The purposeful scientific entrepreneur

Metaphorically speaking

Research means that you get to organize, undertake, and lead an excursion to a place where no person has gone before. This is your enterprise. You determine the destination, the mode of exploration, you balance risk and return. This shows how indebted you are to yourself to pick a great destination worthy of exploration and not just aisle six in the supermarket. You may consider yourself tasked with nothing less than designing and leading your own research enterprise.

Consequently, try to see your project not as a requirement by your programme, but as an opportunity to build a platform for yourself. Since you are going to work on a self-defined project for many months, why not pick and set up a project that you would want to build a reputation from? Certainly, much of the project’s potential will only become apparent during and after the project. But if you plan your excursion to a place you do not care for from the start, it’s certain to generate limited potential.

While it is common to look at the final academic project as an examination, that is just about the least inspiring, motivating, and exciting way of understanding it. Consider it an official instruction to illustrate what drives your curiosity and how you channel your curiosity to reach your goals.

(This is a preview section. The full chapter on this topic continues with the sections “Rough coordinates”, “Train of thought”, “In essence”, “To reflect”, “Two travellers’ tales”, “Devil’s advocate”, and “How to tackle”.)