The question was, “Are you sure you want to be a chemist?” When I discovered my passion for chemistry after a year of stumbling through college, my family’s reaction was this. They viewed scientists as just those depicted in television shows. My friends and family assumed I would spend the majority of my time in a dark, dingy laboratory at the end of a long, dusty hallway.
As a scientist, you realize that this is a far cry from what it’s like to work in a lab nowadays. As scientists design tests and analyze data, labs are usually bustling with activity. Scientists are also compelled to travel to meet with hundreds or thousands of colleagues, at least pre-pandemic, to visit collaborators, give lectures, or participate in meetings. It’s a team effort in science.
We all know that the media’s depiction of lab science is frequently wrong, but what about our own conception of what it means to be a “independent scientist?” We typically assume that we have to learn everything and solve every difficulty on our own when we begin our graduation or first employment careers. Suppose that’s the case, how are we different from the hypothetical scientist who works alone in a dingy basement? I’m happy to inform you that being independent does not imply being by yourself.
For some reason we believe that being self-sufficient means never asking for assistance. The way we begin our studies may be to blame. To begin with, we rely on others to help us plan our experiments, get the essential supplies and reagents for our research projects, and use the necessary devices to collect data.. However, the majority of people are unwilling to remain in that location. You may have been drawn to scientific study because of the sense of accomplishment that comes from making a significant contribution to the field’s body of knowledge, or because of the sense of accomplishment that comes from generating and pursuing new ideas.
We aspire to break out of that situation of dependency. As a result, when we are encouraged to become independent scientist, we tend to swing to the other extreme of the spectrum. When our study ideas aren’t functioning, we don’t ask for comments, we don’t ask for help in understanding our results, and we operate in isolation. The definition of “alone,” on the other hand, is “independent.” It also prevents us from making the most of our research efforts.
A new notion of independence is needed by scientists in order to move forward. Instead of requesting less assistance, we must assume more responsibility. Independence involves taking the initiative to solicit feedback and then deciding on the best course of action based on that feedback. If you’re interpreting data, you need to be able to think through all of the possible outcomes and then offer them to someone else for their thoughts. It’s important to recognize when you’ve exhausted your own knowledge, take the initiative to find someone who has the experience you need, and ask them the necessary questions before formulating a plan of action.
As an early-career scientist, admitting our faults and failings to others can be awkward, especially when it comes to seeking support. But it is worth it because the learning and success that can be fostered by it—every time that we own the process of soliciting and analyzing advice from others, we have the opportunity not only to learn new information or techniques, but also to develop our professional skills in communication, collaboration, and mentorship. Furthermore, the experiment we’re working on has a lot better chance of success if we ask for suggestions. When you’re an independent researcher, you don’t have to hide away in a dark room at the end of a dusty hallway, literally or figuratively, to pursue your passion for science.
