2/ Before one of the sessions started, I struck up a conversation a presenter from earlier in the day. I enjoyed his talk and learned a bit. I told him as much. He asked me about my work. I was "only" a PhD student then, but I knew what I was going to propose for my thesis.
-
-
Show this thread
-
3/ I told him about it. His response: "That's a blog post not a dissertation." End of conversation.
Show this thread -
4/ He had status in that community; I did not. I figured it was not a good idea to call him a sack of shit, as I'm wont to do. I just stopped talking. He didn't seem to mind.
Show this thread -
5/ It actually fucked with my head for while. Know what doesn't help with
#ImposterSyndrome? Someone implicitly calling your interests and research motivation inadequate.Show this thread -
6/ Removed a few years in time, I can look back with confidence knowing I can do the same work he does. I can contribute to our field. But, had I been in a different point in my life at the time, that type of experience could have pushed me to say, "fuck this, I quit."
Show this thread -
7/ From that experience, it's easy to recognize the basic importance of respecting what people are doing. Even if it's uninteresting to you, it's probably not to them. And, they're putting in work on it, so maybe...don't?
Show this thread -
8/ At a minimum, maybe STFU? Better yet, be supportive and encouraging! (I remember also vividly remember
@MrMeritology telling something like, "good job, that was really cool" on a class project that had me beaming. That stuff accumulates too, but positively.)Show this thread -
9/ But, don't be a dick and do be supportive is only a half the lesson. It also made me realize that my encounter with "that's a blog post not a dissertation"-guy was atypical in that it was an *infrequent* experience. Women experience that shit incessantly.
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
-
-
It turns out he was wrong, I'm assuming - that the idea in fact is/will be a dissertation topic? I think there is a turning point for every PhD student when they realise that academia is full of opinions as well as facts - and that you don't always have to listen to the opinions
-
My current one changed slightly because I found out something really cool while doing the first idea! But, the first idea was still sound and would have been great for the 2016 election (it was predictive.)
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.