The 13th Reality - A Great Book for Minds Young and Old

For the past several years, I have had the habit of picking up a novel to read if I am going on a long trip where I expect to have some time on my hands. If the trip involves a lot of driving, then I might get an audiobook - either instead or in addition. On our recent trip west, I picked up The 13th Reality to listen to, a book that probably fits best on the genre of young readers and science fiction. The main character is a boy named Atticus "Tick" Higginbottom, a nerd with no friends who one day receives a letter inviting him to take up a quest to help many people at the risk of great peril to his own life. What follows is a fun ride of mystery, scientific intrigue, and personal triumph. I won't spoil anything about the book, but I definitely enjoyed it, as did my daughter (though I doubt she grasped a lot of it). My wife even seemed to enjoy it, though she let me listen to parts without her and give her summaries. I would definitely consider the book a great purchase for a young teenager (probably a boy) who enjoys science or mysteries. It was clean, engaging, and fun. I thought the interactions between the main character and his father were heart-warming. I look forward to the next book, The Hunt for Dark Infinity, due out (based on the running clock on his blog at jamesdashner.blogspot.com) in about five months.

For the record, I picked up the book because the title sounded interesting, and I bought it because the author was from "a small town in Georgia". He doesn't live in Georgia now, but I like to support my home state authors when I can. I hope he has a bright future ahead of him.

-- Robert

A Career and a Calling - Good Advice Part V

The last professor, a more seasoned researcher, spent the first few minutes explaining to me what he had worked on in the past. After several minutes, though, he asked me what I expected to get out of a doctorate. I answered, and he looked at me for a long moment before pointing to a set of pink journals on his bookshelf.

"You see those? One in ten articles submitted actually gets printed," he let me know, looking for a reaction. "So you can work for five years on something, only to have no one read it."

I thanked him for letting me know that bit of information. I also let him know I was undaunted. We then had a wonderful exchange about my perspective on what I might accomplish versus the likely reality. Each question and answer gave me plenty of reason to reconsider my path, but each time I assured him I would not be dissuaded.

Then our conversation took a more casual turn. We talked about where he had gone to school, and I realized he was a member of my church. I had not considered it before, but with that knowledge, I felt I could share something with him I wouldn't share with just anyone.

I told him I felt called to become a professor. I knew I wanted it, but I finally felt as though it was time to do it. He understood immediately.

"As a member of the Church, saying that you feel called to something means a great deal," he agreed. He even told me something very personal about his own path to become a professor. I assured him I did not bring up my membership in the Church to influence my application in any way, but I knew it would help him understand. He definitely did. That conversation was certainly one I know I will remember for a long time. It was congenial, it was enjoyable, but most of all it was filled with the Spirit in the end - if not the entire time. I had felt it when he kept asking, and yet it hadn't occurred to me he might be feeling it to until the conversation took that last turn.

Whether or not I end up at the school I visited, I hope I can keep in touch with that professor. I think I could learn a lot from him, and I felt a kindred connection beyond the simple commonality of religion. I would love to find a new friend in him in time.

-- Robert

Why Not Harvard - Good Advice Part IV

The fourth person I sat with focused a lot of our conversation on the need to find a good fit between my interests and the school where I begin my studies. He asked me for the list of schools where I was applying, and he focused on Harvard. He explained something another professor had said to me, only he went into greater detail.

"Don't go to Harvard," he began. "They have a great reputation as an MBA program, but they have a terrible research program."

I let him know I wanted to know more about what he meant, so he continued.

"First, their professors are just never available to students. They're working on their own consulting or they're just never there. If a student needs to ask them an important question about a project, they're just not there to ask," he went on. "They also have a habit of working their doctoral students and junior faculty very hard on business cases. The problem is, no one else considers those cases valuable, so it's not helpful to a research resume. The important thing to look at is where their students are getting hired, versus where other programs are getting their students hired. Harvard doesn't fare well."

I applied to Harvard because I wondered if I could get in, but now I feel satisfied I should not go even if they accept me. As I said, other professors have warned me of the reputation, and now I understand it more fully. I had worried about the unlikely contingency that I might get in to Harvard and my other top choice, only to find myself obligated to go to Harvard. Now I feel sure I will gladly go to my top choice without remorse, regardless of Harvard's evaluation of me.

And no, I'm not rationalizing their failure to let me in before they do it. I am truly glad to not have to worry about Harvard anymore.

-- Robert

P.S.: Tomorrow, a career and a calling.

Governance - Good Advice Part III

When I asked the second student about her dissertation, she explained that the subject fell into the area of governance. I had seen that term on several paper titles, but the academic usage had not occurred to me. It made perfect sense, once she explained it, that governance was another word for leadership. Since leadership had been the first topic of interest to me when I first thought I wanted to become a professor, I was fascinated to learn that term for it. Apparently many research papers get written on how the leaders involved in the formulation and execution of strategies impact their success. Other aspects of leadership get studied as well, but that was one subject she and I discussed.

In short, I realized I could specialize in strategy and focus on the area of governance. I could examine the qualities of leaders that correlate most strongly to well executed strategy. I could examine the importance of leadership in strategy in general. More and more ideas come to my mind, and I realize I need to look back over the articles from the most recent conference to familiarize myself with current work on governance.

-- Robert

P.S.: Tomorrow - why I should turn down Harvard.

Best Fit - Good Advice, Part II

The second person I visited was the Dean of the Business School. She spent a lot more time listening to me than talking, but she still helped me understand the nature of research. Since the student I spoke to first had told me that strategy professors often develop research without actually compiling the data, I wanted to know how that worked in practice. She explained that because a lot of data was already available, many researchers accessed it to compare and analyze companies. Still, strategy research did involve some formulation of new data at times, and it was up to each researcher to decide how a given project might be handled in that way.

She also made sure I understood the importance of choosing a school that matched my interests. I had received that advice before, but it was nice to know that the people at this school were more concerned that I choose what was best for me than trying to get me to prove my desire to go there.

I got asked that same question a lot - why research strategy if your interests were primarily in entrepreneurship? I answered consistently with the truth. I felt that the area of strategy was a good basis for a research in entrepreneurship, and most of the great minds in the field of ENT had started in strategy. I saw no conflict in my interests because the two fields have a great deal of common ground. I just want to work with the best people who will help me get a great start in my career. I have more interests than just entrepreneurship, and I want to find a school where I can learn which area would be the best for me to focus my career.

I think the Dean understood my perspective when we parted.

-- Robert

P.S.: Tomorrow: I spoke to another student who helped me understand a particular research term.

Boundaries - Good Advice, Part I

In the first conversation I had with a student at the school I visited last Friday rendered a great bit of advice. I asked him to describe the workload from his first year, and subsequent years. He told me he had set ground rules for himself early on, with his wife's encouragement, that he would only work Monday - Friday until about five or six. It meant he came in early each day, but it also kept him from taking his work home. He felt that if he started taking it home in his doctoral program, he would continue doing that once he became a professor. He considered his doctoral studies the beginning of his career, rather than a transition between his past life and the career of academics. I could definitely see his point.

I hope I can manage to set those ground rules for myself - my wife and I had already discussed similar ideas of separating work and family - but I cannot say how easy that will be until I delve into the first year. Still, like with any other career, a job can take every minute a person will give it, until there is no time left for life beyond. A career in research is certainly no different. The beauty is I can define for myself how I spend my time, and when I am going to stop for a given day or a given project. Certainly I will have to meet the demands set by others, but I will largely be able to set my own schedule and path in this new life.

-- Robert

P.S.: I will be recording my thoughts from the discussions I had with the people I visited with that Friday. Each had something important to share, even if they didn't intentionally do it. It may grow boring for anyone still reading, but I wanted a record of these thoughts for myself.

Go West, Young Man

Friday, we will be heading west. Our original plan was for me to go for a long weekend to see my best friend, watch a football game with him, and visit one of the schools I've applied to, but now I will be going on with the rest of the family north from there to see family. I always love to see any of my in-laws, so it will be a good trip, but my main job will be to entertain the kids while my wife visits her father. I'll probably take them to the Planetarium, some of the malls, one of the parks in the area, and probably some other places I haven't thought of. I look forward to getting to spend so much time with my children. I'm not sure how much blogging I'll be doing while I'm gone, but from the lack of responses to many of my latest posts, the respite might be a welcome one to anyone reading. Hopefully I'll also get some time to read a book or two for pleasure. I just know I'm looking forward to the trip, even though it will involve a lot of driving and flying.