 |
| From Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson. |
Welcome to our weekly agony-column for confused (post)grad-students--Dear Labby! This week's letter is about how we deal with curmudgeons-in-chief (i.e., your boss...es).
Dear Labby,
I think I'm losing my sanity bit by bit every time my two thesis advisers call me for a one-on-one meeting. Not only do they "highly" suggest that I do additional experiments, they contradict each other when it comes to my project planning! Prof. A wants me to jump, but Prof. B wants me to sit--just to illustrate my point, if you know what I mean. Hnnnnnngh! What am I to do???
Torn Between Two Mentors
--
Dear TBTM, it would be to your greatest advantage if you can optimize (and stabilize) human cloning, because that is what you need right now. If you can do that to the tune of that schmaltzy Mary MacGregor ditty without breaking down in tears, then kudos to you, dear!
Short of actually inventing the duplicator from the Calvin & Hobbes comics, try calling both your advisers for a two-on-one meeting. Then sit back (and grab a bag of popcorn) while watching them contradict each other for an hour. But, this isn't just an hour of entertainment, TBTM--you need to listen in to their points of argument and weigh in on the final decision for your project, because it is your project, after all. The statements you will hear have their merits and weaknesses, and it's up to you to decide which ones you agree with.
Labby's S.O. would always describe compromise as "a solution where everyone loses." But hey, at least you get to decide to what extent the compromise will be...making you the sole winner between your (feuding) mentors.
Unless you really want to build that duplicator machine from a cardboard box found in the lab stockroom.
Hugs,
Labby
--
"Dear Labby" is a collaborative effort by this blogger and her fellow PhD students in different fields of research. Got a social (lab office) head-scratcher to share? Use the comment box below, or tell us here!
No comments:
Post a Comment