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Two scientific internships in the field of mycotoxin analysis first sparked my interest in scientific research as a food chemistry student at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (Munich, Germany). After graduation, I continued with a PhD thesis in sensory and cereal science and developed new strategies for salt reduction in bread. When the opportunity arose, I seized it to become a post-doc at the German Research Center for Food Chemistry, Leibniz Institute, and work on analytical and biochemical aspects of celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity and wheat allergy. My current position offers new challenges almost every day from supervising PhD and master’s students, instructing laboratory technicians, working with all sorts of analytical instruments, writing papers and project proposals, and presenting at conferences to giving lectures and conducting examinations. All these different aspects of being a post-doc require a whole set of strong interpersonal and soft skills. Some of these can be acquired by participating in specialized courses and trainings, as I have done, but many of these can only be developed over time, true to the idea of “practice makes perfect”. Mentors, professors, experienced professionals and fellow post-docs may serve as good examples, so that it is important to build a strong network. Attending conferences and getting involved in professional organizations such as AACC International count among the best ways to meet new people and reach out to other research groups. Becoming a Protein Division officer opened up many new doors within and beyond AACC International and helped strengthen my leadership and communication skills. Although scientific excellence is, of course, very important, it takes a lot more to make one’s way successfully through academia and beyond.