Hvilket råd ville du gitt deg selv som ung forsker?

Av Jørgen Svarstad
Publisert 2. august 2018 kl. 12:24

Hvis du skulle gå bak i tid og fortalt deg selv, som ung akademiker, én ting du har lært om akademia, hva ville du sagt? Dette spørsmålet stilte Nathan Hall, professor ved McGill University i Montreal på Twitter. Og svarene lot ikke vente på seg. Flere hundre akademikere har tatt utfordringen. De gir råd til seg selv om alt fra viktigheten av å ta finne en god balanse mellom jobb og fritid, om viktigheten at å si nei , få nok søvn, være snill og samarbeide med folk du liker.

If you could go back and tell your younger academic self one thing you’ve learned about academia, what would you say?

— Nathan C. Hall (@prof_nch) July 24, 2018

«Du er like smart, dyktig og begavet som dine professorer», skriver én. «Det er ikke mulig for deg å forestille seg hvor du er om 10, 20, 30 or. Oftest er usikkerheten din venn», kommer det fra en annen. «Samarbeid. Samarbeid. Samarbeid. Og samarbeid med folk du liker», oppfordrer en tredje. Og videre: «Det blir aldri perfekt, så bare send inn den forbannede greia.» «Det er bare en jobb. Familien din vil alltid bety mer enn jobben din.» «Det beste rådet jeg fikk da jeg startet i akademia: «Vi er alle smarte. Skill deg ut ved å være snill.»» Det var Times Higher Education (THE) som omtalte saken først. Nathan C. Hall sier til THE at han, etter å ha vært på det «akademiske twitter» i fem år, har fått høre mye om vanskelige opplevelser mennesker i ulike deler av akademia har hatt. –  Jeg var nysgjerrig på hva, om noe, folk skulle ønske de hadde visst før de begynte. Salmone sier han rådene han identifiserte seg mest med, var de som handlet om psykisk helse, viktigheten av å ta vare på seg selv og å be om hjelp i tide. – Jeg forstår nå viktigheten av å være ærlig om disse tingene og forstår at jeg ikke er alene om disse erfaringene. Å søke psykisk helsehjelp er mer en nyttig strategi for å navigere i det akademiske liv, enn et tegn på svakhet. Her er noen flere av rådene akademikere ville gitt til en yngre utgave av seg selv:

Don’t let anyone tell you that the only path to success is to consistently work 60 or 70 hr weeks. Make time for a life beyond your job.

— Tom McIntosh (@proftomuofr) July 24, 2018

Sleep. You won't believe me, but you DO have time for it. You'll get more done in less time.

(This is always my answer.)

— Sarah Rose Cavanagh 💥🐝 👻 (@SaRoseCav) July 24, 2018

The people who publish non-stop aren't smarter or better. They have positions that give them more time to go through that ridiculous process, or have sacrificed tons from other aspects of life.

It's okay to not do that.

— Dylan McLemore (@voiceofD) July 24, 2018

https://twitter.com/MaryEllenLane29/status/1021585189988909057 https://twitter.com/DrBiochemistry/status/1021562727045640193

Good science can be done with kindness. Don't believe otherwise.

— Dr. Candace Lapan (She/Her) (@CandaceLapan) July 24, 2018

Academia is not an ivory tower populated by especially clever people. It’s got the same mix of brilliance, pedantry and politics as any other field.

— Don Lindsay (@Donmit) July 24, 2018

Avoid, avoid, avoid. When you're 32 and peers are a decade into careers, well-funded retirement plans, and happy, forgive the cynicism, but you'll regret it all. Let your MA suffice.

— Brandy Bea (@McSpex_) July 24, 2018

https://twitter.com/magpie_tweet/status/1021558973445681152

One of my biggest regrets. I only worked and studied. Gained a lot of weight from inactivity and poor diet. Still haven't gotten back to pre-grad school weight and health levels.

— Dave (@DrDave_99) July 24, 2018

You’ll be just fine without the academic job. Smart people work everywhere.

— L. Maren Wood, PhD (@drmarenw) July 25, 2018

https://twitter.com/hardsci/status/1021633884524621824

Most deadlines are soft deadlines, and people usually build in extra time under the assumption that you will be late.

— Vaillancourt Lab (@VaillancourtLab) July 24, 2018

Things are not fair and it is not a meritocracy. Figure out early on who you are and what your principles are and stick to them. Define success by what you have control over- doing excellent work and treating others with kindness.

— Dr. Rebecca Burdine – (Black lives matter!) (@rburdine1) July 24, 2018

Yes! If you're surrounded by Academics, then the measure of success is defined by Academia. You have to decide what success is in your life and what makes you happy. Don't let other people decide what your goals are.

— Mattie Davenport (@Cullowheenie) July 24, 2018

Collegiality matters. Be gentle with being critical of older faculty. You only see part of the picture

— Maria Dixon Hall (@mariadixon) July 24, 2018

Getting help is a sign of strength, not weakness. That goes for help in learning something, help in completing tasks, help in doing the peripheral stuff like editing and proofreading, and help for mental or physical health. Academia works best when we help each other.

— Mer Francis @mwfrancis.bsky.social (@mwfrancis1) July 24, 2018

Extend the tenure clock when you have a baby.

— Dr. #AllezLesBleus Beziat (@EdPsychMama) July 24, 2018

 

Things are not fair and it is not a meritocracy. Figure out early on who you are and what your principles are and stick to them. Define success by what you have control over- doing excellent work and treating others with kindness.

— Dr. Rebecca Burdine (@rburdine1) July 24, 2018

Les også: 

De var unge forskertalenter. Derfor sluttet de i akademia.