Things I Wish I’d Known in Grad School

John Penix

NASA Ames Research Center

It’s not all Nuts and Bolts

In the real world, social skills are just as important as technical skills

Building a research career is about building working relationships

Learn how to plan collaborative projects Learn time management skills Learn how to write proposals

Learn to Communicate Specifically focus on your writing skills Experiment with different approaches to

presenting your research READ!!! - not just research papers, but popular

science, science fiction, non-tech Practice giving talks - experiment with analogies

- remember the big picture Start or join a reading group Friendly related work sections

Publish and go to Conferences

Small conferences and workshops let you meet people and get feedback

Works in progress, poster sessions, demos, course projects

Find funding: department, university, co-authors, student volunteers, ACM

Don’t restrict yourself to your specific field of expertise

Do an Internship

Internships are there for the taking - there is always work to be done

Internship time is not wasted toward degree Change of pace & environment Builds contacts, references, publications Chance to broaden background to balance

depth of PhD studies

How to Finish your Dissertation

Uninstall Netscape Forget LaTeX, use TeX Avoid sunlight Practice sleep typing No time out for bathing Sick Ken Starr on your advisor

How to Finish your Dissertation

It is up to you Know exactly what your committee expects Prioritize and focus Draw the line - start a future work section Chunks and iterations Write as you work - alternate days/weeks Set a hard deadline Set another hard deadline…

Finding a Job

Start early Internships can lead to full-time positions Post-docs can be springboards Pick an area where you want to live Work with people you like

Summary

It’s not just about technical skills There is no such thing as a misunderstood

genus Don’t hold out for the big time Internships aren’t a waste of time Just do it