A few things I learned from being scientist in training during the past nearly 2 years. These are things I’m trying to implement and remind myself every day. A thread:

1. There is no “highest in the class” in science. Good science only happens when people with different expertise work together

2. You will not and cannot know everything or be good at everything. Figuring out your niche and building a solid network of people with other strong suits is the way to go

3. People critiquing your work is not an indication that they think you did a bad job - they’re trying to push you to be a better scientist

4. Saying “I don’t know” is okay and is not a tribute to lack of competence or passion

5. Projects will always take much longer than you expect and that’s not because you’re not working hard

6. It’s important to have more than one mentor. This will allow you to get multiple perspectives and enrich your learning

7. Being a young scientist shouldn’t prevent anyone from sharing a potentially good opinion to their more experienced peers

8. Older scientists may not invite you to the Big Table but you can still join. You just need to take a seat

9. Just because someone is better at X than you, it shouldn’t make them a threat or a competition. It’s more productive to ask them to help you improve

10. Asking questions (no matter how rudimentary) is what makes someone a good scientist.

11. If you have a question or comment on someone’s presentation (even if it’s in a large conference), its always better to ask it

12. Don’t value yourself or your day based on productivity - change the game to appreciate each tiny and big milestone (thanks @LindenParkes for this one)

13. Science should be fun, intellectually engaging and satisfy your curiosity