“Am I the current incarnation of Einstein?”: a word of advice for those entering academia in these turbulent times
by Ilya Reviakine, @socialimpurity
If you are studying or working in our era of political correctness and radical fragility, there is a chance you are wrapped in a warm blanket of support and encouragement, showered with praise and commendation. You’re the greatest, you put in a stellar effort, you are not defined by productivity measures (marks, test scores, results, publications, scholarships, or grants), and, in general, you’re on track for a jolly bright future. All that praise must fill you with a sense of optimism and elation!
If you are the kind of person who won all of the school, state, national, and international awards, contests, competitions, and Olympiads in your field and beyond, I suppose you can stop reading. On the other hand, if not, your critical mind should start wondering: what is all the praise for and where it is coming from?
In contrast, when I was a student, on the first day of class our chemistry professor looked at the ~ 1000 strong audience filling the auditorium, and said the following: “Take a look to your left. Now to your right. These are the faces you are not going to see next year. They will be gone.” He was right, too: quite a few people didn’t make it through the first year. That put things in perspective: hang on by the skin of your teeth, this isn’t a charity. Nor should it be. There is a strong chance that you won’t make it.
The first part of my advice is this: remember that people whose goal is to actually foster your growth and independence will paint a realistic picture of your future. You’re probably not the current incarnation of Einstein, and even if you were, chances are you’d have to work as a patent clerk before recognition came. Indeed, looking at Einstein’s biography, one finds that he wasn’t the model of Jewish privilege or academic success the adepts of the woke ideology are accusing academic elites of: he had to save for three years in order to pay for his Swiss citizenship application; upon graduation, he ended up unemployed; he got his famous job at the patent office through a friend; his PhD dissertation was not accepted on the first attempt; his first faculty position came after his annus mirabilis publications. Are you prepared for such a path? Are you compelled to pursue your scientific passions as an after-work hobby? If the answer is no, this should be the first clue to the disconnect between the feedback you are receiving and reality.
Professors and teachers are people, too. They want to keep their jobs and have a chance to pursue their research and teaching activities, ideally minimizing stress, disruptions, and scorn of their overly woke colleagues. If providing a fair assessment lands one in the HR or excommunicated, assessments will tend to be less than fair. It is also far easier to get something out of you by buttering you up than by fostering your independence and growth. So the second part of my advice is to be aware of the flattery and manipulation that may very well be associated with any praise you receive. Seek out and value constructive criticism instead, especially criticism of your blind spots. Remember, “Vanity… Definitely my favorite sin!”.
Excellent summary, Ilya!
Brought me back to first years as a college student in the USSR where, following mandatory few weeks on a collective farm, we were indeed amazed to discover that some of our fellow students are dismissed (with the men on their way to the mandatory military service) for not passing only one pass/fail test. This was not the turbulent 1930 or 50s - it was 1990-91. Sometimes, just hearing my stories of Soviet-style admissions and testing (with merit actually playing a role) makes some of my current students reach for their emotional-support pet.