The Discipline of Scientists Who Failed in School
Several scientists who failed in school have gone on to become aces in their respective fields. Thomas Edison, who was once considered the smartest boy in the class, got himself into trouble in the school system and ended up registering more than 1000 patents. His failure in school prompted him to try his hand at other things. Some of those other things were the invention of liquid-fueled rockets, which kicked off the space program. In fact, one of the most important dispositions for a scientist to possess is the ability to successfully cope with failure. This might mean overcoming a hiccup in your study or work schedule, or it might mean being able to persevere through a tough period in your life. The best way to deal with failure is to be proactive and to do it in a way that is motivating. This is not to say that it is easy to succeed in science. Rather, it takes a lot of imagination, hard work, and discipline. In fact, success in any field is a combination of imagination, work ethic...