How to fast track your research career

Summary What is your primary aim? Is it research, because you are intrinsically interested in finding and discovering new things, or is it a way of achieving better career opportunities? Why fast track? It is usually the persistence that prevails. Look for the tortoise and the hare. Which one are you? Look for opportunities. Life has a much bigger phantasy than ourselves, and unexpected black swans are encountered often, so what really makes the difference is what you make out of your opportunities. Use them, you will get them. Be authentic and reliable. Your superiors, peers and subordinates need to count on you, this will make all the difference. Try to grasp the trend. In order to do that, you need to know the current situation and possibly how it evolved towards the status quo. Next step is to challenge it.