I'm really in the thick of things now! - Once I had my scope nailed down, I quickly settled into a routine. I would identify experts, perform research and send request for interviews between Monday – Wednesday. Thursdays and Fridays would be interview days and my boss would join me for some of the more important calls. Initially, I would just listen and learn about how to manage interviews and how I should position myself as an independent third party. By the third week, I was leading calls and managing my own interviews. This was then the real fun started – nothing prepared me for the diversity of individuals I would be talking with. I spoke with farmers and crop consultants early in the morning, most of them were on the road in their trucks and had quite obviously never spoken with an Indian sounding person before! It was my first time talking with ‘southern’ folk and I quickly warmed up to being addressed as ‘Ma’am’ – this job was turning into quite a cultural education. I also quickly realized that I would have to adapt to the working style of farmers and researchers. Professionalism meant different things in this new environment and I realized that I could just pick up the phone and call a stranger based on a referral without having to pre-arrange a meeting time or block off their calendar. This too was quite refreshing! The willingness with which people spoke with me and the way they freely shared knowledge, information and perspectives too was quite eye-opening – a far cry from the corporate world that I was so familiar with. In this world of farmers, researchers and crop experts the only way to earn credibility was to be a practitioner with years of experience and scientific know-how. Being a graduate student affiliated with EDF got me a lot of mileage and I milked it for all it was worth!
PS: Here's a great report that i came across during my research
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