The point is you may never become a great researcher. In some sense, we are all in
this category if you put yourself in the stream of time or in the scale of
the globe. Then, what do you do if you still want to have a career and to establish some status or influence, even if you recognize that you are not a first class researcher? Funding is a game to play.
With funding, you can say that you are a researcher been recognized, though you are not so great.
Funding is also one index of market — the trend of the investment in science and technology.
It is like the investment in movies. You are a great actor for Shakespare plays, but
it is not in the trend anymore (maybe). So you will be a great but lonely actor for your life. I would do both,
to be a great actor, and stay in trend. If you are not so talent, try to be a pop star :).
To win a best paper reward, to get funding may not be the goals of the scitenific carreer. But they are the targets.
Daniel Lemiresays:
I think that John Travolta was a pop star at the very beginning of his career. He also did not go into plays.
I believe you can become a great research while participating in fashionable research trends… however, what is your goal? If your goal is only to hop on the next trend, and get money and publish lots of papers, you will never grow… and so, you’ll always be at point zero, doing the same thing all over again, and again, and again… as with all new trends, you’ll start again, publish lots of papers, get lots of funding.
Is that all there is?
I think you should have a more noble goal for yourself.
The point is you may never become a great researcher. In some sense, we are all in
this category if you put yourself in the stream of time or in the scale of
the globe. Then, what do you do if you still want to have a career and to establish some status or influence, even if you recognize that you are not a first class researcher? Funding is a game to play.
With funding, you can say that you are a researcher been recognized, though you are not so great.
Funding is also one index of market — the trend of the investment in science and technology.
It is like the investment in movies. You are a great actor for Shakespare plays, but
it is not in the trend anymore (maybe). So you will be a great but lonely actor for your life. I would do both,
to be a great actor, and stay in trend. If you are not so talent, try to be a pop star :).
To win a best paper reward, to get funding may not be the goals of the scitenific carreer. But they are the targets.
I think that John Travolta was a pop star at the very beginning of his career. He also did not go into plays.
I believe you can become a great research while participating in fashionable research trends… however, what is your goal? If your goal is only to hop on the next trend, and get money and publish lots of papers, you will never grow… and so, you’ll always be at point zero, doing the same thing all over again, and again, and again… as with all new trends, you’ll start again, publish lots of papers, get lots of funding.
Is that all there is?
I think you should have a more noble goal for yourself.
It’s true. You’ve got to do it for the subject itself.