Notes from the Professor
Dear Professor;
I am a high school student thinking of a career in science or engineering. I acknowledge there are many things I must do to prepare for both my time at the university and my career. I need to prioritize my efforts. Can you suggest where to start? Is there something that should be at the top of my priority list?
From Your STEM Student
Dear STEM Student,
I started a scientific career in 1964. Over the years I’ve been asked many questions, many times, relating to your inquiry Until recently, I often suggested the following
Study as much mathematics your schedule will allow. You will learn to be a problem solver.
Study speech, debate and drama. It will teach you to communicate with your peers and the public.
Learn to play a musical instrument or a similar effort in the arts. Your mind will learn to dream, formulate ideas, and consider possibilities.
Learn to use as many tools you can; hammers, wrenches, electric saws, computers, telescope, integrated circuits, chop sticks, sewing machines, soldering iron, an ax, a tooth pick and an electron microscope. Learn to be handy with every tool with which you can spend time. Learn about a new tool every day.
Learn to go to bed early and rise early.
Exercise and eat a good breakfast.
A majority of the scientists and engineers of my acquaintance are proficient in most of the items on my list, and deem them extremely important…. ...especially to students. However, recently I’ve found it necessary to add something new to my list…..Hurry Sickness. It is a behavior pattern that has crept into the lives of most students It’s something to be avoided. It is something that can defeat a future scientist or engineer.
Commonly mentioned definitions of Hurry Sickness include these descriptors:
A continual rushing and anxiousness
Overwhelming sense of urgency
Feeling chronically short of time
Worrying that one’s peers might be ahead or winning
A tendency to doing things faster and being the first to get things done
Being flustered when experiencing any impediment or delay.
Short patience
Tendency to “giving-up” after only one or two attempts
Packing your schedule with more and more things to do and accomplish
A lack of spare time
Contributing to a potential case of Hurry Sickness in your student / career path is the world’s ever- expanding technology, which provides us with quick and easy answers and access to data. Add to that our daily experiences with fast food, overnight delivery, advanced placement classes, multi-tasking and instant everything.
Hurry Sickness can be a dreaded nemesis to a student entering a scientific pursuit. You have probably already learned that scientists and innovators not only search for solutions. They research ! That suggests they search, and search, and search again; perhaps performing hundreds or thousands of repetitive tests to find a result. They may run trials and searches year after year. Sometimes, answers do not come quickly. Sometimes, concentrated dedication is required to achieve a goal. All of those scenarios might not be tolerable to a student with hurry sickness. There are no quick and easy answers in science or engineering.
If you sense you might be entering into a Hurry Sickness status, there are some strategies this old professor suggests you consider for implementation:
Make a to-do list. Prioritize what you need to get done each day. You will eventually learn the appropriate length of the to-do’s. Make certain you scratch through the last item on your daily list, leaving plenty of time with nothing to do. You will sleep better and can take care of tomorrow’s to-do list……… tomorrow.
Get out of bed early. Leave plenty of time to get ready for the day and eating a good breakfast. It is much better to rise early to cram for a test rather than to stay up late the night before. There should be no rush to get to school or to work.
Arrive at every class or appointment early.
Put on your to-do list several short periods of time to pause and reflect on your day’s work.
In addition to your daily to-do list, create a one year, two year, 10 year and 40 years goal document. It will help you accept the notion that not everything must be done today.
Scientists, engineers, innovators, technologists, and mathematicians share a common humanity. All are susceptible of falling prey to Hurry Sickness; especially those in the dawn of their careers. Slow down, take a breath from time-to -time, and do your math homework with the knowledge you do not have to get every problem correct, every time.
Author :Professor Steven L. Jacobs.
