Monday, April 28, 2008

Embracing the Inner Nerd

I am so close to finish a full draft of my qualifier right now. In fact, I'm taking a break from writing right now to write this post. I have been working through multiple drafts with KB, but this will be the first complete draft with tables and analysis. And, I'm submitting this draft to DM, my 2nd reader for feedback. After devoting so much time to this paper, I'm so glad that I'm nearly finished. Well, not quite, since KB and I will continue work to coauthor this paper and hopefully get it published.

Some strange and unexpected things have happened as I've been working through this draft for the past few weeks. I've actually been excited to work on the paper and I've been motivated to make it better. Maybe (after so many reservations and uncertainty) I do enjoy research. Maybe. I've felt surprisingly gratified when I make progress, and I actually sort of enjoy statistical analysis. I think I need to embrace the inner nerd, even though I'm terrified of joining this seeming "cult" of academia. I've always known that I'm nerdy, a fact that's easier to acknowledge in an environment where I'm surrounded by bigger geeks than me. Case in point- last weekend, our teambuilding day was peppered with academic jokes- 3 judge panels, statistical significance, etc.

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