Advices

General Advice

1. Be curious.
2. Be critical.
3. Do what you can do, but in particular what you are the only one that can do.
4. Never do something that a machine can do for you.
5. Be aware of what you know!
6. Even more important, be aware of what you don’t know!
7. Don’t be afraid to learn new things.

Don’t Fear Changing Fields: Success in a specialized field often requires both exceptional skill and luck due to high competition. Switching fields can not only broaden your knowledge and challenges, but also provide you with a unique perspective that sets you apart.

BSc/MSc

Make your own subject! If you need to work on a project, try to adjust it to fit your interests. Usually, you can convince professors to deviate from the original topic. Why? For you, it’s more interesting to work on something you’re passionate about. On the other hand, if a professor provides a subject, it’s probably their expertise field (they’ll notice any shortcuts you take). Conversely, if you choose a subject, you become the expert, and the professor might even learn something new.

PhD

1. Maintain 1–2 side projects. They offer a fallback and can keep you engaged when your main research stalls. Be careful that side projects don’t overshadow your PhD.
2. Overcome imposter syndrome. If you’re experiencing it, you likely shouldn’t be. (I won’t comment on the opposite scenario.)
3. Own your PhD. Funding may come from elsewhere, but the work and decisions are yours.
4. Test Over Debate: You can spend hours debating whether something will work, but sometimes it’s faster and more conclusive to just test it.

Post-PhD

1. Apply! Don’t wait until you find the perfect job to apply. Treat previous applications as training.
2. If you don’t like your job, then change of job!