This is a highly readable career guide of sorts. Some key takeaways:
1. Second answers aren’t inherently better (tip for exam takers!). 2. The challenge of rethinking assumptions is surprisingly common. 3. Our ways of thinking become habits that can weigh us down and we don’t bother questioning them until too late. 4. Being a scientist isn’t just a profession- it’s a frame of mind. 5. Mental horsepower doesn’t guarantee mental dexterity. 6. The brighter you are, the harder it is to see your own limitations. 7. We’ve a deficit in the ability to think about our thinking. 8. As you gain experience, your confidence climbs faster than your competence. 9. Arrogance is ignorance plus conviction. 10. Believing in yourself and believing in your methods are two different things. Ideally you should be high in the former (confidence) and low in the latter (humility). 11. Your confidence doesn’t have to be in your existing knowledge. It can be in your capacity to learn. 12. Feeling like an imposter can make you work harder, be smarter and learn faster. 13. Two kinds of detachment are useful- detaching yourself from your past and detaching your opinions from your identity. 14. It’s possible to disagree without being disagreeable. 15. Never allow task conflict to turn into relationship conflict. 16. Valedictorians are unlikely to be the future’s visionaries. 17. “How do you know?” is a question we need to ask more often. 18. Passions are often developed not discovered.
