Quote From bald_monkey:
It's awesome that you're actually interested in your RA work. Mine are usually menial and administrative. .
Hi, you must know though that admin work is a huge component of academic life. I do a lot of admin work, but then, so does the director of the project. I see her spending time and efforts on things which are at best tedious and time consuming when all she would have wished to do would be to write speeches for addressing multi stakeholder gatherings! Project management skills are best learnt on the job. I am learning *so much* just by liaising with multuiple departments, by seeing 21 countries collaborate, by seeing that a project involves managing colleagues who do not speak your language, managing egos, organising efficiently, prioritising between admin tasks, directing without being directive. These are all admin related, none of these are 'research' tasks.
Formatting a table correctly and ensuring that no error slips in, is an experience for instance that I could look down on. Why would I, a future scholar be formatting tables? BUT, it teaches attention to detail, precision, humility and all of that has filtered into my own work. I look at my productivity now, and before I started the work and I am amazed! I look at the ease with which I liaise and organise and I am amazed, I look at how perseverance and humility has percolated into my own thesis management, and I am again amazed.
Good luck. Even organising meetings is a skill worth learning. Academics who make it big, make it there because they've learnt it all and know exactly how to administer, direct, manage and of course delegate ;-)
