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""23 things I didn't learn in college / grad school"
#3: Be curious
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#3: Be curious
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The weak ties between ideas, topics and fields enable numerous breakthroughs, small and large; being curious is how you tap into the strength of those ties.
In my most productive decade in research, I was fortunate to do substantial work in at least five distinct areas in CS, and simple curiosity about a paper or talk was my invitation to each of those areas.
Conversely, I attribute nearly all my "what might've been" regrets to lack of curiosity about topics, fields, and people. I think this lack of curiosity was due more to bias than being busy or poor with time management.
Unconscious bias inhibits curiosity, watch out for it.
Unconscious bias inhibits curiosity, watch out for it.
Think about how good a mental map you have of the broad area that you work in or the organization you work for. Think about how often you listen to people at varying distances from your daily topics of work.
Like presence and listening, curiosity can be practiced. Unlike those, curiosity is also measurable. Think about how you can practice curiosity systematically, and measure it periodically.
