Growing into an expert

Metaphorically speaking

Research as a journey means that you will encounter many people who feel experienced enough to share expert opinion on most regions you might travel through. However, your travel success hinges on more than opinion—especially if you venture far off the beaten path.

Consequently, do not be surprised if you find yourself faced with not much more than (sometimes enthusiastically presented) opinions. Do not be surprised if you find yourself being the most knowledgeable person on a subject that you are researching. This can happen especially quickly if you chose to pursue a topic of your own interest and with only limited connection to supporting peers.

Research, to a degree, also means interaction among people. This interaction can be inspiring and fruitful, and it can be de-motivating and painful, and it can be anything in between. The quality of the interaction, however, does not only depend on either the researcher or their peer, but also on the collaboration they man-age to strike up. A fit in styles can go a long way.

(This is a preview section. The full chapter on this topic continues with the sections “Rough coordinates”, “Train of thought”, “In essence”, “To reflect”, “Two travellers’ tales”, “Devil’s advocate”, and “How to tackle”.)