When I was six, my parents told me to study hard so that I could attend college one day. I dreamed of becoming a scientist back then though I had no idea what that meant. I did make it to college. I got a Ph.D. After my Ph.D. graduation, I spent two years as a postdoctoral researcher. You may imagine that I would seek another academic job to become a scientist. But it is not. After finishing my postdoc, I began to think about where I should be going. Since then, I have started to reflect on what went wrong with my life. I spent twenty years on a single option - becoming an academic. This option is not for me because I don't particularly appreciate playing the status game: publishing more papers without merits in so-called premier venues. I hate to acquire stamps of approval from peers. I spent twenty years chasing a dream that turned out undesirable for me. And I missed a ton of opportunities along the way.
Optionality
Optionality
Optionality
When I was six, my parents told me to study hard so that I could attend college one day. I dreamed of becoming a scientist back then though I had no idea what that meant. I did make it to college. I got a Ph.D. After my Ph.D. graduation, I spent two years as a postdoctoral researcher. You may imagine that I would seek another academic job to become a scientist. But it is not. After finishing my postdoc, I began to think about where I should be going. Since then, I have started to reflect on what went wrong with my life. I spent twenty years on a single option - becoming an academic. This option is not for me because I don't particularly appreciate playing the status game: publishing more papers without merits in so-called premier venues. I hate to acquire stamps of approval from peers. I spent twenty years chasing a dream that turned out undesirable for me. And I missed a ton of opportunities along the way.