Reading does have its place, but it is not the be-all and end-all.
Reading can make you feel knowledgeable, it alone cannot make you competent in building or creating things like products, organisations, experiments, or even fixing your car.
For thousands of years, humans learned by doing and imitating others. This neural circuitry still dominates every human being.
Over time, our language and ability to read complex text has dramatically improved knowledge sharing across generations.
While most mentors advise reading as much as possible to become competent, I have found that this is not always the case when it comes to putting knowledge into practice.
You can accumulate all the academic papers you want, use a perfect reference manager software, and feel like you know everything about a topic but then struggle to find a pipette when experimenting 😁 .
In my opinion, it is beneficial to have a bias towards action. Develop a mental framework to digest information and execute based on new information you got.
After completing university, it is crucial to have hands on experience, especially if you are pursuing a career path that involves creating or managing things. You should know how to fix things when its broken.
Not everyone has equal access to opportunities.
Be willing to go the extra mile to pursue opportunities and consider your location and network when doing so.
While perfecting your craft, have a mental model for digesting information that encourages you to apply new knowledge as you acquire it.
Here is how I approach it:
Start with the basics; if conducting research, read reviews to gain an overview and understand how experiments are set up.
Check the protocols and talk to those who have done it to develop a mental map of how it’s done.
Dive in and get your hands dirty.
While doing so, identify gaps in your knowledge and competencies.
Refer back to literature or seek advice from mentors.
Iterate and continue to refine your skills.