Publish, get data, do statistics, give talks, go to
lectures, communicate, innovate, produce, write a thesis, get grants, find a
post-doc, find a job…..and do it all within the time limits set by your
university and your lab. Sound stressful? You bet.
Few outside the field know how difficult being a graduate
student can be. Some will judge you based on your salary. Graduate school isn’t
paid as a job. I know you get paid less than minimum wage. You know that.
Others may or may not know it. It’s hard to pay for food and accommodation. Some
will judge you as a permanent student. A graduate student position is cross
between student training and an apprenticeship. It’s hard for many to
understand the position because it has a bit of both “job” and “student” mixed
together.
But in the “upside”, do you remember the first time you
discovered something? The first time you can look back and say—“Nobody knew
that! I’m the first to know that.” Even
now I have a sense of wonder when a student comes to me with new knowledge. What
a rush. Do you get that sense of excitement when you have an idea and explore
the literature to learn if that idea has a leg to stand on. That exploration
leads to other bits of knowledge. Your idea morphs and grows into something
stronger. You discover, you explore.
The world has been traveled from top to bottom, from east to
west. Mountains have been climbed. We have explored the world we live in. Yet we
live in a physical and biological wonderland that we are just beginning to
explore. You are the adventurers of this generation. You are the modern
explorers. Business and society may not recognize your contribution. Remember
these times, and when you become faculty try to give back to your own students.
If you move into medicine, business, law, government, engineering or where-ever
your path takes you, remember the young academics that are striving for new
knowledge, knowledge needed to fuel continued innovation and growth in our
society.
But for now, to help you get through, remember to savour
your sense of wonder. Explore the universe from your mind and hold onto your
excitement.
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