His introductory argument was that those who have or had the best careers are not always those who were the top students in Grad school (always the best in the class and won dozens of awards), like we would expect. Surprisingly (at least to me), it is commonly those who were mediocre in school. This doesn't mean that if you were a top student in grad school that you are not going to have a great career, it just doesn't guarantee that you will (and likewise if we were mediocre we are not guaranteed a great career). This was very encouraging to me since I definitely was not the best student (I tended to be lazy haha).
In his opinion, based off of a lifetime of experiences and observations, there were three keys to developing a great career. These are:
- Work on what you are passionate about
- Exploit your natural talents and develop your professional toolbox
- Finding the right work environment that will support you in your career
1). This is very important. If we are going to do truly great work, it needs to be on something we are passionate about. This may seem like an obvious tip, but I think we would be surprised at how many of us do not work on what we truly love. If we are truly passionate about something then we enjoy going to work, which I think speaks for itself. Additionally, if we are working on something we are passionate about, then we will get that strong feeling of satisfaction in what we do, which will give us a more rewarding life. Keep in mind though, this passion does not have to be static. One day we may find something fascinating, but the next day, that spark is gone. The key is we always need to be pursuing what we are truly passionate about.
2). Prof. Hyman talked about how all humans have talents. He emphasized that we need to exploit these talents in our work. For example, Jay Leno is a natural for presentation and comedy, it only seems obvious that he pursued a career that exploits these talents. He also talked about how all humans also have weaknesses or abilities that we do not do naturally. In our careers these can become anchors, something that holds us back. It is then up to us find a crutch that we can lean on. His best advice for finding a crutch is a colleague who has a natural talent for our weakness. He claims that his best work in his career came when he did work with a colleague who was a natural at his own weakness and vice versa he was a crutch for his colleague's weakness. An example he gave was Microsoft. Apparently Bill Gates had a natural talent for computers and his weakness was business. On the other hand, Paul Alan was a wiz at business and combined they became an extremely powerful and successful business.
3). This was Prof Hyman's final bit of advice. Tips 1) and 2) alone are not enough, we also need to find an environment where we will not only be allowed to pursue our passions, but be inspired and encouraged as well. From his presentation "We want to strive to work in a culture of discipline with a rigorous, but not ruthless, culture where people share your work ethics and desires." Additionally "Seek out clock builders, not time tellers who never stop trying to become qualified for the job."
Finally I will end this passage with some good quotes from the talk. I hope that many of you find this somewhat helpful as it did for me.
- "If you could do anything for the next ten years, what would it be?"
- "Passion isn't dictated, it's discovered"
- "Give yourself permission to follow your heart"
- "It would be crazy not to follow your heart and spend part of every day engaged in something you are passionate about."
- If you don’t think that have enough talent to create a great strength, then you haven’t found your talent.
- "Working with the right people will be your most important asset. Count on missed opportunities if you work around the wrong people"
- "A genius at building sundials will not receive recognition by working in the shade."
- "Why strive for a great career?If you are engaged in work you love and care about, forwhatever reason, the question needs no answer. The question is not why, but how."
The choices that scientists make early in their careers will impact them for a lifetime. I will use the experiences of scientists who have had great careers to identify universal distinguishing traits of good career choices that can guild decisions in education, choice of profession, and job opportunities to increase your chances of having a great career with long-term sustained accomplishments.
I ran a student internship program in Los Alamos National for over 20 years. For the last couple of years I have been tracking the careers past students and realized that the scientists with great careers weren't necessarily the top students, and that some of the most brilliant students now had some of the most oh-hum careers.
I will describe how the choices made by the scientists with great careers were based on following their passion, building their talents into a strength supporting their profession, and how they identified a supportive engaging work environment. I will describe some simple guidelines that can help guide your choices, in school and in picking the right job that can lead to a rewarding career and more meaningful life.
The topic is important because, so far as I can tell, life is not a trial run - we have one shot to get it right. The choices you are making right now to planning your career will impact your for a lifetime.
Please join us for an engaging discussion on how to make the choices that will lead to a great career
