Something I am curious about as a trainee myself is the downstream implications of scarcity in science. Smaller teams + less trainees + less opportunities now with (likely) more health issues emerging from this time seems like a recipe for disaster. Some disciplines inevitably will be more impacted than others, but building a pipeline of talent is far harder after creating so much instability.
These are some of my fears too. Primary care, for example, may be hit harder under these scenarios. I think there are ways around smaller teams - more shared resources for example (hoping to address that soon!) Less trainees IS a problem. Opportunities exist and will continue to exist - they may be in different places and look different. We need to create some new opportunities - more thinking to be done there!
Love this post. I wanted to add a few thoughts: 1) pay attention to what the universe might be telling you. The older I get, whether you believe in fate, coincidence, or opportunities, I can look back and marvel at the times serendipity or taking a chance influenced my career. 2) With this all, don’t forget that family and friends matter, and often more than work. Make time for them. 3) Whatever fuels your creativity, e.g., vacations, nature, hobbies, reading, needs to be a regular thing. Dial out work as much as possible during 2 and 3. 4) and a reminder that mentors may come from outside work, so keep networking as you said. And you may have different mentors for different things.
There may be smaller teams at an institution but networking and collaboration (as Alexis speaks to) are key to making teams ‘bigger’ overall. I dislike the phrase to do more with less, but instead work smarter not harder is what I subscribe to, especially in times like this.
Something I am curious about as a trainee myself is the downstream implications of scarcity in science. Smaller teams + less trainees + less opportunities now with (likely) more health issues emerging from this time seems like a recipe for disaster. Some disciplines inevitably will be more impacted than others, but building a pipeline of talent is far harder after creating so much instability.
These are some of my fears too. Primary care, for example, may be hit harder under these scenarios. I think there are ways around smaller teams - more shared resources for example (hoping to address that soon!) Less trainees IS a problem. Opportunities exist and will continue to exist - they may be in different places and look different. We need to create some new opportunities - more thinking to be done there!
Thank you for commenting!
Appreciate those insights! I totally agree, balance is incredibly important!
Love this post. I wanted to add a few thoughts: 1) pay attention to what the universe might be telling you. The older I get, whether you believe in fate, coincidence, or opportunities, I can look back and marvel at the times serendipity or taking a chance influenced my career. 2) With this all, don’t forget that family and friends matter, and often more than work. Make time for them. 3) Whatever fuels your creativity, e.g., vacations, nature, hobbies, reading, needs to be a regular thing. Dial out work as much as possible during 2 and 3. 4) and a reminder that mentors may come from outside work, so keep networking as you said. And you may have different mentors for different things.
There may be smaller teams at an institution but networking and collaboration (as Alexis speaks to) are key to making teams ‘bigger’ overall. I dislike the phrase to do more with less, but instead work smarter not harder is what I subscribe to, especially in times like this.