• Question: what sets/holds you back ?

    Asked by anon-220353 on 12 Jun 2019.
    • Photo: David Wilson

      David Wilson answered on 12 Jun 2019:


      Honestly, a lot of the time it’s as simple (it’s not that simple…) as having a bit of self-belief.

    • Photo: Rebecca Moon

      Rebecca Moon answered on 12 Jun 2019:


      For me, time, or lack of, is a big problem at the moment. Some days I just wish there was more hours in the day to achieve everything I want to!

    • Photo: Marianne King

      Marianne King answered on 12 Jun 2019:


      Probably a lack of confidence. I find it very easy to convince myself I’m stupid or useless, which isn’t a very helpful way to think. I’m definitely a lot more confident now than I was 5 years ago so I must be making some progress though!

    • Photo: Shobhana Nagraj

      Shobhana Nagraj answered on 12 Jun 2019:


      I think the thing that holds me back the most is a lack of confidence in my abilities. I’m definitely improving though, and rely less on other people’s opinions than I once did!

    • Photo: Kaitlin Wade

      Kaitlin Wade answered on 13 Jun 2019:


      Some of the time it’s me. You need to have lots of motivation to do your job and do it well. If there is an ounce of disbelief, then that sets me back more than anything else. However, a lot of the time it’s not me but others 😛 A lot of my research is waiting on other people to get back to me on a question I had or a piece of work I want to finish and that can be the most time-limiting step of my job.

    • Photo: Nina Rzechorzek

      Nina Rzechorzek answered on 14 Jun 2019:


      I think it’s the endless struggle to get funding (at least in the early stages). I actually enjoy this battle-like challenge up to a point, but it can feel like you’re wasting time if proposals keep getting bounced back. What I would say though, is that I’ve learnt just as much from the ones that didn’t get funded, from the ones that did, and like most things in life, it gets easier with practice.

      The other thing that can seem to take ages is getting ethical approvals in place for research (even for studies in healthy human volunteers). This is really important though, to ensure subject safety and privacy is protected so I wouldn’t be without it.

    • Photo: Matthew Bareford

      Matthew Bareford answered on 14 Jun 2019:


      I think that in this sense I would say its my family.

      Not that this is a bad thing in any way, but in terms of science and research it can require many long hours in order to complete. With my family I split my time between my research and my family (because I want too). Other scientists who don’t have families will perhaps be able to spend much longer periods of time to complete their research, and so this can mean that I am slower to complete a piece of research than others. Thus would set me back when compared to them

    • Photo: Kate Timms

      Kate Timms answered on 17 Jun 2019:


      I suffer with anxiety, so it’s definitely that. Both in work and outside of work. It dictates my life far more than it should do, but I’m working on it.

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