{"id":2357,"date":"2018-12-15T21:30:19","date_gmt":"2018-12-15T12:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/163.180.4.222\/lab\/?p=2357"},"modified":"2018-12-15T21:30:19","modified_gmt":"2018-12-15T12:30:19","slug":"afraid-to-fail-reach-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?p=2357","title":{"rendered":"Afraid to fail? Reach out"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Many years ago, a trusted professor suggested I make a radical change in my academic path and pursue a doctorate in psychology. That sounded impossible! I was interested in the subject matter, but my training was in English and philosophy. I was petrified that seeking a science Ph.D. would bring rejection and failure. For months, I looked into programs, only to get cold feet and back away\u2014until my curiosity spurred me down the road again. Now, years after successfully completing my doctorate, I realize that I was actually facing two distinct fears during that tortured time. And I realize that I could have eased my path by seeking outside perspectives.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"F1\" class=\"fig pos-float type-figure nonresearch-content odd figure\">\n<div class=\"figure__head highwire-figure\">\n<div class=\"fig-inline\"><a class=\"fragment-images colorbox-load highwireFiguresMarkupProcessor-processed cboxElement\" style=\"box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; color: #37588a; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/sci\/361\/6408\/1278\/F1.large.jpg?width=800&amp;height=600&amp;carousel=1\" rel=\"gallery-fragment-images-1750166727\" data-figure-caption=\"&lt;div class=&quot;highwire-markup&quot;&gt;&lt;q class=&quot;attrib&quot; id=&quot;attrib-1&quot;&gt;ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT NEUBECKER&lt;\/q&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;sb-div caption-clear&quot;\/&gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-icon-position=\"\" data-hide-link-title=\"0\"><span class=\"hw-responsive-img\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fragment-image lazyloaded\" src=\"http:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/sci\/361\/6408\/1278\/F1.medium.gif\" aria-describedby=\"F1-caption\" data-src=\"http:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/sci\/361\/6408\/1278\/F1.medium.gif\" \/><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"figure__options\">\n<ul class=\"highwire-figure-links\">\n<li class=\"0 first last\"><a class=\"highwire-figure-link highwire-figure-link-newtab link-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/sci\/361\/6408\/1278\/F1.large.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i class=\"fa fa-external-link\"><\/i>\u00a0<span class=\"title\">Open in new tab<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption id=\"F1-caption\" class=\"fig-caption attrib\"><q id=\"attrib-1\" class=\"attrib\">ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT NEUBECKER<\/q><\/p>\n<div class=\"sb-div caption-clear\"><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<blockquote id=\"disp-quote-1\" class=\"disp-quote\"><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-3\"><strong><em>\u201cPeople who have no skin in the game \u2026 can offer fresh perspectives.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p id=\"p-4\">One fear was simply that, in trying to make a dramatic career change, I would fail. Given my training and connections in the humanities, who could write letters recommending me for a science program? Who would mentor me along the way? What could I point to as evidence that I was a credible candidate? Even if I were accepted, did I really believe that I could succeed? The risk seemed overwhelming. I thought I would suffer for years, if not my entire life, if I didn&#8217;t get into a program or was unprepared and had to leave.<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-5\">My other fear was that such a bold move would disappoint important people in my life. This fear is not unique to academia, but university culture can make it hit particularly hard. Many advisers see students as academic progeny, and when we make career choices that don&#8217;t match our advisers&#8217; ideas of what we should do, we may feel we are betraying them. When I told one of my humanities professors that I was serious about applying to doctoral programs in psychology, he expressed grave concern that I was making the wrong choice (although, to his credit, he wrote a wonderful letter of recommendation).<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-6\">Beyond academic colleagues, it was difficult to face the prospect of disappointing family and friends who had supported me\u2014emotionally and in some cases financially\u2014during the ups and downs of my studies. I worried that if I pursued what might appear to be a pipe dream, they would feel I was turning my back on all they had done. Or they might conclude that all my efforts up to that point had been a failure. When I talked with my parents about making the leap to psychology, they questioned whether it was the right choice and wondered when I would be settled.<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-7\">Now, though, I realize that I probably exaggerated the strength of others&#8217; feelings. My colleagues, friends, and family may have felt a bit rejected or confused by my actions, but they had their own lives to think about. Ultimately, I needed to make the decision that was right for me, not for them. My parents came around to the idea that I was going to be a \u201cprofessional student\u201d for a while, and many friends and colleagues eventually offered support, though I lost touch with that professor.<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-8\">I didn&#8217;t have a good strategy for dealing with my fears at that time. But I have since learned a valuable approach that I wish I had known then: Reach out to people beyond your immediate circle for input and advice. People who have no skin in the game\u2014your neighbors, your hair stylist, even strangers you strike up conversations with at the airport\u2014can offer fresh perspectives that may help you see your options more clearly. Reach out to people in jobs you&#8217;re interested in to find out how they got where they are. As someone who now receives these types of inquiries, I can tell you that it&#8217;s not a burden at all. In fact, it&#8217;s a compliment\u2014plus I enjoy helping the next generation. If the first person you ask doesn&#8217;t respond, try again. Chances are you will be pleasantly surprised.<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-9\">There are more people than you may think who have made bold career moves. Talk to them. Your future is your own. Reach out and see what happens.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>(\uc6d0\ubb38: <a href=\"http:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/361\/6408\/1278?rss=1\">\uc5ec\uae30<\/a>\ub97c \ud074\ub9ad\ud558\uc138\uc694~)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; Many years ago, a trusted professor suggested I make a radical change in my academic path and pursue a doctorate in psychology. That<a href=\"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?p=2357\" class=\"more-link\">(more&#8230;)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[32,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-essays-on-science","category-lets-do-science"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3446,"url":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?p=3446","url_meta":{"origin":2357,"position":0},"title":"What medicine can teach academia about preventing burnout","author":"biochemistry","date":"May 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 The medical programmes we see in our training as physician-scientists are becoming more progressive and supportive of students. Here\u2019s what academia can learn from them, say Yoo Jung Kim and Erik Faber. \u00a0 Many researchers experience burnout at some point in their career.Credit: chabybucko\/Getty \u00a0 \u00a0 Burnout \u2014\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Essays on Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Essays on Science","link":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?cat=32"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3724,"url":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?p=3724","url_meta":{"origin":2357,"position":1},"title":"How to bring preprints to the charged field of medicine","author":"biochemistry","date":"June 8, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 MedRxiv launches with beefed up screening processes to allay concerns about risks of publishing unvetted clinical research. \u00a0 \u00a0 The founders of the\u00a0popular biology preprint server bioRxiv\u00a0have launched a repository on which medical scientists can share their results before peer review. BioRxiv\u2019s success\u00a0prompted some clinical scientists to push\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Let's Do Biology!&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Let's Do Biology!","link":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?cat=33"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3479,"url":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?p=3479","url_meta":{"origin":2357,"position":2},"title":"Looking for the start of metabolic disease in the gut","author":"biochemistry","date":"May 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Max Nieuwdorp is an internist, endocrinologist and vascular medicine specialist at Amsterdam University Medical Centers. He chairs the Diabetes Center there and is chief of the Department and Laboratory of Vascular Medicine. \u00a0 In 2002, I took the Hippocratic Oath as a doctor at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Coming\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Let's Do Biology!&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Let's Do Biology!","link":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?cat=33"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3298,"url":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?p=3298","url_meta":{"origin":2357,"position":3},"title":"The way I am","author":"biochemistry","date":"April 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 A year ago, I had one of the most significant interviews of my life. It was for a job I had worked toward for years, as a medical doctor doing research and teaching along with treating patients\u2014a rare and highly competitive type of post in the United Kingdom.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Essays on Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Essays on Science","link":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?cat=32"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3499,"url":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?p=3499","url_meta":{"origin":2357,"position":4},"title":"Genomics breeds new legal questions","author":"biochemistry","date":"May 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Open in new tab IMAGE: ISTOCK.COM\/DANE_MARK \u00a0 \u00a0 While DNA testing upends the practice of medicine, U.S. laws aren't keeping pace. That's one message from a nearly finished 3-year, $2 million project called LawSeq, which aims to build a legal foundation to support genomic medicine. Doctors and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Essays on Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Essays on Science","link":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?cat=32"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1357,"url":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?p=1357","url_meta":{"origin":2357,"position":5},"title":"Top tips for building and maintaining international collaborations","author":"biochemistry","date":"August 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 (\uc6d0\ubb38) \u00a0 \u00a0 Credit: Adapted from Getty \u00a0 \u00a0 The number of international research collaborations continues to rise, and for good reason: it\u2019s easier than ever to connect with overseas colleagues, and doing so can be an effective way to share and advance knowledge.\u00a0Nature\u00a0spoke to four scientists who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Essays on Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Essays on Science","link":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?cat=32"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Xo1j-C1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2357"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2358,"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357\/revisions\/2358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}