Many autistic people find it hard to control their tone of voice. The tone we aim to use might not be the tone we end up conveying. E.g., when I answer my phone (a rare event to be fair), I try to make my “hello” sound warm and inviting, yet I often sound irritated and/or scared.
Your PhD is about the evolution of your mindset.
It proceeds through personal research experience, mentorship and development of key skills.
This is why PhD in STEM:
- is NOT about a thesis (very few people will read it)
- is NOT about finish your advisor’s project
- is NOT about attending new courses
- is NOT to learn how to use cool instruments (although it might be handy, it is of little help in a long run)
Yes, some of it will help you get hired. BUT PhD should not be about this.
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PhD is about personal development, creativity and problem solving in a highly dynamic research environment.
First of all, it is about:
- Becoming a highly critical and creative thinker
- Learning how to think independently (against the local or global mainstream)
- Learning how to “jump-start” a project and bring it to perfection
- Discovering your strengths and weaknesses as a future leader
- Learning from massive number of mistakes without big consequences
- Learning how to accept failures and move on
- Understanding the value of teamwork and collaboration
- Publishing important studies and making discoveries (especially if you plan to stay in academia)
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Of course, there are some “perks” that come with it:
1. Getting a good expertise in some field
2. Getting some idea about the world of academia and how things work there
3. Learning how to use fancy tools (microscopes, spectrometers, etc)
4. Learning how to write papers, etc etc
But these are only bonuses. They should not be why you are pursuing PhD.
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As a prospective PhD student, do NOT look for a supervisor who will be simply assigning tasks to you and tracking your project.
Look for a good mentor and advisor who can help you develop YOUR leadership skills.
A proper research environment and inspiration to pursue your dreams are the key ingredients.
#AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter #phdchat
OMFG.
Turns out The Day After Tomorrow could possibly be the Year After Next?
We're hanging by a thread from full-scale #climate collapse that will be far, far worse than even our direst imaginings.
https://t.co/9udkGfYIZg
Have you ever wondered why some cities are just so much nicer than others?
Well, it's probably because they have good "Third Places."
What is a Third Place? It's wherever you go when you're not at home or at work...
It’s not technically #Caturday today, but if feels like it, particularly on Monday. Thank you, beautiful Mimi, for being the best cat who’s always there for me on a good, bad, and ugly day of my life 🖤 #catparent#CatsAreFamily#CatsOfTwitter#Cats
My old boss said to me "but children just play at the park" my response "do you talk to your grandchildren when they go to the park? Obviously they use speech to communicate, but what if they couldn't?"
We need to be more #communicationaccessible in our country 🙏 #AAC