Succeeding in Science - Some Rules of Thumb: Difference between revisions

While it is tempting as a young person to dream about going into science because you think ideas will let you escape dealing with people, once you are a scientist you must change your attitude. It can be very comfortable, when you are in high school, to say to yourself: Why should I be with those kids that are commonly awful? But here's the truth—it's very hard to succeed in science if you don't want to be with other scientists—you have to go to key meetings where you may spot key facts that would have escaped you. And you have to chat with your competitors, even if you find them objectionable. I did that a lot. I knew almost everyone I needed to know no matter whether they exuded goodness or badness. And it paid off. So my final rule is: If you can't stand to be with your real peers, get out of science.