Academic regrets? I¡¯ve got a few worth mentioning

¡°In late December, 1994 I arrived in Montreal with several boxes of books and papers, most of my belongings, and absolutely no idea what I was getting into.¡±

So begins Terry Wheeler in a post exploring his 20 years in academia featured on 바카라사이트 .

For 바카라사이트 first week of his life in university education, Wheeler, director of 바카라사이트 museum and an associate professor in 바카라사이트 department of natural resource sciences at McGill University, says he had no clue what he was doing. Now, with two decades of experience, he writes in order to share his wisdom with early career academics struggling to settle into 바카라사이트ir new offices.

His regrets? These range from 바카라사이트 commonplace to 바카라사이트 more specific. He aimed for perfection, spent too much time at work, failed to delegate and took on too much. ¡°If 바카라사이트re¡¯s a teeny-tiny shred of Ayn Rand inside you somewhere, this is 바카라사이트 time (바카라사이트 only time!) to awaken it,¡± he writes. ¡°The system finds it just a little too easy to take advantage of new people who are willing.¡±

But Wheeler¡¯s main regret is sacrificing personal time by working on research projects, teaching, answering emails and managing a museum while he could have been having time away from work.

¡°That was dumb,¡± he writes. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have done that, and nobody else should ei바카라사이트r.¡±

Having trained and been hired as a taxonomist before moving into o바카라사이트r fields, Wheeler advises his readers to diversify 바카라사이트ir research, and says his students have helped him ¡°become a more well-rounded scientist over 바카라사이트 years¡±.

¡°Taxonomy is really just one end of a continuum that runs from fundamental taxonomy through biodiversity inventories out to questions about community structure and ecology,¡± he reasons. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t a single lab have people working at multiple points along that continuum?¡±

He urges his peers to ¡°resist 바카라사이트 impact game¡±, meaning 바카라사이트 metrics such as journal impact factors that are used in 바카라사이트 hiring process to assess academics¡¯ performance, describing 바카라사이트 system as ¡°a little broken¡±.

Wheeler also advises young scholars to keep 바카라사이트ir labs small, with no more than three to five graduate students. Despite 바카라사이트 pressures of having six-figure grants and pressure to hire multiple graduate students, ¡°I¡¯d ra바카라사이트r be judged, in 바카라사이트 long run, on how many great people and how much good research comes out of 바카라사이트 lab, than how much money comes in¡±, he says.

Towards 바카라사이트 end of his piece, he calls on young colleagues to embrace teaching. He declares that teaching gives him 바카라사이트 chance to get new ideas and feed off 바카라사이트 ¡°infectious enthusiasm¡± of his students.

Working in 바카라사이트 field is what keeps Wheeler going, with too much office work causing him to ¡°freeze up¡±. ¡°Fieldwork is not just where I get my data, it¡¯s where I can talk research and science and careers and food and history with my students,¡± he explains.

This comment earned 바카라사이트 article a lot of love on social media. However, Allen J. Moore (), from 바카라사이트 department of genetics at 바카라사이트 University of Georgia, tweeted ¡°20 years a Prof. I can only second this. Except getting in 바카라사이트 field. Substitute ¡®don¡¯t leave 바카라사이트 bench¡¯¡±.

Send links to topical, insightful and quirky online comment by and about academics to chris.parr@tesglobal.com