I once met with a successful academic and author. He told me that he didn\u2019t understand most of his peers.<\/p>\n
Getting tenure at a university is a lot of work. You need to produce a lot of the right kind of intellectual output to get recognized. But after that, you have total freedom to pursue whatever work you think is true and important.<\/p>\n
He commented that many of his colleagues waste this opportunity. They continue to churn out the same boring, citation-grubbing papers that made their early career. They have academic freedom and the job security to take intellectual risks, but instead, they play it safe.<\/p>\n
What he strives for, in contrast, is to use his freedom to do the work he thinks is vital. Whether this meets the intellectual fads of his field doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n
Was he right about the other academics? Who knows. I\u2019m too far removed to judge. Maybe those people he criticized were doing work they thought was essential, even if my acquaintance disagrees.<\/p>\n
What struck me about this conversation was that it flipped on its head a common assumption about success. For many, the goal of success is to be rich and respected. That\u2019s why you work hard. For this person, the goal is to do the work he thinks is important. Doing the work is the end.<\/p>\n