Am I the only scientist out there that goes to talks and immediately thinks,
“wow this person has such a great project/ideas and great data, i am never going to be able to compete…”
I usually walk away from talks feeling like I: 1) have been wasting all my time on trivial un-interesting crap, or 2) I am never going to be as good/smart/fast/whatever as person “x”.
Should I just stop going to talks?
@ I am sure you are not alone
@ I am sure all those people giving those talks feel just the same
@ They are thinking that everyone else’s talks are better than theirs
@ They see you in the audience and think “that guy obviously thinks I am talking rubbish”
@ “I bet he will not collaborate with me if I ask him”
@I think it is the human condition.
You could go to talks to find out what people have not done yet, and then you could go back to the lab and do something really unique and novel that is not just about following someone else’s pathways… (not easy, I know)
@ I usually feel like that after hearing some fabulous jazz pianist, and to add insult to injury, discovering he/she is half my age. But, heigh ho, the mere mortals with whom I play like what I do enough to ask me back. If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.
I often feel like that when I read Nature Network blogs. How can I write anything as insightful or interesting?
Sarcasm doesn’t suit you, Matt.
Self-esteem is important to have, but I think I should be just made exempt due to “excessive depression”.
Too bad I could not use that excuse during my 1st year lectures!
You could go completely in the other direction and spend all of your time going to talks, thereby never doing any experiments at all. Problem solved.
[NB. May not be the best advice ever.]
Or you could spend your entire time giving talks, therby never doing any experiments at all or having to listen to others making you feel dumb.
I believe this is called being in management. RPG will soon be able to fill us in.