When did you know: Research

[mewtoo]

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For the researchers here, when did you know that research was for you?

Did you have some sort of epiphany, feeling, etc.? Did you just fall into it or just do it because you have to?

I mainly ask because sometimes I doubt whether I really want to do research or go into academia and it is mostly because of stupid reasons. Like I think, "So many people hate doing research and it seems daunting, so why do I think its for me?" But then again I remember before my research design class I was so excited to get to write a proposal and then before and during conducting that experiment the next semester I was still excited. Right now I'm taking two science courses for the first summer semester (overtime, actually) and my main professor I do research with told me to put the research away and concentrate on my classes because we'll have all of summer II and fall to work on it. On a side note, I wonder how many professor would love to have to tell their students, "Calm down, we don't have to do all the research right now!" Back to the point, I've been finding myself wanting to be working on the manuscript rather than doing my homework...(especially my chemistry 2 homework, haha)

So did you guys have similar experiences to what I'm going through right now? I know I wouldn't mind doing research, as I've seen others say before, but I wonder if I'd love doing research. Is this something you really discover in grad school or did you already know? Any opinions are appreciated.

 

[Ya Ya]

I knew research was for me my senior year of college. I chose to do an honors thesis just to make myself competitive for grad school. Up until that point, the thesis was the hardest thing I've ever done. I had to take something as intangible as an idea and bring it into reality. I remember how proud I was to run participants in a study that I created! The coolest part for me, however, was when I presented my findings to faculty and peers. Although I didn't end up publishing my thesis, I felt that I had in a small way contributed to the field. As a grad student, my love for research has only grown.

 

[cara susanna]

Research is the one thing I've never truly struggled with at any point during graduate school. When everything else was sucking, my research kept me going.

Honestly, even when I wanted to be a clinician (my first year of my program) I loved research and wanted it to be a part of my career. When I was starting to think about making the decision to pursue academia, my (mostly clinically-oriented) cohort-mates all said that going into academia would be the right move for me because they all knew how passionate I am about research. The faculty also encouraged me. I'm still very happy with my decision, although I am worried about being able to find an internship, a job and, if I am lucky enough to get the opportunity, making tenure.

 

[PsychPhDone]

I discovered I loved doing research when I got involved with my first research lab in undergrad. This was further solidified when I was a full-time RA and got to do it 40 hours a week. I think the experience of formulating questions and being involved in every aspect of the research process (e.g., IRB, data analysis, manuscript writing) was important.