My new department chair emailed last week with photos of my new lab space ... it's awesome incidentally ... MUCH bigger and with more standard equipment than I had requested (YAY!!).
In the midst of our emailing back and forth, she asked how training was going for my (relatively) brutal contact sport and I had brought her up to date with our recent wins and about nearly getting crushed by a teammate during a practice game last weekend.
Her response was to jokingly ask me not to take up any more extreme sports, such as rockclimbing, before I move to New City. Obviously, she wasn't aware that I'm already an avid climber (seriously).
I'm already the oddity/freakshow not simply by virtue of age and experience, but also by being single, childless and non-American, so when you add in my sporting interests, my score on the Unusual Faculty scale goes off the charts.
So the question is: how will my penchant for unusual and marginally dangerous sports/activities be perceived by a faculty consisting mostly of conservative, middle-aged, tenured women?
I know that PhysioProf is going to say "it doesn't fucking matter what they fucking think of you it only fucking matters what your fucking productivity is fucking like", but these are people with whom I'll have to interact and collaborate and ultimately, they will play a role in decisions about tenure and promotion.
Don't get me wrong, I'm fully aware that my recreational pursuits have absolutely no bearing on my professional capabilities or success.
I'm just curious as to whether your perceptions of colleagues are altered if they have atypical non-work interests.
Ok, here's an extreme, ridiculous example ... if one of your colleagues was a brilliant teacher and well funded and respected researcher but you found out they had a penchant for Barbie dolls (male colleague) or monster truck rallies (female colleague), would you see them in a different light?
Just wondering.
On a roll!
8 hours ago
As long as they didn't expect ME to play with their barbies, I really can't see it having any effect. Maybe a slightly positive one if it's something cool :-)
ReplyDeleteI have a colleague who's a pot-holer - he's teased because several of us can't imagine voluntarily crawling into small, dangerous, water-logged holes in the ground, but diversity is important and fun, and if anything this is seen as positive. Now, the prof who boasts about how many miles he cycled each weekend, he's boring...
And congrats on the better-than-expected new lab space, sounds lovely!
ReplyDeleteI think it just makes you a little more exciting.
ReplyDeleteJust about anyone I've ever met in academia who has any kind of value is bizarre in one way or another. Can't say I'd think anything of it.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I'd find the Barbie thing a little odd, regardless of whether it were a male or female colleague, but not the monster truck rallies or extreme sports. But like Candid Engineer says, most people in academia are odd in one way or another, so that wouldn't bother me at all.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, I am married and childless (and only very recently American), and I think that is viewed as more odd than single and childless!
1) You pegged PhysioProf. That doesn't mean his advice isn't good.
ReplyDelete2) I have found that mosst people in academia are a little quirky. I once woked for a guy who loved bullriding. I think you need tojust be yourself. Those whol will like you will an those who won't can kiss your ass.
XOXOXO
ItS
I think a passion for Barbie dolls in anybody older than 12 would seriously put me off.
ReplyDeleteAs for the rest, I don't think the hobby matters as much as how much you talk about it. People who don't share your interest for the subject will only be bothered if you continually talk about it... and it would be rather stupid of them to judge you based only on your liking of extreme sports.
Thanks for the positive feedback - like I said, it was more a case of whether perceptions are altered based on colleague's interests. And rest assured, I'm not one to drone on endlessly about my sporting/recreational activities - word usually gets out when I arrive for work on Mondays covered in bruises, scrapes and/or bandages and carrying a large bottle of Iboprofen.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds to me like that should make you more interesting, as long as they're willing to recognize that it doesn't interfere with your work.
ReplyDeleteHmm...it gives me a sort of twisted pleasure to know that most people of worth that you meet in academia or going to be quirky in some form or another. Maybe I'll fit in better than expected.
This actually reminds me of something a geology professor of mine said in response to a student asking her what it takes to be a geologist. She said, "You have to be smart, kind of weird, and you have to like beer."
Honestly, I'd find the Barbie thing a little odd, regardless of whether it were a male or female colleague, but not the monster truck rallies or extreme sports.
ReplyDeleteExactly my reaction.
[I spend two weeks every summer, and some other time, playing boardgames and miniature wargames. Yes, it's amazingly geeky. I think that it allows some of my colleagues to feel superior to me, and that's fine with me ;-).]
As long as we're professing our dork-ness, I'll admit my penchant for German board games, this one in particular. They've got neatly carved wooden pieces! They involve strategy & planning! How could a scientist not love it?
ReplyDeleteThe more grants and papers you amass, the more of a complete fucking wackaloon you can act like. Every time I'm awarded another grant or publish another paper, my attire gets a little more outlandish.
ReplyDeleteHmmm ... seems the geeks are starting to come out of the closet today :)
ReplyDeleteAnd PhysioProf - when are we going to see evidence of this outlandish attire? I seem to recall you saying somewhere that your standard outfit consisted of rugby shirts but have you now progressed to something a little less mainstream?? Inquiring minds want to know.
Hmm. DGT, if you like that, maybe try Vinci as a next step up in complexity? :)
ReplyDelete[And, consider going here!]
This is something that does play on my mind as a relatively new PhD student, still finding my way in my lab and department and trying to create a good impression. My primary non-work activity is karate and there are only so many bruises I can hide, and although when nod understandingly, I still wonder what they're really thinking. But people ask and I explain and they because I have my own atypical non-work interests, I always keep a broad mind about my other colleagues. In fact, I get MORE concerned when I find out that people have no interests whatsoever outside of their work!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a PhD student my colleagues used to have bets on which type of rugby-induced injury I would come in with on Monday.
ReplyDeleteBlack eyes and split eyebrows were usually safe bets. These days I'm more wiley and don't run so quick so fewer injuries. I do not however wear rugby jerseys to work. That's just disgusting- the smell.
It seems to me that you can be any kind of kook you want to be as long as people can work with you, you pay your way and you publish more than they do. Rock climbing unmarried foreigner and un-named contact sport don't really get anywhere near kookdom.
Or to paraphrase PP- Fuck fuck fucking fucken papers FUCK! fuckityfuck fucktastic grants up-the-fuck-wackaloon fuck-yeah.
My perception of colleagues (co-students) and professors is certainly affected by their non-work interests: I gauge them as people, and certainly that affects the person that they are.
ReplyDeleteIn professors and peers both, I find that atypical interests make them more appealing to me. Unfortunately, most people are fairly typical: most people share in a relatively narrow set of common interests. Uncommon interests indicate to me someone with an interesting history, family, friends, or just an uncommonly open mind. These things are attractive both in peers and professors: I think the whole reason for attending class (rather than being an autodidact) is for the benefit of interacting with these people, and the more varied they are the more they are worth in that context.
There is an exception: where that varied interest indicates a weakness of reason. For anonymity’s sake, I can not be specific here. More than one of my peers, however, holds altogether illogical and unreasonable views on a particular suite of topics. Although this may or may not be uncommon (i.e., fundamentalism), I find that these particular uncommon interests indicate a weakness of reasoning and/or intellect: this obviously affects my perception of them as a student and a young scientist (I’m a Biology major, and thus generally surrounded by such.)
As specific to you, PiT: your rock-climbing would only be considered favorably if you were one of my peers or superiors.
oh... I don't know if it is better to be a professor with the strange hobbies but being a post doc, non American and femal and having an avid interest in kickboxing (both watching and doing) and playing board games and other stuff up that ally... well, let's just say I am not the first one to say it too loud.
ReplyDeleteTHen again, I have some bad experience of older men staring at me when they realised that I love strategy games and can play Axis and Allies for hours. The women, well as long as I can talk and relate to some of the other stuff (that I kind of like too) we're good. I mean, I do like to cook and go shoes shopping. It's just that I might spend Saturday night watching UFC and drinking a few beers too ;)
imho, anyone who has a hobby* is in my good book.
*hobby is not include children or/and hubby. Pets almost doesn't count... unless you do something with the dog (mushroom looking, mines or soemthing)
Chall: there are plenty more hobbies in my bag of tricks - the contact sport and rock climbing are just a couple of them :)
ReplyDelete