Such a loaded term, "success".

[flexagon]

Over at bluechromis's watching gymnastics last night, I found out that (for med school applications) she has to write a 1-page essay on "How will you evaluate your success as a doctor?"

I think it would be a really fascinating exercise to do the same for other careers that might happen to apply. For example, how will I evaluate my success as a software engineer? How do you evaluate yours? (At least 4 people on my friendslist are also software engineers.) How do you evaluate your success as a teacher? How do you evaluate your success as an admin? How do you evaluate your success as a copy editor?

Obviously these questions beg a lot of other questions, but that's part of why it would be interesting. I don't know if I could even DO it without going all meta. I think the word "success" is intrinsically linked to my favorite word in the English language, "enough". I also wonder if success as a whatever is worth anything at all, beyond the meaning we give it.

Comments

[a-kosmos.livejournal.com]

Interesting question. I am officially a section coordinator, but more specifically I am the coordinator for graduate student recruiting. My section seems to be in a state of flux, and I've been thinking about this a lot. Our enrollment has been consistently up.... that's good, but I know that isn't 100% the result of my efforts. I get nice letters from people (which I helpfully pass on to my deans...) I've helped.

[mangosteen]

I tend to use "being acknowledged by smart people as smart," which has a small danger of external validation, but can usually be quantified in ways that avoid directly and personally seeking approval (e.g. publications in referreed journals, having my work cited as "good practice" on mailing lists, etc.).

[miyyu.livejournal.com]

This is a great question.

In my work it can be really hard to feel successful. Everybody's very busy and often peer praise is few and far between. There's a few of ways -- sometimes, you are with a kid when one of those lightbulb moments happens. It isn't a cliche, they are real, and they are rare. But when they do happen, I start cheering inside (and sometimes outside too) and they often sustain me for several months afterwards.

Also, every so often, a kid comes up and says or does something that lets you know you meant something to them, you were there when they needed something, or you brought them joy. That's even more rare, because little kids aren't reflective this way, and even when they get older, it doesn't always occur to people to go back and thank their teachers. I've had two kids do this for me and I cried when they did. It meant the world to me.

Another way I feel successful is when I'm watching the kids work or I read some kind of end product they've worked on. When I have evidence that they can do independently whatever it was I set out to teach them how to do, that is very satisfying. Sometimes it's deceptive, though, so I have to be careful with that one.

The most common way I feel successful is when I feel like I'm "on" during a lesson. It's not something I can put my finger on but it's this palpable sense that I've got them, the kids are with me and intrigued and they're willing to go out on a limb with me. Sometimes it's just when they laugh or gasp at the right moment when I'm reading them a story. That's what makes teaching fun.

[bluechromis.livejournal.com]

And hey, if you feel like exploring the question of success as a doctor, please limit your answer to one typed page, single spaced. Due no later than Sept 1. THANKS!