We all use heuristics in our professional lives as they help us offset the energy costs associated with decision-making and better navigate our complex world. While some heuristics might be productive, others prove to be a trap (for instance, mind a long list of human cognitive errors). I recently started contemplating one heuristic that always seemed a no-brainer for me: follow the people. Was is a good bet after all?
Twenty-five hard-won lessons on networking in San Francisco: how to find the hubs, adjust to the tribe, net-weave at meetups, make yourself useful, protect your reputation, and play the long game. Plus a few brutal truths about extractors, void communities, and why the city rewards those who stay different.
If You Are Going To San Francisco… My 25 Tips and Tricks on Networking in the City Read More »
Science is business. If you don’t understand this simple fact, you won’t get too far in academia. Unfortunately, very many of us, PhD candidates, do not understand this. This might be because, in science, the real currency differs from money. In fact, there are several currencies. The number of publications, impact factor, time. So, how to self-manage in these conditions?
Research or Branding? How To Effectively Self-Manage in Academia Read More »
What is true passion? The passionate and the non-passionate will never understand each other, and the Dutch are not passionates, that’s all. I realize it every time I cross the border with Poland, when I see my friends, when I talk to random people on the train. They have that fire in their eyes.
Academic life is not easy. “The closer to the sky, the closer to hell.” Well, so far, I manage somehow but it took me a long time to grow this skin. Hiking helped me get tougher and persevere. So, I created a list of 21 things that mountaineering has taught me about science so far. Some are obvious and cliché, but I hope some of them will be useful to you.
Postcard From the Mountains: What Hiking Taught Me About Science Read More »
I am slowly breaking down the physical barriers I was stuck in. Before I lost my job and my dream guy, I was a couch potato who worked out maybe an hour a week. Then I decided to become an athlete: daily workouts, the top of Kilimanjaro, a mountaineering course, the 4-Daagse march, and finally the 100-km Dodentocht in Bornem, Belgium.
On Those Who Gave Up On Their Dreams / Working On My Physical Condition Read More »
Recently, due to seemingly unrelated things, I realized that I have a problem. Well, in order to console my friend who had some worries, I also started to think about the things that were bothering me. And I concluded that my perception of time was deeply disturbed.
I recently got to see what it looks like to build a serious scientific article from scratch. I usually meet papers from the other side, reverse-engineering the author’s intentions from thousands of details. This time I sit in lab meetings and watch Postdocs brainstorm how to turn a very simple thought into an influential paper. It is so interesting, and it gives me hope.
My first visit to South America was eye-opening, where I experienced a mix of Americanized culture, high prices despite being a third-world region, and evident social inequalities, especially in places like Panama City. Living with a Chilean family taught me about resourcefulness and the warmth of the locals, who even renovated their home out of excitement for hosting a European guest. This experience sparked new ideas for my dream home. The summer school in Chile was transformative. I learned to focus on my own growth rather than comparing myself to others, which led to personal success, new connections, and a renewed belief in my ability to tackle challenging projects.
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