Abstract

A career does not follow a straight path. Determination, decision-making, and focus are essential ingredients, as well as a fair amount of flexibility, especially when one is struggling with contradictory signals. Career planning and the necessary decision-making must be learned however, and this may be particularly difficult when negative outcomes are likely and encouragement is rare. Under such circumstances, finding a job that makes one happy could be considered a noteworthy measure of success. However, even after attaining such a position, many tend to compare their own performance and career development with those of the celebrities in the field. This can only result in frustration and insecurity. Furthermore, success in marine science is generally characterized by metrics, together with the manner in which one’s career has advanced through a series of positions occupied in the zig-zag from student life to retirement. For me, a more personal kind of success has been to overcome the fear of failure that arises through constant comparison of my own performance and achievements with those who are perceived as the best in the field. This might be viewed more as social anxiety than fear as I will explain in this article.

中文翻译：

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科学的生活-征服魔鬼的一种方式（但可能不是最好的方式）

摘要

职业不是走一条直线路。决心，决策和专注是必不可少的要素，同时也具有相当大的灵活性，尤其是当人们在相互矛盾的信号中挣扎时。但是，必须学习职业规划和必要的决策，当可能出现负面结果并且很少受到鼓励时，这可能特别困难。在这种情况下，找到一份能让人开心的工作被认为是成功的重要指标。但是，即使获得了这样的职位，许多人还是倾向于将自己的业绩和职业发展与该领域的名人进行比较。这只会导致沮丧和不安全感。此外，海洋科学的成功通常以指标，以及从学生生活到退休生活所经历的一系列曲折中的职业发展方式。对我来说，一种更个人化的成功是克服对失败的恐惧，这种恐惧是通过不断将自己的表现和成就与那些被认为是最好的人进行比较而得出的。正如我将在本文中解释的那样，这可能更被视为社交焦虑而不是恐惧。