I'm taking a great Early Career course with FutureLearn.
Today, I want to reflect on what I have learnt so far.
My strengths
- I really enjoy my postdoc job. It fits all my academic strengths
- But there are things I like and I feel that I'm not good at, such as engagement and impact, leading others ( I feel insecure), networking (I enjoy it but I feel insecure), giving and receiving feedback and interacting with others (I feel insecure because I used to be too harsh and can still be, but harshness is masking my innate shyness), using statistics (I love them but I don't feel confident)
- And these are things I don't like but have to do at work: critically analysing my work and that of others (I feel vulnerable in both cases), presenting my work to a critical audience (vulnerable), staying enthusiastic, confident and resilient in the face of difficulties (this triggers procrastination in me)
My values
- Given my family commitments, I need job security but my current job is on a fixed-term contract, which makes my future uncertain
- Helping others and society... matters to me and my job is not giving me this yet
- I enjoy learning and I do that both in and (mostly) out of my current job
- I am not interested in competing, fast-pacing myself and being under pressure; I prefer peace. Warning: I will have to supervise others in future (I should prepare myself for that)
- Academia matches the following values for me: recognition, being an expert, taking on challenges, communication and community, creativity, friendships, independence and time freedom, making decisions, working from home or nearby, precise work, building a routine but taking occasional risks, a good combination of working alone (most of the time) and working with others (occasionally) without attending long, draining meetings (that's why I don't want to go into administration)
- I also value academia because I think it promotes higher psychological functions (e.g., solving problems, using and creating tools, creating new knowledge) as opposed to natural psychological functions (e.g., perception, movement) (Vygotsky, 1987). It's about doing the best you can as a human being.
My personality
This is how people see me:
- calm
- kind
- responsible
- hard-working
- intelligent
This is how I see myself:
- calm
- kind
- observant
- self-conscious, shy
- sentimental
And these are potential aspects of my personally that I could (and would like to) develop:
- loyal and trustworthy
- loving and caring, compassionate, empathic
- congruent
- resilient
- honest
And a marginal note:
- I can be funny