AsianScientist (Jan. 5, 2018) – It isn’t always easy to write these columns. I’ve often found myself asking people—friends, family and colleagues—for topics that they think I should address. Strangely enough, in the past month, three different people have suggested that I write about the skills that a scientist (or anyone else) should possess to prepare themselves for the future.
What do I think these skills are? In no particular order, here we go!
Learn to code
A couple of years ago, I attended a party where I somehow got drawn into a discussion about machine learning and how, in the future, machines would take over the majority of jobs that are currently performed by humans. One individual in this discussion was convinced that we need to change the nature of jobs to give them more of a ‘human touch,’ thus allowing humans to perform functions of equal value, and on equal footing, with robot colleagues.
I disagree—I think we should remain the masters of the machines for as long as possible, and one way we can secure our superiority as a species would be by learning to code. Code is the language of instruction for machines, so if we want to continue issuing orders, this skill is indispensable.
The importance of coding to the future job market was also recently highlighted by two significant people in the tech industry. Andrew Ng, former chief scientist at Baidu and co-founder of Coursera, drew parallels between coding and literacy and said that “…everyone should learn to code in the same way that almost everyone should learn to read or write.”
On a similar note, Apple CEO Tim Cook recently called coding “…a language that you can [use to] express yourself to seven billion people in the world,” adding that it may be more important than learning a foreign language.
While I might disagree slightly with the foreign language reference, given the usefulness of a second or third language and the current difficulties with machine translation, I absolutely agree that people should learn to code, and thankfully, there are many online courses to get started.
Learn to write effectively
On the topic of language and literacy, being able to write well is definitely a skill that is helpful now and in the future. Some of you are probably thinking, “I’ve known how to write since I was five years old,” and I’m not going to argue with that.
But writing isn’t just stringing a bunch of words together—writing always fulfils a specific purpose, and the words you use need to communicate whatever that purpose is. For example, after conducting an experiment, there is a subtle but clear difference between writing it up as a summary for your boss, as opposed to writing it up as part of a proof-of-principle study to explain whether a research tangent is worth pursuing.
Think about the audience for your document and the format it will take. By all means, be as technical as you like when writing a manuscript for publication, but you will need to cut out the jargon when summarizing your paper for a press release or something similar.
Don’t consider yourself a natural writer? Universities often have short courses on how to structure different documents (e.g. how to write grants) or even on creative writing in general.
Don’t have time for a course in writing? The easiest way to improve your writing is to read—widely, and on different topics. Read consciously, keep track of wording that you like, identify why you think something is badly written, and learn to use or avoid them in your own writing.
Learn how to play well with others
As I’ve said before, the days of the lone wolf scientist are over and have been replaced by an interactive pack. But how does one become a good contributing member of the pack? Emotional intelligence—the ability to connect to others, to interpret reactions and behave appropriately to stimulate desired interactions—is another trait that separates us from the machines that may become our future overlords.
While it may feel like modern science is increasingly becoming a dog-eat-dog world where ‘publish or perish’ sentiments prevail, that doesn’t mean we need to put up with a toxic environment in our daily work. A cohesive lab is a productive one, and simple acts such as adhering to glassware washing schedules or refilling the pipette tip box when it’s empty can go a long way in fostering goodwill.
Sometimes, though, interactions among lab members can get thorny and complex, for example, when critical comments are made about your work. Try not to take these criticisms as personal attacks because most of the time, they aren’t.
By the same token, if you believe someone is behaving inappropriately, get some perspective and figure out the best way to confront them. Emotional intelligence and cultural sensitivity are critical skills to develop, especially in this globally connected world where collaborations span the planet.
The good news is, all the skills mentioned here: coding, writing, emotional intelligence and cultural sensitivity, can be learned and honed over time, so it’s not too late to future-proof yourself! That is, until the zombie apocalypse arrives, but we’ve already established that scientists will be fine when that happens.
This article is from a monthly column called The Sometimes Serious Scientist. Click here to see the other articles in this series.
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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine; Photo: Shutterstock.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff
