Exactly one year ago, on this very day, I walked out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and boarded a bus to the college town of Champaign-Urbana. I didn’t sleep over the seemingly endless 20-hour flight from Bangalore to save myself from jet lag (yes, that works!). I only remember boarding the bus before dozing off, and three hours later, I reached the tiny little town that would be my home for the next four or five years. The next day would mark my first day as a PhD student in the Computer Science department at the University of Illinois.

Several months before the start date are gruelingly difficult. In that period, a prospective graduate student makes choices that can put their personal and professional life on completely different routes: whether to quit an industry job, whether to pursue a master’s or PhD, and choosing the right university and advisor. I continued to contemplate whether my choices were right for a long time. Now that I am a little wiser, I know the answer: you will never know. You simply need to take a leap of faith in your choices and do the best that you possibly can.

Why a PhD?

It is not an easy decision that results in either a zero or a one. It is an analog signal that varies based on your preferences, and you need to set a threshold that suits you. The work hours are long, often laborious and unrewarding; the pay is below average; and the field is ruthlessly competitive. Naturally, it is tempting to choose earlier financial success and an industry job.

My decision was based largely on my industry experience after my undergraduate degree. As a new graduate, you are likely to land in a design or test engineering team, as I did. There is much to learn, and I found my two years in industry extremely valuable and enjoyable. Over time, however, the learning curve can start to flatten. Engineering teams understandably resist radically new things when deadlines and time-to-market expectations are involved. Your assigned work may depend on internal politics, resource availability, or a project manager’s priorities rather than what you want to pursue.

As a student, you are used to working freely on whatever interests you, and those restrictions can lead to frustration. I was fortunate to work with an excellent set of industry researchers for a few months. By the end of two years, I could visualize the full stack of technical roles in a successful organization. An organization cannot run without all of those elements, but you can decide what role you want to play.

I realized that being a researcher would give me intellectual independence, satisfaction, and an opportunity for larger impact. Someone looking ahead to identify new, profitable, or useful directions might be a professor, an industry researcher, or a founder. A PhD in your field is one way—not the only way—to become a strong candidate for those roles.

That line of thought, aided by an opportunity to work part-time in an industrial research team before applying to graduate school, tilted me toward pursuing a PhD. Coming from a family without much financial cushion, the prospect of a guaranteed tuition waiver and stipend was attractive as well.

Overall, I enjoyed my first year. I had a great advisor and excellent colleagues. I became a better researcher, learner, and, fortunately or unfortunately, cook. This article looks back at that year and reflects on what helped and what I wish I had done differently.

Ten things I learned

  1. Take initiative.My industry mentor once said, “Do you have a plan? If not, you are part of someone else’s plan. Guess what they have planned for you: not much.” A PhD should teach you to identify unsolved problems and envision a field’s future, not simply implement someone else’s ideas.
  2. Be a team player.A good team can move faster without losing direction. Collaboration also helps avoid procrastination. Academic honesty and proper credit are essential, but they should not prevent you from getting the best out of working with others.
  3. Bring passion and enthusiasm.If I had to choose between an inexperienced but enthusiastic student and a highly accomplished student who seems apathetic about the work, I would choose the enthusiastic student. If someone sounds bored by their own project, they are unlikely to do it well.
  4. Project confidence.It is normal to feel overwhelmed by accomplished peers. Maintain confidence in your abilities and use them to move your own work forward. If you do not present yourself with confidence and optimism, people may not take you seriously. Be humble, but do not disappear.
  5. Develop industry collaborations.Academic incentives can sometimes pull researchers toward ideas that are difficult to use in the real world. Working closely with industry can bring practical constraints, tools, connections, and resources into the research process.
  6. Develop taste.I once asked my advisor when he would consider a student ready to graduate. His answer was: when the student develops good taste in choosing research directions. It is possible to finish a PhD by working in well-trodden areas and making only incremental contributions. Learning to choose important problems is one of the best things to practice early.
  7. Aim for relevant networking.New PhD students are often told to meet as many people as possible. Speaking briefly to every famous person at a conference is not necessarily useful. Build connections that are relevant, genuine, and helpful to both people.
  8. Learn to present and write well.If you cannot explain your research in writing and speech, few people will understand the work. You need to make a case for why a solution matters while remaining interesting to a general audience and technically credible to experts.
  9. Maintain a positive atmosphere.Try to keep supportive people around you. I was fortunate to have supportive family, friends, and a partner. Distance yourself from people whose only contribution is persistent negativity.
  10. Pursue a hobby.Learn an instrument, make art, join a gym, play a sport, or find a group that cares about the same activity. A hobby helps sustain you through the difficult parts of a PhD.

A PhD does not automatically make you more intelligent or smarter. It shapes you into someone capable of leading work in a field. Take initiative, stay enthusiastic, project confidence, collaborate, develop taste, build relevant relationships, communicate effectively, maintain a life outside the work, and celebrate the independence you have.