Comments for Hillary Rettig

Comment on A Writer Without A Publisher Is Like A Fish Without a Bicycle: Writer’s Liberation and You by Thomas

Thomas — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 23:28:38 +0000

The link to the essay is broken.

Comment on The Marvelous Mentor Mindset and How It Can Help You Succeed by Brianna

Brianna — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:41:08 +0000

Thanks for your tips. I like the specific instruction on how to ask someone to sit down and speak with you–I have tried similar approaches, but have not succeeded in keeping mentors. I tried recently to garner mentoring support from two professors in a grad program where my advisor was pretty much either completely absent (for weeks or even months) but then would come back into town and harangue me about my lack of progress (even when I had made substantial progress he acted as if I was not doing anything). He never agreed to any of my research ideas, and even though it was a PhD project he told me what he wanted me to do instead of letting me develop complementary objectives on top of the originally specified ones (the former is very important for professional development so I kept trying to get his approval even though experts in the field had informed me that the objectives he was insisting I do research for were not scientifically sound (some weren’t even possible) and could lead to a failed project).
At any rate, I was feeling very frustrated. I decided that I should utilize the resources at the university and bounce some ideas off of a few other profs in the program to make sure I was looking at my advisor’s chosen objectives from all angles. When I told my advisor, in a sort of progress update, about my meetings with other profs and the brainstorming I had done, he became angry. When he found out that one of the profs reviewed a pre-proposal I had put together he acted as if I had acted completely inappropriately. Then he had meetings (that I found out about later) with that prof and another one on my doctoral committee. Shortly thereafter, my advisor resigned as my advisor and sent a fairly damning email about me to my entire committee, the Associate Provost and the acting director of my grad program saying essentially that he had to resign as my advisor because I was such a poor student. I hoped the relationships I had formed with the other two profs might help me, but the one couldn’t take me on as a student and the other started saying “Dr. So and So is my friend” when I asked to meet with him. I guess he didn’t know that my former advisor had bad-mouthed him and I wasn’t about to bring that up. I was forced out of the grad program since no other prof would take me on–they claimed many reasons why they could not (no funding, young prof so can’t take risks, old prof and looking to retire, their labs were already too full of grad students, etc.). The program apparently had no responsibility to me even though I was accepted into the program and had done my best to progress professionally.
Sorry, that is a long-winded way of asking, what do I do about the profs I tried to cultivate a professional relationship with? You are correct in saying that mentoring is not a priority even for those who have it in their job description–such as profs. My field is relatively small–in terms of influential contacts and I am about to be unemployed, but despite follow up emails and attempts to schedule meetings, the profs aren’t helping me. Most are uncomfortable at best if I see them around town. My family is telling me not to burn bridges and to try to develop a friendship with the profs who are no longer engaging with me, but I think perhaps that may not be possible. I found out recently that my former advisor has been badmouthing me to his new grad student who is telling other people in the program that I was a crap student and have a lot of issues that almost ruined the project. Other profs have claimed that his assessment of me had nothing to do with their inability to take me on a student, but I can’t help thinking it had some effect.
Some professional advice on how to deal with others who know my former advisor and still be able to find mentors among them would be very appreciated. I am sure you are busy and probably charge for this type of info so I totally understand if you do not respond. Thanks for your time though and again, thanks for your article. I wish more people would focus on the importance of mentoring–it is one of the reasons why I wanted to get my PhD (so that I could become a professor, continue research AND mentor students). Most profs see mentoring as a necessary evil that they do as quickly once or twice a year as they can and then go back to doing their research or attending conferences and getting publications ready. I truly wish that if they have no desire (and even dislike) to mentor, they would not become profs. It can be so detrimental to students and yet there are few or no ramifications for them. Ugh. Sorry, so frustrated. Thanks again!

Comment on Perfectionism and Addiction by Perfectionism and Addiction « Mikeism

Perfectionism and Addiction « Mikeism — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 11:30:19 +0000

[...] and Addiction June 8, 2010 by mike Perfectionism and Addiction. from → Uncategorized ← Responsibility: Hmmmm? No comments yet Click [...]

Comment on Interview with Richard Stallman by Failure of Free software movement « Jagadees's English Weblog

Failure of Free software movement « Jagadees's English Weblog — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:43:56 +0000

[...] Failure of Free software movement In Free Software Movement, Gnu on February 16, 2010 at 3:58 am “The free software movement’s biggest failure is an ironic one: our free software became so appealing to geeks that usage and development of free programs spread much more than the appreciation of the freedom that the movement is based on. As a result, our views came to be seen as eccentric in the community that we built.” – Richard Stallman [...]

Comment on Interview with Richard Stallman by സ്വതന്ത്ര സോഫ്റ്റ്‌വെയര്‍ പ്രസ്ഥാനത്തിന്റെ പരാജയം « ജഗദീശിന്റെ മലയാളം വെബ് ലോഗ്

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:43:00 +0000

[...] സ്വതന്ത്ര സോഫ്റ്റ്‌വെയര്‍ പ്രസ്ഥാനത്തിന്റെ പരാജയം In ഗ്നൂ, സ്വതന്ത്ര സോഫ്റ്റ്‌വെയര്‍ പ്രസ്ഥാനം on ഫെബ്രുവരി 16, 2010 at 9:31 am “സ്വതന്ത്ര സോഫ്റ്റ്‌വെയര്‍ പ്രസ്ഥാനത്തിന്റെ ഏറ്റവും വലിയ പരാജയം ഒരു വിരോധാഭാസമാണ്. സാങ്കേതികവിദ്യാ അതിവിദഗ്ധര്‍ക്ക്(geeks) ഞങ്ങളുടെ സ്വതന്ത്ര സോഫ്റ്റ്‌വെയര്‍ വളരെ പ്രീയപ്പെട്ടതായി. പ്രസ്ഥാനത്തിന്റെ അടിസ്ഥാനമായ സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യം എന്ന ആശയത്തേക്കാളേറെ സ്വതന്ത്ര സോഫ്റ്റ്‌വെയറുകളുടെ ഉപയോഗവും, വികസനവും, പ്രചരണവും ഈ അതിവിദഗ്ധര്‍ ചെയ്തു. അതിന്റെ ഫലമായി ഞങ്ങള്‍ നിര്‍മ്മിച്ച സമൂഹം ഞങ്ങളുടെ ആശയങ്ങളെ വൈചിത്ര്യങ്ങളായി കാണുന്നു.” – റിച്ചാര്‍ഡ് സ്റ്റാള്‍മന്‍ [...]

Comment on Coping with Rejection and Other Setbacks by Hillary Rettig/The Lifelong Activist

Hillary Rettig/The Lifelong Activist — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:39:24 +0000

June, thank you for your kind note. I’m glad the article helped you.

Comment on George Carlin, Reinventionist by Jason Grossman

Jason Grossman — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:46:33 +0000

Thanks! Interesting. Cases like Howard Lyman’s certainly are inspirational, but they’re obviously rare. Cases like Carlin’s are less obvious, and maybe much more frequent.

Comment on Friday Fun: Hell’s iPod and Fugly Plants by Bruce Hoult

Bruce Hoult — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:30:26 +0000

Surely you didn’t actually like “Billy Don’t be a Hero”? I was 11 and might have been expected to like it (but actually thought it was trite and silly), but you’d have been 15

p.s. are you counting down to the big one in November?

:-*

Comment on Crazy Floating Hedgehog with Crazy Affectionate Ladies Cheering Him On by Roxii

Roxii — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 08:19:44 +0000

The video of little Shming has been moved to Photobucket, for those who would like to see his antics.

Comment on Coping with Rejection and Other Setbacks by June

June — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 13:40:33 +0000

Thankyou for your honest writing. It has been of great value to me at a time of rejection. Your writing is valued by me. You have reached out and touched someone. Thankyou