Marcin says he loves his full-time role in Food Services, and the rest of the team, working as a relief Porter is one of his particular joys. βI like to help people, and I love chatting with the students, and helping them when they need it. I feel like that karma will come back.β
βWhen you lived in the Communist era, everything was rationed. There was only chocolate for Christmas, and maybe an orange. My grandfather had a nice house in Krakow but after the war the Communists took it from him, and he never got it back. But he always reminded me to be proud of myself, because no one is better than anyone else. And it doesnβt matter what kind of job you have, what family you have, who you are β weβre all important.β
After two years of service in the Polish army as a Corporal, Marcin worked in engineering and construction, undertaking training to work with specialised machines. He decided to move to England β and had friends living in Cambridge β and continued to work in construction until, one day, a boss came into the office and told off the team for laughing.
Marcin says this was the moment when he changed paths, when enjoying a job became something that was critiqued and not celebrated.
With this philosophy in hand, Marcin left construction and started working for an agency, taking up jobs including as night porter in a Holiday Inn, before working in Magdalene and Homerton Colleges as a kitchen porter. He moved to ΒιΆΉΛήΙα΅ηΚΣΎηafter his former manager at Magdalene, who was then working as the Domestic Bursar at Wolfson, encouraged him to come. And here Marcin has stayed.
βThis is the best College where Iβve worked β Iβm not joking! ΒιΆΉΛήΙα΅ηΚΣΎηis like a magnet for original people, and here is a friendly place, everyone is so friendly. And they take care of staff here. I can feel that the Bursar and Domestic Bursar really think of us, always stopping to chat, and Iβve never had a manager like Charles (Correa β Hospitality Manager) in my life. He gives me freedom, and he knows when the job is done. Heβs a really good person.β
It's hard to believe that Marcin has free time, but when he does, he says he loves a good book β history is his favourite β going to the gym, and travel. He and his partner go to a different country every year, with Thailand potentially on the cards for next year. βAlthough,β he says, βweβre saving up for a cruise to Hawaii.β
But the cruise, and the books, and the gym is for another day. Because right now, after chatting in the Club Room, and with everyone stopping to say hello and comment on the startling fact of his sitting down, Marcin has to run.
βIβm quite busy!β He says, laughing, as he heads off to do another job.
A self-guided Tree Trail around the beautiful and varied garden 'rooms' of the grounds at ΒιΆΉΛήΙα΅ηΚΣΎηCollege.
A self-guided trail around the ΒιΆΉΛήΙα΅ηΚΣΎηCollege gardens featuring extracts of poetry written by ΒιΆΉΛήΙα΅ηΚΣΎηstaff and students from our latest WolfWords poetry anthology "a little branch".
Explore Wolfson's newest exhibition, 'Life Within Landscapes', showcasing works by three Cambridge-based female contemporary artists, inspired by their Caribbean heritage.
Visit Wolfson's Lee Library for a special 30th anniversary exhibition showcasing the building's history and design.
Take some time out of your day to engage your senses with the sights and sounds of Wolfson's plants and wildlife.