Change the System

Many columns in this series have focused on research advice and have provided excellent tools for thinking about the transition from junior to senior researcher. So let me instead talk about the data management research system that we find ourselves a part of, whether academic, industrial, or governmental. Let me call it Big Research . Congratulations! You have mastered Big Research and Big Research has changed you. You have figured out how to navigate this complex and challenging discipline and are now one of us! Now is the time to pause and remember what you hated about the process of getting here and reflect on whether all those hurdles were good hurdles. Many - no, most - made you a better researcher, scientist, communicator, and mentor, but did they all? Don't be someone who says, ''I had to run this unproductive gauntlet, so therefore everyone else should.''