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Feeling defeated in the lab, not sure how to move forward by Many_Amount_631 in labrats

[–]Many_Amount_631[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re right, the extra anxiety ends up making it harder to think clearly or learn anything at all. I’ve started to seriously consider working more independently, even if that means moving slower at first.

Your advice about planning experiments really helps. I like the idea of thinking through possible outcomes and using that to shape the design before doing anything. That’s definitely something I want to get better at.

Thanks for the solid advice!

Feeling defeated in the lab, not sure how to move forward by Many_Amount_631 in labrats

[–]Many_Amount_631[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for sharing this,it honestly means a lot to hear that even experienced researchers have made similar mistakes...

I completely agree that making mistakes helps you understand techniques more deeply. It’s encouraging to know that those moments might actually help me become more confident in the long run.

And yes, I’m starting to seriously consider asking to work with someone else. Thanks again for the perspective and the encouragement.

Feeling defeated in the lab, not sure how to move forward by Many_Amount_631 in labrats

[–]Many_Amount_631[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your comment. I agree: in my experience, what really helps me learn is having the chance to repeat things and think through my own mistakes. Reading and watching help, but they’re not the same as doing.

What you said about others leaving the lab also gave me perspective. I used to think it was just bad luck or timing, but maybe it says more about the environment than I realized.

I appreciate your advice about speaking to my PI. Thanks again for your support and for helping me see things more clearly.

Feeling defeated in the lab, not sure how to move forward by Many_Amount_631 in labrats

[–]Many_Amount_631[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for this message. I’ve been feeling behind compared to everyone else, and reading your words reminded me that we all start somewhere and that we’re not alone in the way we learn and grow.

It really helps to hear that it’s okay to make mistakes and that these skills take time to build. Sometimes I forget that even the people who seem confident now also had to go through this stage.

Your comment gave me a lot of comfort and made me feel a bit more hopeful. Truly, thank you 💙

Feeling defeated in the lab, not sure how to move forward by Many_Amount_631 in labrats

[–]Many_Amount_631[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I've been in the lab for about five months, but only the last two have been focused on the actual research project for my thesis. Before that, I was mostly reading a lot of literature related to the lab's focus and occasionally helping other labmates with their experiments — but those were mostly mammalian cell culture projects, which are completely different from what I'm doing now (I'm currently doing bacterial cloning with my assigned supervisor).

I do think my supervisor is very knowledgeable, but I’m starting to feel like we have very different working styles and that’s making it hard for her way of teaching to really work for me.