[DIYbio] Re: How do you keep motivated?

Awesome post Dakota and good questions.
This post is probably going to be kind of negative and alot of people won't like it but maybe it will help inspire changes to some things in DIY Science.

There has always been alot of debate on this list over it's history about whether people should goto school or not and I have usually always been pro-school because I went to school.
I think there is alot of what I like to call "Good Will Hunting Syndrome" in DIY Bio. People think that they can pick up a pipette or even a book and next week or next month be a prolific Scientist and do great experiments. But the truth is that you can't.
Science is one of those tough disciplines in which alot of knowledge is needed to even begin on a basic level and until one is at a high level one does not actually know the knowledge that they don't know so they imagine that they are brilliant and have and can solve all the world's problems. I was actually like this alot!

One can teach themselves things but what and how? i.e. do you even know what you don't know? Most professionals do a Science based undergrad, maybe a Master's or technician position and then a Ph.D. for a total of about 12 years in Science training from teachers who know what they are doing. Even then alot of these people are considered poor Scientists. So how to make a good DIY Scientist? I think it takes years and years. Which is why so little "innovation" is currently coming out of DIY Science. It can be done for sure. I believe in it. That is why I am part of it. I know it can happen because I was part of the computer hackers movement in the 90s and taught myself to code and wrote some pretty nice software. So I know it is possible at least in some disciplines. Even then though that took being stuck in front of a computer for 8 hours a day for years.

I think the main issue is how to be stuck in a lab and Science environment for 10 hours a day for years. I bet I would have a hard time finding a untrained DIY Scientist that had lab skills that could compare to someone who did their Ph.D. at a top 40 uni. because they just can't replicate the hours that are spent in the lab and the hours in class and the hours being mentored. I think one way to change this is to make Science supplies and equipment available for cheap which I am trying to do at The ODIN(http://www.the-odin.com) so people can do everything they need in their homes. But I think there also needs to be an infrastructure in DIY Science with mentorship and such, which there currently is not.

If you really love Science I would say goto graduate school. That is if you can goto a top 40 or 50 Uni. because the training in the other ones might help you find a meager job but in my experience with others in Science it is probably not worth it(might offend alot of people saying this but it is true. Mediocre Scientists at mediocre universities breed mediocre Scientists). This is not the case all the time and used to be different 20 or 30 years ago when funded wasn't concentrated in the top 20-40. Graduate school is hard and a waste of time for most people and many Ph.D.s I know end up working in an area that doesn't require their 6-7 years of depressing training. It really is tough. But I wouldn't change it. I would do it again. I didn't even know what I didn't know and I learned more than I could have imagined when I went in.

An anecdote:
I did my MS at virtually unknown university, Appalachian State. I remember going to a Gordon Conference, which is kind of a prestigious conference in Science, and people really wouldn't give me the time of day. I remember going to another Gordon Conference while finishing my Ph.D. at UChicago and people wanted to interact with me without knowing much about me. I am sure some of it also had to do with my perception of myself but that is honestly the way the world works. You goto a top 10 or top 20 uni and everyone thinks you're hot shit or a piece of shit depending on who you ask.

Money, prestige and notoriety open up doors that are so much more difficult to open otherwise. It is sad but true. If you don't have any of these it can be really difficult to accomplish things.

Beauty inspires me. When myself or someone else builds something or hacks something or does an experiment that is really clever that makes me impressed by the skill and creativity. That inspires me. Also, Iron Man 3.

I have run two kickstarter campaigns and both failed. Worked on one failed business. Invented The Chromochord(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromochord) and no one cared about it for years after my first demo. Was tore apart on this list for posting the $2 gel electrophoresis power supply(remember that?). Was considered bottom of my class when I entered graduate school. Had papers rejected many many times. Every non-academic grant I have written for any of my projects has been rejected(maybe 10 now in the past year).

It sucks not to be validated. It is one of the saddest parts of life. However, don't think graduate school will bring you much validation from more than a handful. Especially when all your peers are also Ph.D.s

I think in the end you need to find a reason for doing something that is almost beyond others. Just to see something cool and beautiful. Maybe have one other person experience that beauty.

If you ever want mentorship or advice feel free to contact me or even just to show something interesting or cool. josiah.zayner@gmail.com









On Friday, June 6, 2014 9:25:26 AM UTC-7, Dakota wrote:

No science here, but nonetheless important.

It's been interesting reading the posts on this group over the years and even meeting some people in person.  The group is an eclectic bunch that spans the gamut from academic professionals to people who've never picked up a pipette in their life, and all are part of the family!  It's great when that many people come together because they want to learn something.  Curiosity is no doubt an important human trait, as is the desire to teach others.

I know many people each have their own little projects they are working on, with some people intent on changing the world and others just happy to see that a transformation worked.  Nevertheless I'd venture to say that many of us all share something in common, and that's that we all are a little "different" from the normal crowd.  

I never liked jumping through hoops and life has an odd way of punishing you for that.  Many of us are or were students, undergraduate or graduate, and I feel like academia can sometimes be the worst perpetrator of elitism.  

I'll be completely honest here and say part of me really desires to be part of "the club" of elite institutions because it is a form of validation, of saying, you made it, you're good enough.  And then the other half of me, which brings me to this place filled with all you fine people, says #$%& the club.  It says to me, you don't need external validation to be great.  You create greatness through your actions, you inspire greatness with your ideas, and you nurture greatness by helping others.

Maybe I'm going through a quarter life crisis because I fear committing to graduate school prior to taking a chance in life, but it seems like you're up against the world when you're outside the bubble of rich schools and rich companies.  I guess that never stopped many great people in the past though, so why should it stop any of us?

I suppose part of it is feeling guilty for asking for help without a perfect product, or a flawless plan of execution, or an already finished proof of concept.  But...often times you need help in order to make a better product, or to build a better plan of execution, or to achieve a proof of concept.  

Before I write a book that no one wants to read I think I'll stop there and just ask, what inspires you?  What motivates you?  What are your successes and failures? Do you fear living your entire life without being validated for something you've worked very hard for?  How do you overcome caring about what other people think to just get shit done?

-Dakota