IntenseDebate - biochem belle

13 years ago @ BenchFly Blog - Lessons from a Recover... · 0 replies · +3 points

One thing that my particular situation forced me to consider was how badly I want to pursue the PI track, and even if I do want to pursue that path, how important it is to have a backup plan and what that might look like.

13 years ago @ BenchFly Blog - Lessons from a Recover... · 0 replies · +3 points

imagine how high the divorce rate would be if everyone picked their spouse after a single blind date... -- Great analogy, steved :D

Juice, I would say that at the very least, it's not terribly uncommon. As steved and I mentioned, picking a postdoc is often based on much more limited interaction than picking a PhD lab. My sense is that this is further amplified when you're switching fields because neither you nor your PhD adviser probably know people (e.g. personality, reputation) in the other field that well.

13 years ago @ BenchFly Blog - Lessons from a Recover... · 1 reply · +2 points

Good question, Prabodh. I started having some major concerns about 9 months in. Then we switched our approach on the project, and I decided to wait and see. It was about 9 months after those first major concerns before I committed to moving on. Frankly, that was too long. I did work hard. Then I worked even harder, and I still was going nowhere. I had known for months that I needed to get out, but I kept trying the "fake it 'til you make it" approach until a final push came along. I think people who end up in these situations know within the first year and often within the first 6 months.

Let me add: Postdoc life is rarely ever easy... but it doesn't suck all the time for everyone. And honestly, it shouldn't. It's not going to be all good times, but there should be some enjoyment, in my opinion. If there's not, you should be asking why.

13 years ago @ BenchFly Blog - Lessons from a Recover... · 0 replies · +1 points

What's great about this advice is that it is generally applicable to virtually any situation

Thanks, Alan, and I think you're onto something. It really sucks, but sometimes it takes a significantly "suboptimal" situation to learn somve very important lessons.

13 years ago @ BenchFly Blog - Lessons from a Recover... · 0 replies · +1 points

I stuck around a bit longer, but I had started having doubts many months before I decided to leave. A career in science involves constant learning, and sometimes it's about learning when to let things go.

I'm sorry to hear about your experience, joel. Most scientists I know (myself included) are extraordinarily stubborn people, so it can be very difficult to let go. I was fortunate enough to have circumstances and a location that allowed me to move labs fairly easily.

13 years ago @ BenchFly Blog - Has the Internet Ruine... · 0 replies · +1 points

The last getaway I took--which admittedly was only a couple of days--the laptop stayed at home. Even though I have a data package on my phone, the email access is clunky, so I don't use it. These together made it much easier to focus on the primary objective of the trip--destressing.

13 years ago @ BenchFly Blog - 5 Laboratory Technique... · 0 replies · +3 points

Do not ask someone to "help" you with an experiment and then disappear just as the work gets started. If what you really meant is "Here are my samples-please do this thing for me", then you should have said that instead of implying that you'd actually be involved in the process.

13 years ago @ There and (hopefully) ... - Holding the Power(Point) · 1 reply · +2 points

There seem to be a few major issues here, regardless of medium used:
1) general communication skills
2) failure to understand and/or utilize presentation tools effectively
3) sticking to the formulaic standard for what a science presentation should look like

I don't quite understand the resistance of scientists to deviations from the standard, so long as as the presenter gets his/her point across clearly.

13 years ago @ There and (hopefully) ... - Holding the Power(Point) · 0 replies · +2 points

PhysioProf linked to this fantastic and apropos wallpaper at his blog--I had to share it here.

13 years ago @ There and (hopefully) ... - Holding the Power(Point) · 0 replies · +2 points

A few "other" answers from the above poll:

lack of 'story' behind data

bad colors, e.g. red font on blue background
>>also anything on what in some circles is called chartreuse but I refer to as cow pie green--which I recently saw from an otherwise outstanding scientist and lecturer

It enables individuals to talk for an hour without saying anything !
>>Ah yes, the "hypnotizing chickens" tactic referenced in the NYT article

carnival like color schemes
>>What--no Sesame Street themed slides?

Reading the slide (2 votes)

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