Intellectual Crisis

[Goobernut]

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I wasn't sure how I would feel about producing research. I know I'm a voracious consumer, but I wasn't sure how I'd feel about being the one to author it. In fact, I was probably sure I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I would the clinical side. I've had some small involvement in working in a case management sort-of setting, and was really thrilled with the work I was doing there.

Instead, I've really, really enjoyed the taste of it while working on my undergrad thesis. Working on the research team is okay, but nothing as fulfilling my thesis. To be honest, I'm very practical and I'm still sitting here trying to talk myself into not enjoying research so I can just go on with my practical plan. But the thought of being involved, for probably quite a long time, with the topic of my research just thrills me to no end.

I'm so conflicted. bleargh. Someone please de-romantize this for me. I came here because you guys are great at reality 🙂

 

[ReInventor]

To be honest, I'm very practical and I'm still sitting here trying to talk myself into not enjoying research so I can just go on with my practical plan.

I keep doing this to myself. I enjoy research but I'm worried that a pure research career is too risky.

 

[cara susanna]

Sorry, can't help you here--four years into graduate school and I still love research.

 

[Psychadelic2012]

I also love research and get ridiculously excited about new ideas/projects in my interest area, and it continues through all of the stages. However, my excitement and motivation goes from 100 to 0 (or less) when I am involved with someone who has a research interests that I have no interest in OR when a hard-core researcher somehow shows that they don't know what they're talking about, makes extraordinary claims about their research, or does research on something I either disagree with or which I think is a waste of time. I think I would hate research, with a passion, if any of these latter reasons were prominent.

 

[missentity]

I also love research and get ridiculously excited about new ideas/projects in my interest area, and it continues through all of the stages. However, my excitement and motivation goes from 100 to 0 (or less) when I am involved with someone who has a research interests that I have no interest in OR when a hard-core researcher somehow shows that they don't know what they're talking about, makes extraordinary claims about their research, or does research on something I either disagree with or which I think is a waste of time. I think I would hate research, with a passion, if any of these latter reasons were prominent.

I'm hoping to enjoy research more once I am in more of my interest area 🙂xf🙂 and I understand and get better at the more of the scientific and technical parts of it (i.e. statistics, improving manuscript/grant writing abilities). Right now, most of what I've done is tedious work such as IRB, date entry, etc. I'm trying to get more exposure to more advanced work (i.e. making a poster, writing/editing manuscripts, data analysis) but I feel like I'm groping in the dark a little and trying to figure things out as I go along, which is very inefficient at times.

Did anyone else feel a little iffy about research at first but then grew to like it once they were in an area they liked and they got better at it?

 

[wigflip]

However, my excitement and motivation goes from 100 to 0 (or less) when I am involved with someone who has a research interests that I have no interest in OR when a hard-core researcher somehow shows that they don't know what they're talking about, makes extraordinary claims about their research, or does research on something I either disagree with or which I think is a waste of time.

Oh yeah, baby. I'm livin' that nightmare right now. :cry:

 

[ResearchGirlie]

I wasn't sure how I would feel about producing research. I know I'm a voracious consumer, but I wasn't sure how I'd feel about being the one to author it. In fact, I was probably sure I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I would the clinical side. I've had some small involvement in working in a case management sort-of setting, and was really thrilled with the work I was doing there.

Instead, I've really, really enjoyed the taste of it while working on my undergrad thesis. Working on the research team is okay, but nothing as fulfilling my thesis. To be honest, I'm very practical and I'm still sitting here trying to talk myself into not enjoying research so I can just go on with my practical plan. But the thought of being involved, for probably quite a long time, with the topic of my research just thrills me to no end.

I'm so conflicted. bleargh. Someone please de-romantize this for me. I came here because you guys are great at reality 🙂

Don't force yourself into a research career. It is too difficult of a career to go into it already not enjoying it. There are a lot of options out there that would benefit from someone who likes reading research and implementing that research without actually being the one producing it.

 

[wigflip]

Don't force yourself into a research career. It is too difficult of a career to go into it already not enjoying it. There are a lot of options out there that would benefit from someone who likes reading research and implementing that research without actually being the one producing it.

I think that's great advice.

 

[syzergy]

Did anyone else feel a little iffy about research at first but then grew to like it once they were in an area they liked and they got better at it?

Yes. I joined research projects in undergrad because I didn't see a lot of options for psychology majors without graduate school. I was so-so about the research until I did my senior honors thesis. I read the lit, designed the study, collected data, analyzed everything, presented at a conference and ended up publishing my findings. So I basically did everything start to finish (with a ton of help from my mentor of course!). I absolutely loved the research process and decided to pursue an academic research career. It was so much different when I was doing my own project. Data entry is important and all.. but not my passion.

 

[Goobernut]

I keep doing this to myself. I enjoy research but I'm worried that a pure research career is too risky.

This, very much this.

I also love research and get ridiculously excited about new ideas/projects in my interest area, and it continues through all of the stages. However, my excitement and motivation goes from 100 to 0 (or less) when I am involved with someone who has a research interests that I have no interest in OR when a hard-core researcher somehow shows that they don't know what they're talking about, makes extraordinary claims about their research, or does research on something I either disagree with or which I think is a waste of time. I think I would hate research, with a passion, if any of these latter reasons were prominent.

I know myself pretty well, and this is another large part of why I've avoided it before. I have a feeling once I stray from my very narrow area of interest I won't care about producing research anymore haha. Still very much a consumer of it, that's a life-long habit.

Don't force yourself into a research career. It is too difficult of a career to go into it already not enjoying it. There are a lot of options out there that would benefit from someone who likes reading research and implementing that research without actually being the one producing it.

I whole-heartedly agree! I was just really surprised that I do like producing it. I'd like to do it more. However over the past couple of days, I reminded myself there were specific reasons for choosing the masters programs that I did. AND that continuing on with my very practical plan does not EXCLUDE me from ever doing research again. I think this was the compromise I needed to make in my head.


Thanks for your wise words everyone 🙂

 

[mewtoo]

I thought I might like research and then I actually did it... and found out I love it. 🙂 I'm a big enough nerd that I enjoy it in general, not just my exact research interests. I've worked on topics ranging from implicit prejudice of religious viewpoints/groups to victimization and healthcare use to weight stigmatization. I've liked them all, though there are definitely topics that I would be bored to death to study.

My mom actually quit pressuring me for med school because she said I acted like an outgoing person when talking about my research while I'm normally pretty reserved and even keeled. I even got my mentor excited about my research interests the other day and she wasn't even all that clear about what the symptomotology of the disorder I wanted to study was. I can already tell as an undergrad (albeit with quite a bit of research experience and in the whole process) that if I was not 100% (or at least 70%) loving research then it would get really old, really quick. I can't imagine having the patience to write a manuscript if one wasn't totally dedicated to it.

 

[ReInventor]

Don't force yourself into a research career. It is too difficult of a career to go into it already not enjoying it. There are a lot of options out there that would benefit from someone who likes reading research and implementing that research without actually being the one producing it.

Do you have any specific recommendations on careers/jobs involving that skill set?

 

[Goobernut]

ReInventor -- I think we personally need more counselors that enjoy reading research and understand the process. I think too many people in many professions go to school and then don't continue to update that knowledge. Or they go to those 2 days seminars for the CEU's and that's the extent of their continuing education. As a coder, I saw that all the time.

 

[futureapppsy2]

ReInventor -- I think we personally need more counselors that enjoy reading research and understand the process. I think too many people in many professions go to school and then don't continue to update that knowledge. Or they go to those 2 days seminars for the CEU's and that's the extent of their continuing education. As a coder, I saw that all the time.

I agree. Sadly, I've seen this a lot even in people who have doctorates, degrees that (presumably) emphasize the importance of research.

 

[wigflip]

I agree. Sadly, I've seen this a lot even in people who have doctorates, degrees that (presumably) emphasize the importance of research.

Related to the "why don't people with doctorates keep up with research" discussion:

"Academic Paywalls Mean Publish and Perish"

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/10/20121017558785551.html

 

[sockit]

I hope it's ok to tag these on here.. Just a few questions for active researchers - how easy or difficult is it to maintain focus 1) in a changing political/funding environment and 2) in the context of a longish time frame, from beginning to completion?

For those working on questions outside of basic science, like vision - for example, clinical topics, or social or cognitive ones, for which you can imagine a practical application in eg therapeutic practice, policy, or technology - how much is your motivation informed by a desire to see your research 'make an impact'? If it's 'lots' or even 'some', how do you cope with frustration around the barriers I imagine exist (lack of communication across fields or sectors)? To what degree are you involved in 'knowledge transfer', or otherwise translating your or others' research to a wider audience?