137 Letter from Sara Dolnicar
Dear brilliant women tourism researchers of the future,
I cannot believe it has already been 25 years! I have been a researcher for 25 years. And I am still loving every minute of it. Which brings me to the first observation I would like to share with you: ask yourself if research is something you are genuinely passionate about. Then make sure you answer honestly. If you are not really fired up about research, you may be better off pursuing another career. Why? Because the academic workplace has become very competitive. If you end up being a replaceable academic, you may have a tough 40 years of work ahead of you. If, however, you genuinely love research – if you think about it when you are jogging, swimming, walking, showering; if you enjoy the process of creating new ideas; if you can’t wait to go to work in the morning – that’s when you should most definitely pursue a career as a researcher, no matter how many people tell you that the career prospects are bad.
If you do end up deciding a research career is for you, here are a few rules I have developed for myself. They all contribute to two higher-level aims: (1) building and protecting your professional reputation, and (2) not wasting time. Your professional reputation and your time are the two most precious assets.
Have principles and never break them. As the academic workplace becomes more competitive, some researchers are tempted to cut corners. For example, they may be satisfied with making only a minimal contribution to a paper they author, or they may not implement a project exactly the way the human ethics committee approved it. Never do that. No matter how high the pressure. Always know what’s right and what’s wrong. Choose to never do the wrong thing. Have a moral compass and use it. You have a long career ahead of you. Having a reputation as being principled will open doors everywhere. If your behaviour is driven by short-term incentives, the doors leading to the most exciting opportunities will stay closed.
Have clear priorities. In the academic workplace you will get dozens of requests and invitations to do something every week. Don’t give into flattery (“You are the leading expert in…”) or the illusion that nobody else can do the job. Think carefully about whether you agree to do something or not. Everything you commit to requires you to take time away from something else. If you are not careful, you can end up being busy all day doing things that do not further your career, are not appreciated and, ultimately, you do not enjoy.
Be a problem solver not a problem finder. Some academics are proud to identify and then extensively elaborate problems. It is important to identify problems. But that’s only the starting point. The true achievement is solving them. Deliver solutions, not problems.
Be a doer not a talker. Get stuff done. Don’t talk about it. Time is too precious.
Anything you choose to do, do it with 150% effort and dedication. Investing only