While a tiny fraction of astronomers succeed solely on the sheer brilliance displayed in their publications, it's a rare achievement. The majority must learn to network among their colleagues and at conferences. I would never have guessed that when I was in high school. Astronomy is not for the people who need their hands held, adds Ransom's classmate Jha. You learn from talking with other people, such as fellow graduate students and postdocs.
Tinkerers have an edge.
At the University of Arizona, for example, graduate student Joannah Hinz is helping build a near- infrared camera specifically to increase her experience in hardware. She will be using it to search for brown dwarfs. And, more and more, it's becoming necessary to be a computer jock. Astronomers long ago moved away from the era of bulky photographic plates and chilly nights perched at the prime focus. Almost all data are now gathered and analyzed with computers.