Academic bubble

I don't enjoy 90% of academic talks. Why?

I was a very passionate PhD student. I thought that my research could change the world. I thought most of the research that my professors, friends, and colleagues in the fields of operations management and operations research did could change the world.

After being a PhD student for 6 years and being an assistant professor for 2 years, unfortunately, my faith in operations management and operations research has diminished over time. This is really sad because I have literally spent my entire life to be a part of this academic community.

However, I still couldn’t give up entirely—at least on my own research, my passion for doing impactful research. Maybe not to change the world, but at least to create some impact on people’s lives.

Following my passion for doing impactful research, I have attended many conferences, seminars, and talks, and had discussions with the most “successful” academics in our field. And still actively doing these.

Although I have attended a few inspiring talks and had conversations with inspiring professors, I keep asking the following questions after 90% of the talks that I have attended:

• Why should anybody care about these results?

• How can this research be useful for anyone?

• What is the point of spending years of years on something that has little to zero impact on society?

• Is this a waste of time for all the people in this room listening to this talk?

• Do we need any other sign to understand that our research is boring if most of the audience does not listen to our talk?

• Should research be impactful?

• Is it okay to do research just for the sake of doing research?

• What can the purpose of doing research be other than creating an impact on society?

• Am I too ignorant to imagine the long-term impact that all the talks I attended could have on literature and society?

• Are we wasting all the resources provided to us?

• Do academics realize their full potential?

• Is this really what we can do as the most educated group of people in the world?

• What else can all these academics do instead of doing “research” that doesn’t have any impact on society?

• Is something wrong with me to ask these questions?

• Should I just have kids and forget about all these questions?

Instead of listening to the talks that do not make any sense to me, here I am, writing this newsletter, thinking about all these questions.

Is this a better way to realize my potential? Well, I guess I have to wait for my therapy session to thoroughly think about this question.

Cheers,

Lost Sidika