PerspectivesAre you interested in submitting a Perspective Article? Be sure to read The Science Advisory Board's Editorial Guides for Perspective Articles. Click here. Into the rabbit hole... now what? by Vashisht G. Yennu-Nanda, Ph.D.Instructor, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX "Kind sir, would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?" asked Alice of the Cat. The Cat told Alice, "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to". "I don't much know where..." said Alice. "Then it doesn't matter which way you go" said the Cat. From Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland'. This was the unfruitful conversation that Alice had with a cat, after getting completely lost in a rabbit-hole that she had just jumped into. Despite the unhelpful cat, everything turned out well for Alice in the end. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Alice was just dreaming about the rabbit hole. For most of us however, the rabbit hole is the real world, and it really matters which way we go, especially with our careers. This statement is extremely relevant for doctoral and postdoctoral science researchers in academia, who can easily get lost in the vastness of available research directions. Added to this is the quirkiness of the academic funding mechanisms, which always provide encouragingly abundant salary support for numerous doctoral and junior postdoctoral positions, but shockingly scant support for even a tenth as many faculty level positions. With an equally scarce postdoctoral jobs in scientific-industry and not enough alternate avenues for suitable jobs, a good many accomplished postdoctoral researchers are forced into the cross-roads at a precarious age of ~35 years. I use the word 'precarious' because most people find it challenging to change careers at this age. Also, in the science industry's lingo, a 35 year old researcher, with about five years of postdoctoral experience is an 'academic' and hence unsuitable for the dynamism of an industry job. Sadly in the academic circles also, a postdoctoral researcher who has not made headway towards an independent research initiative within this time is considered 'not driven', and hence not very suitable for academic tenure. Time is of the essence for a PhD researcher and achieving the required milestones at the right time is extremely important. Some researchers are lucky to get constant guidance from parents, uncles, uncle's friends, etc. who may be accomplished individuals in their field. Most researchers however do not have this privilege and will have to fill in this void with a mentor, because the importance of mentors to career success is fundamental. Many students and postdoctoral colleagues that I come across always associate a mentor with their current research supervisor. While a supervisor may be able to play the dual role of research guide and a mentor, a 'non-supervisor' mentor would make a great addition. This is because such a mentor can selflessly and objectively analyze a protege's scientific capabilities and help decide a research direction or career path for the protege's early success. The mentor could also be a valuable resource for figuring out the less obvious - for example, within the organization, a mentor may suggest certain review committees to consider for fellowship applications, or provide the names of decision makers who could be approached for an important purpose. A mentor may also be able to speak up on behalf of a protege for reasons such as promotion, committee membership, etc. A regular interaction with a mentor could be very rewarding because his/her range of experiences would be different to and more importantly, extended beyond a protege's own experiences. While a mentor within the organization could pave the way for newer opportunities and career advancement in the organization, an 'outside mentor' could provide a greater perspective on the protege's strengths and the profession at large. He/she may also be a good avenue of new prospects for employment or networking in other organizations. Sadly, for some women and minorities in research, outside mentors may be the only source of mentorship. This is because the gender or race difference occasionally makes it difficult for some to find a suitable mentor. E-mail tends to be the primary mode of communication in such a mentor-protege relationship. This actually may work great for both parties because the anxiety of personal encounters is absent, which leads to a more relaxed interaction. Also, with e-mail, the mentor can better meet the protege's needs at his/her own discretion, without having to commit to a certain time. The ideal mentor in academia is an accomplished individual with many years of experience in the field, who is very senior to the protege, shares common scientific interests, appreciates the protege's potential and is eager to play a role in his/her career advancement. So, how does one find this mentor? That could be the most difficult part for some people. Networking is the best way to find a mentor, which is not always easy for 'networking-challenged' individuals or for those in rare or novel areas of research. To help such people, many academic organizations have mentoring programs, where doctoral students, post-doctoral trainees and junior faculties are matched with mentors who fit the right profile. There are also some web-based mentoring networks, especially for the benefit of women and minorities, which match proteges with mentors. While I personally do not believe that such arranged relationships work well, they are a start; they create awareness among junior researchers about the advantages of being mentored. This awareness could prompt a researcher to make extra efforts to find an ideal mentor. Also, these programs define specific rules of mentoring, which enable a useful and professional mentoring relationship. While there is no rule for the number of mentors an individual can have at a certain time, too many mentors can create confusion and may even lead to alienation of one or more mentors. A lot of researchers I come across do not believe in active mentoring. The most common question I hear from them is "why would a busy and successful person want to give away the knowledge and tricks that took a lifetime to learn?" When I reflect on that question, the word altruism pops up in my mind. Altruism is the selfless act of helping others, a concept very unique to human beings, although very recently, chimpanzees have also been suspected of altruism in controlled settings. The more straightforward answer however, is that some successful people were lucky to have had a mentor who helped in their success, and want to pass that on; others may just want to be a positive influence to the younger generation and give something to their community. Whatever the reason, the science-research mentors who I know feel that it is a great experience to guide someone and see the results of that guidance. In the 1999 motion picture 'The Matrix', before revealing the matrix to Neo (Character played by Keanu Reeves), Morpheus (played by Laurence Fishburne) tells him, "if you take the blue pill... the story ends... you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. If you take the red pill... you stay in wonderland... and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." Although 'The Matrix' is a science fiction movie with no correlation to real life, I am tempted to refer to it because it tells a nice story of how a mentor readies his protege to fight for what he believes in. A Mentor provides a much better way to personal and career development than having to do it alone. Every one of us should find a Morpheus who will guide us through the rabbit hole to a successful scientific career. ### << Previous Next >> [ View All Perspectives ] |
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