Asking For Help
So, one of my problems is that I always feel like if I haven't done everything myself it "doesn't count". Another is that I am often uncomfortable about asking for help as this would a) be imposing on other people's time, b) prove that I am a big dumb idiot who is also incompetent, and c) expose my beloved baby project to the scrutiny and possible mockery and contempt of others.
Clearly these are issues that are hindering my progress.
With that in mind I have sent long emails to several of my most trusted colleagues outlining exactly what I have found, think is going on, and need suggestions about in my project.
It was actually less hard than I thought it would be, and writing it out was helpful for crystalizing the situation and the model in my own mind.
Fingers crossed that laughing and finger pointing do not ensue.
Clearly these are issues that are hindering my progress.
With that in mind I have sent long emails to several of my most trusted colleagues outlining exactly what I have found, think is going on, and need suggestions about in my project.
It was actually less hard than I thought it would be, and writing it out was helpful for crystalizing the situation and the model in my own mind.
Fingers crossed that laughing and finger pointing do not ensue.
posted by Joolya at
5:20 PM
4 Comments:
It can be scary and does go against what society encourages in people, don't appear to be "weak" by asking for help. It can be a real block to success, especially when it is a person from oppressed group asking a white male for advice/help. Ah the barriers society has us erect.
It can be difficult and intimidating to ask others for help. However, the nature of science is that eventually you will need to learn from the expertise of others. I got reamed out by my committee at one of my earlier meetings about this.
I found that most people are really helpful. Which makes sense because, when you think about it, it's really quite flattering to have someone seek you out for advice.
Way to go, I have always felt that there are enough scientific ideas out there, good and not so good, that we all gain in discussing them.
I've been following the concept of "open peer review" for a few months now. What I find interesting is the almost universal support for it, coupled with an utter absence of participation. PLOS One is a great microcosm of the problem.
It's one thing to get shot down by a reviewer in private, and quite another to be proven a charlatan out there in the open.
There are now additional issues getting in the way of sharing cutting edge iseas. Coming from a company the IP issues are obvious, but the Bayh-Dole Act demands that universities patent everything within reason, further limiting discussions to the "obvious" and "established" conventional wisdom, and all the legalities those terms imply.
Cointreau Leviticus, Board Certified Dilettante
They all laughed at Christopher Columbus when he said the world was round
They all laughed when Edison recorded sound
They all laughed at Wilbur and his brother when they said that man could fly
They told Marconi wireless was a phony, it's the same old cry
Has to be the best scientific advice I ever got...
:-)
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