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Ivana Gadjanski

researcher and project leader, R&D Center for Bioengineering - BioIRC

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Do you think it's necessary to be very pushy in order to be successful (e.g. in science)? What if it doesn't match your character?

I tend to think that one doesn't necessarily need to be constantly aggressive and overly self-promoting in order to succeed I'd like to believe that hard work and dedication mixed with originality and talent (and networking, I admit that's also needed) are equally important. Or more. Of course, it's not good to be shy and stand away from the happenings, it's not good to fly below the radar, but I just can't accept that I have to become a "bitchy-pushy" person in order to be a successful scientist. Any thoughts on this? Thanks

Topics: career guidance life social networking
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    Phillip McKay

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    Dec 19 2011: You will do whatever you will do. You cant be bitchy pushy if you're not that. It just wont work.
    If you're not ambitious, you're not ambitious. What are you looking for anyway? A pay rise? Or do you just want to be the very best that you can be?
    What's your modus operandi?
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      Ivana Gadjanski 500+

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      Dec 19 2011: the question wasn't really about me. It was in general about the way of behaving I percieve in the field I'm in. I didn't say that not being "bitchy-pushy" means being not ambitious, and I don't think it is so. One can be ambitious but have one's own method of promoting oneself without doing very aggressive self-promotion. And that is my modus operandi, I have my own methods.

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