On being a professional
Yesterday I found this pdf: on being a successful graduate student in the sciences
A few sections resonate quite a bit.
1. Set Goals and Learn Self Discipline
I really liked this "Never catch yourself saying, I have not had time to set up the experiments (or
read that important new paper, or analyze the data, or work on the manuscript), because
these other things got in the way. You must set your priorities so that it is only the other
non-essential things that don’t get done on some weeks. Anything else is simply procrastination and excuses."
Damn right. I keep finding myself without enough time. I'm going to work on setting goals and meeting them. It's a skill I really must work on.
2. Regard yourself and present yourself as a professional.
This has also been on my mind lately. I want to conduct myself with more professional comportment. I must be improving since I was recently asked to speak about my research to the donors they tour about the building. Still, I think there's plenty of room for improvement.
3. Read broadly and critically
Yes. I need this. Honestly, I've been reading the literature a lot, but I ought to systematically review the current literature as it's published. It's important to know what the standards are for what may be published and what's old news. Bioinformatics moves SO FAST. Today I added a couple journals to my NCBI account for email notifications. I'll add more or remove some as seems necessary.
I do wonder what's possible as far as my career goes. Could I be an important researcher? Could I lead a large team? It seems a ridiculously difficult endeavor, but damn it, someone's doing those jobs. Are they smarter than me? More curious? More creative? They _are_ probably more ORGANIZED. Well, let's not let that hold me back.
A few sections resonate quite a bit.
1. Set Goals and Learn Self Discipline
I really liked this "Never catch yourself saying, I have not had time to set up the experiments (or
read that important new paper, or analyze the data, or work on the manuscript), because
these other things got in the way. You must set your priorities so that it is only the other
non-essential things that don’t get done on some weeks. Anything else is simply procrastination and excuses."
Damn right. I keep finding myself without enough time. I'm going to work on setting goals and meeting them. It's a skill I really must work on.
2. Regard yourself and present yourself as a professional.
This has also been on my mind lately. I want to conduct myself with more professional comportment. I must be improving since I was recently asked to speak about my research to the donors they tour about the building. Still, I think there's plenty of room for improvement.
3. Read broadly and critically
Yes. I need this. Honestly, I've been reading the literature a lot, but I ought to systematically review the current literature as it's published. It's important to know what the standards are for what may be published and what's old news. Bioinformatics moves SO FAST. Today I added a couple journals to my NCBI account for email notifications. I'll add more or remove some as seems necessary.
I do wonder what's possible as far as my career goes. Could I be an important researcher? Could I lead a large team? It seems a ridiculously difficult endeavor, but damn it, someone's doing those jobs. Are they smarter than me? More curious? More creative? They _are_ probably more ORGANIZED. Well, let's not let that hold me back.