Introduction

Maybe you're following a scientific course at a university as a Bachelor, Master's, or PhD student. Or you're already working as a postdoc or professor at a university, or in industry, or in the service sector. At each stage of your career other people are appealing to your unique knowledge and talent for science. This book cannot tell you how talented you are in math, biology, physics, chemistry, behavioral sciences, or any other subject. So what can it do? It emphasizes the essentials you need to add to your talent. It's all about doing the right things right. You do the right things if you combine a basic talent with a strong passion for the chosen subject. You do things right if you have acquired and improved the essential skills such as prioritizing, giving presentations, and writing. So the emphasis in this chapter is on you. The factors I see as being most essential are:

• Passion. Is science your ultimate job vocation or do you want to use your science training in other ways? Does scientific thinking energize you? Do you say YES to science?

• Prioritize. Can you do more than one or two things at the same time at a top level? Do you know what to do if you run out of time? Do you know when to say NO?

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