周四下午听了我在Umich最为景仰的Dichev教授一小时的presentation，真是有胜读十年书的快感和唏嘘，让我两天都还没有平静下来，不断回味愈加满口生香。
讲座是How to have a successful and satisfying research career。鉴于我自05年来就有读PHD的想法，却在不断尝试中不断碰壁。现在回想起来，当年21岁时信誓旦旦地对教授说“我有commitment”，的确过于稚嫩。结果直接被教授一句“You are too young to know what is PHD. I know you don’t know”打发走掉。2年中断断续续零零碎碎的经历，象马赛克墙裙一样，在我脑中逐步拼出了PHD的生活和方向。PHD的却是一条不归路，不仅仅意味着最宝贵的5年青春，而且是一生都很难转向的单行道。另外女生读PHD更是要面对被当作“第三类人”的歧视，想到当年一个第5年的女PHD对我说：“你看我这一把辛酸泪”的场景，还历历在目。
好，说远了，拉回来。下面英文几乎是教授原话，中文的是我的心得和注解。
“The Tangibles”
High IQ. Of course High IQ matters. Say, your IQ is 130 and average human IQ is 100. You are surely much smarter than them. But among PHDs, average IQ is 130, you are competing with them. Thus high IQ here hardly makes a difference.
Hard work? Undoubtedly essential for success and satisfaction. However, given the general work ethic of this country and the fact that most phds are already pretty hard working, it is difficult to distinguish yourself purely on hard work. Though this can be done but there are likely to be significant costs associated with it, especially in the long run. 比如过度的hard working会要求你放弃健康，或者放弃家庭，想来这些都是不值得的significant costs. 对于这点，我一直觉得效率是王道。Hard work绝对不是指工作时间有多么多么长。对于这点，我对于香港普遍长时间的工作习惯有质疑。
Coming from the right school？Yes, it is quite important。想到不管在什么工作中都一样。一个良好的开始都是很必须的。这也是为什么我觉得如果工作应该在大公司中开始干起。
Academic politics. Matter somewhat. But my role model is the duct。当时教授很形象地表述了万花丛中过，片叶不沾身这个意想。关于鸭子，他说他家池塘里的鸭子，不管怎么在池塘里游泳，到了岸上时身上总是干的。“我就象那鸭子一样，在Academic politics的池塘里游来游去，可是一直身上都保持干燥，不沾一滴水”。
“The Intangibles” （这才是真正精彩的部分咯）！
Passion for research. Good researchers are excited about their research. And good research is exciting to other people. 发表文章的过程十分艰辛，常常十篇才有一片发表，而每篇文章都几乎耗费掉你6个月的时间和精力，每篇文章都象你的宝宝一样。The publication process is bruising. It will be difficult to handle it for long if you are not excited about what you are doing. If you are passionate about what you are doing, you will never have to work for a living。他说“我每天到了办公室，关了门，就想想这个写写那个，从来没觉得自己在工作for a living。”这样的感觉真好！只有真的有passion才能这么享受自己的干的事情！他还说到他当PHD的时候，有个同学，在上课程时被大家认为是最优秀的学生，可是开始写文章时就看不到人了。结果他说他需要有人不断知道他去做什么，当他可以开始自由做研究时，他反而觉得自己不知道该干什么。最后他不读PHD去参加美国海军了！汗！原因是他说他需要指令，需要别人告诉他干什么，一点都不要自己动脑子。
Creativity. Creativity is like the salt in you dish. 即便你有了所有的菜的原料，没有盐，就是差那么一点。这时候他拿了一支笔杆是透明红色塑料的圆珠笔出来，问大家这笔除了写字，还有什么其他功用呢？我旁边的男生立刻回答挖鼻子，挖耳朵。残念啊！结果老师说我可以拿着它对着太阳看，这样太阳就变成红色的了！我觉得老师真是太可爱太可爱了！Creativity is the ability to see things differently (reformulate the context of a phenomenon).It’s a flash of insight. The “Aha!” experience. 这时候他说到冷笑话，也是这种“Aha!” Experience. Creativity is by nature non-linear and cyclical. Key is to keep awareness on how and when it happens, create the right conditions, be patient until it appears, and promptly capitalize on insights when they appear. 所以一但有想法就记下来。过一段时间后再看看是否work，过一段时间后再把你觉得work的东西付诸实施。New entrants to the profession have a major opportunity to see things with fresh eyes. Don’t miss it; it will become harder to do that later. 一些过于知名或者资深的教授，脑子里已经充满了条条框框的理论，不能再有fresh eye了。哈哈，所以要珍惜现在稚嫩！Being flexible and humble helps and being creative is fun and feels good immediately. 所以我一直不觉得argue是解决问题的好方法，也很不喜欢和人argue.应该晓之以理，动之以情。
Courage-willingness to take risks. By definition, creating significant new knowledge is moving into the unknown-and that is always scary and risky. 在一个一点都不知道结果会如何的方向上前进，真的很有危险，真是让人很害怕的事情。Taking the right risks means “working with an edge.” The definition is what that is varies from person to person and will change over time. “The world expands and contracts according to your courage.” 我好喜欢这句话，如果你每天都只求安全，每天一下班都希望着自己安全地回到家，回家后赶紧关好门，然后安全地吃自己的沙拉。你的时候就会变得好小好小，但是如果你去take一些risk， 就会发现世界上原来还有这么多这么精彩的东西。Courage is not the same as fearlessness. 有勇气不只指不害怕。桌子就不知道害怕，但是它没有勇气。Taking risks makes you more alive. 注意，不是说让你过得更好，只是说让你更alive。比如去攀岩，比如溜冰，在有一点危险存在的情况下你会很专注，觉得世界，觉得感受，都很alive。他说他在着7年时间里每天开车上班下班，已经熟悉得不得了了，常常都不知道自己怎么开的，象做了个梦一样就从学校到了家了，这样不好，让你觉得一点都不alive。True courage is of the heart rather than of the mind. 在西班牙语中，courage来自court这个词根，意思是心。如果你不是listen to your heart而是用脑子去思考，脑子会告诉你太多what if， 但是这个时候，你要“胸怀明灯，在未知的黑暗总去探索”。（这句话是吴征给《凭海临风》写的序的最后一句话，我好喜欢好喜欢！）
Focus. Quality always trumps quantity in research, especially in the long run. To focus, you need:1, clear direction, 2, Get rid of energy-dissipating activities.他当时说不要让无益的事情吸取了你的生命能量和生命的juice。好酷的一句话！ Clear direction and sense of power come from alignment with high ideals “What will matter 50 years from now?”, “What will really benefit society?” 我觉得老师好崇高，他说他总是在想not what accounting is , but what accounting should be. Get rid of energy dissipation: 1, the media (TV, web, newspapers), 比如常常看电视觉得很无聊了，可以过了20分钟一看表发现自己怎么还在看电视啊，而且都不知道自己在看什么。比如每天至少有一个小时在网上看无聊的东西，甚至看完了都很嘲笑自己，或者说第二天一点都不记得自己看了什么东西。这个时候我惭愧地想到由于我八卦的天性，对于芙蓉JJ，杨丽娟，照片男等等的八卦新闻总是无比关注，汗自己一个！另外有个男生说他每过15分钟就check 一次邮件。我想如果我在电脑前，这个频率也查不多，再汗一次！2, negative emotions (hate, fear, etc),如果你很恨一个人，你很多的精力就会花在恨这个人身上，而吸取了你的能量。 3, Mechanical habitual tendencies. 4. Being judgmental and having rigid opinions.记得在PG的orientation时，就被教导过不要judgmental，很有道理！
Perseverance. True mastery of what you are dong will take some time. Truly important work also takes some time to win its audience. Ability to persevere is related to focus and again to alignment with high ideals.
Conclusion:
Success is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling. 如你的文章最终被reject，至少你还enjoy过你写文章的过程，而不是一直都在痛苦。
In this profession, you literally write your autobiography every day. 每天都在书写你的自传，这个说法也好酷！
If you want to build a ship, don’t dump up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea. 如果你真的是想去无边的海洋，不管你船有多破，你的帆有多落后，你一定会努力去改进他们，去你想去的地方的！
另外我喜欢Dichev教授的原因是他常常从哲学的高度来看问题。比如有一堂课专门讲Chinese Medicine. 说西药总是去杀死一些东西，杀死病毒，杀死坏的细胞，而中药讲究的是阴阳调和，每一样你吃的东西都有或暖或寒的特质，而会计里重要的就是阴阳调和，balance，每一笔分录对于整个帐目的balance都有或aggressive或conservative的影响。又有一次讲到鸡生蛋和蛋生鸡的问题时，他说应该把鸡和蛋看成是一体的，鸡就等于蛋，蛋就等于鸡。每次听到这种话是我都觉得哲学不愧是学科之首。
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